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female characterisation in macbeth and an inspector calls
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Sheila is the daughter of a rich factory owner therefore she has power in society because of her father. Even though she fires Eva because of jealously, she is still shown as a positive character. Lady Macbeth is wife of Macbeth (Thane of Cawdor), because in the Jacobean era women did not have power because men were in control in society. However, Lady Macbeth is in control of the relationship and she is shown to the audience as a negative character. This coursework will be about why Priestly shows Shelia as a positive character but Shakespeare shows Lady Macbeth as a negative character.
Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a perceptive character. For example, in Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth, ‘Just screw up your courage to the uttermost’ and ‘And live a coward in thine own esteem’. Lady Macbeth uses negative words such as ‘coward’ and ‘screw up your courage’ to discourage Macbeth behaviour. Lady Macbeth is perceptive because she uses Macbeth weakness to make Macbeth come to her side to kill Duncan. Macbeth weakness was his pride and ambition. Lady Macbeth knew that if she disagrees and tells him he has no pride; Macbeth would fight for his pride. This is because Macbeth is a soldier therefore he is used to fight his pride. This was interesting because in Jacobean era, Jacobean women were pure and pious. Therefore, she would not convert Macbeth thoughts into killing the king.
Furthermore, Shakespeare also shows Lady Macbeth perceptiveness in Act 1 Scene 5 she says to Macbeth ‘Look like th’ innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t’. Lady Macbeth understands that if they act innocent no one would recognise what they did. Moreover, she also calls Macbeth ‘serpent’. A ‘serpent’ is inferred as evil and sneaky; t...
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...see Lady Macbeth characteristics in a man. Therefore this can be surprising. On the other hand, Priestley presents Sheila as a positive character to spend a message to the audience. Priestley uses Sheila as a vehicle to send his message about women rights. Priestley is inferring that women can be brave, smart and powerful.
In conclusion, Shakespeare is presenting Lady Macbeth as a negative character to show that women cannot be powerful or brave. On the other hand Priestley is showing Sheila as a positive person to hits that women can be power and brave and it is a good thing. There is a contrast in opinion because in the Jacobean era, women had no right and had no power in society. Unlike in the Edwardian era women are starting to have rights such as voting. It was more likely for people to find it more common an acceptable then the Edwardian era then Jacobean.
Her power and strength becomes evident when she says ‘and shalt be what thou art promised’. Lady Macbeth is saying that she will ensure that the witch’s prophecy will come true even if she has to step in and help the weak Macbeth’ who she views as weak. From this we can see that she has power over Macbeth and is strong willed enough to believe that her help will guarantee that the prophecy will come true. In contrast when Sheila is first introduced to An Inspector Calls she comes across as playful, lively and good-humoured, and she is described as a ‘pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited’. This instantly allows the readers to grasp Sheila’s character. Sheila is a convincing demonstration of a girl of her class, as she comes across as quite naïve and uses her power to get what she wants. The characters are seen as very different in the play; Lady Macbeth is portrayed as strong and powerful whereas Sheila is more young and innocent; although as the plays progress they reveal their true
Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth is well known to be a strong, independent character. She proved her strength multiple times throughout the play. But, since she is a woman, her character has a certain weakness which is recognized by the other characters in the play, and especially herself. Given this limitation, many people perceive her to be simply a women with a lot of potential that never truly is able to flourish. On the contrary, she is a key part in the play. Without her, many of the events of the story wouldn’t have taken place. Given her gender, many people won’t be able to realize how large of an influence Lady Macbeth had over Macbeth and the other characters. Lady Macbeth was the “man” in her relationship, showing the strength
In the play ‘’Macbeth’’ by William Shakespeare Macbeth struggles with his conscience and the fear of eternal domination if he assassinates King Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s conflict arises when Macbeth’s courage begins to falter. Lady Macbeth is has a cruel, venomous, evil personality in which no man can escape from her wrath and raging power. Lady Macbeth is like a black widow who utilizes aggressive and ruthless tactics to persuade Macbeth to commit the assassination. This cruel minded woman utilizes the power of manipulation and reverse psychology to get what she desires.
Lady Macbeth’s wicked character has an extreme impact towards her husband. Lady Macbeth is responsible for influencing her husband to commit both crimes; she unleashes the dark side of him and motivates him to become an evil and horrendous man. In various parts throughout the story we find that Lady Macbeth strives beyond limits to be converted into a bitter and sour women. The audience is revolted by her horrific actions and although she may seem repugnant, she is an extremely talented actor. In her role, having a deceitful and convincing character is important
Throughout history women have fought for the same rights of men. In the time of William Shakespeare they were seen in society as weak and vulnerable. They were seen to be good, caring and not as powerful as men. Men were the superior and ruled the land. Shakespeare has taken the stereotypical image of the women of the time and turned it on its head in ‘Macbeth’. Lady Macbeth is shown as a very powerful, strong woman. She has an evil about her that Shakespeare has used to make ‘Macbeth’ a supernatural play. Women were seen to be good and not as powerful as men, in ‘Macbeth’ Lady Macbeth is the dominate character and commands and persuades Macbeth to commit the murders and crimes that he does.
So far, in the play, Lady Macbeth has been shown to be a very powerful and ambitious character. After reading Macbeth's letter, she says, "Thou wouldst be great, / Art not without ambition, but without / The illness that should attend it"(I.v 17-19), here, she is saying that he needs more evil or "illness" in him to become King, and therefore implies that she will "poison" him and give him the illness he needs to increase his ambition. Here she is also undermining her husband's authority (which is very unusual for a woman in the Elizabethan era) by saying he is unable to become a King, and is undermining his masculinity as she is thinking about things that a man would usually take charge of. To try to persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan when the audience first see them meet on stage, she is very bold, "Your hand, you tongue, look like th'innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't" (I.v 65-66), she shows her strong female identity, whose ambitions speak for her obsession with power.
The audience is in no way prepared for the character of Lady Macbeth. We learn about her through her powerful soliloquy, consequent to the reading of Macbeths letter. A manipulative and dangerously committed woman. She is ruthless. Salivating at the prospect of previously unimaginable power. Macbeths tendency to speculate and think round problems, a quality noted in scene three, is seen by his wife as a crucial weakness.. She believes he does not lack ambition, but he is squeamish about the methods to be used to achieve this ambition.
On the other hand, Lady Macbeth views on manhood are much different from her husband's and the other characters in the play. Unlike Macbeth, Lady Macbeth envisions a man to be opportunist, cruel and ruthless instead of honorable and loyal. When she receives the letter from Macbeth and learns of her chance to be queen, she prays that the spirits "that tend on mortal thoughts [would] unsex [her]", and that she will be "fill[ed] from the crown to the toe of direst cruelty", so that she would have the strength to murder Duncan. Believing the spirits would "unsex" her, she hopes that she wouldn't be bothered by a woman's kindness or remorse and thus would become a cruel killer, like a man.
Lady Macbeth’s atypical and complex character directly challenged the archetypal principles and beliefs of the Jacobean era which as a result, drew major fascination through the ages. Lady Macbeth was Shakespeare’s device to not only stimulate audience’s emotions, but to also provide historical context and elicit dominant themes which reflected Jacobean society. Her ambiguous character and remarkable influences in the play raised a lot of controversy and fascination amongst both modern and Jacobean audiences. She can either be seen as linked to the witches in a feminist bid to overthrow the balance of power, or as a representation of the evil side of Macbeth. Nevertheless, it was her distinct characteristics and actions which ultimately catalysed the chain of conflicts of the play. Again, this reinforces her important role in the play.
Gender is evidently out of its traditional order within the play, and thus the three chosen exemplar characters to showcase this are Lady Macbeth, the Witches, and Macbeth. In saying this, Lady Macbeth is a clear example of how the traditional characteristics of a woman are non-existent as they are taken over by masculinity and strength. The witches challenge their womanhood due to the power they hold and attributes they have, all while Macbeth challenges his gender as he shows femininity through weakness and fretfulness.
Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. As she is Macbeth’s wife, her role is significant in his rise and fall from royalty. She is Macbeth’s other half. During Shakespearean times, women were regarded as weak insignificant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Though in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the highest influence in Macbeth’s life. Her role was so large; in fact, that she uses her position to gain power, stay strong enough to support her unstable Lord, and fails miserably while their relationship falls apart. Everything about Lady Macbeth is enough to create the perfect villain because of her ability to manipulate everyone around her. It appears that even she can’t resist the perfect crime.
To conclude, Lady Macbeth is a multifaceted character, her persona having many sides; notably: genuine goodness towards her husband, coy manipulation, and femininity. It is therefore inaccurate to define her as purely evil; despite the means by which she desires to accomplish her fantastical end. For all Lady Macbeth’s drive and determination, she eventually loses her dominant role, captive until her demise to her inescapable femininity.
Initially, Lady Macbeth is introduced as a dominant, controlling, heartless wife with the ambition to achieve kingship for her husband. These words are characteristics of today’s woman. She does not let her husband run her life, but instead, a modern woman seeks the best for both herself and her husband. This weak, unsure, and unstable condition of Lady Macbeth, which is only revealed towards the end of the play, displays the characteristics of a woman from the Elizabethan times. However, the audience begins to see hints of this hidden nature by the way Macbeth addresses her.
Macbeth rejects conformation to traditional gender roles in its portrayal of Lady Macbeth’s relationship with her husband, her morals and their effect on her actions, and her hunger for power. Her regard for Macbeth is one of low respect and beratement, an uncommon and most likely socially unacceptable attitude for a wife to have towards her spouse at the time. She often ignores morality and acts for the benefit of her husband, and subsequently herself. She is also very power-hungry and lets nothing stand in the way of her success. Lady Macbeth was a character which challenged expectations of women and feminism when it was written in the seventeenth century.
In the play, Macbeth, the power of a woman is a strong force to be reckoned with. Many times in the play, the female characters have proven their equality with any man. From the witches to Lady Macbeth, these characters show their power either in words or in actions. The women, in the play Macbeth, contradict the roles set by society in 1606. Women who over stepped their boundaries were considered a threat to the people and were punished severely. It was shocking to the public to see such masculine female characters in Macbeth.