Women are the jewels of creation. They are seen today as the most beautiful treasure that a man feels the need to protect. However, back in the time period of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, women weren’t treated nor did they act the way they do today. Back then, women were “expected to assume a more passive role” (Bolon). This however was changed when Shakespeare decided to show that women could be different, especially in his Lady Macbeth play. Furthermore, in most of Shakespeare’s works, women are seen as modest, obedient, and shy, except for Lady Macbeth, who was one of the most ambitious characters Shakespeare ever created. Women in the works of Shakespeare such as Hero in Much Ado About Nothing, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and
To start, in Romeo and Juliet, Juliet presents a very interesting but normal character. The reason she may be seen as a normal character is because she wasn’t a rebellious one until later in the play of course. Juliet was just living her life listening to her mother and being tended to by the Nurse (Gill). If there was ever any disagreement, all she could do was plead and that was it, the thought of doing more was not to cross the minds of women during that time. Shakespeare made sure he showed a compliant and obedient person in Juliet; because that was the way a woman should act. Moving on, to Hero from Much Ado About Nothing, who was the perfect example of how women should’ve acted in those times. When Hero was commanded to do something she did it, when her father had decided that Claudius would marry her, she had no problems against it. Even when Don Jon plotted to break her and Claudius apart, she had no want for revenge; she just acted as the frail woman she was with nothing but sadness in her heart (Irvine). In addition to the people’s ridicule towards her she still remained perfect towards her behavior, keeping obedient, modest, and shyness. Another example of Shakespeare’s women was Gertrude in Hamlet. This woman was the model for how some men at that time wanted the women to be, submitting and blind to the decisions of their husbands. Gertrude was just
Lady Macbeth had the ambition; she had what Macbeth did not. She desired what for a woman in those days was abnormal, and that was power (Dall). Her hubris was at such a high level that when she found out about the witches’ prophecy, she was willing to do whatever she could to use Macbeth to gain power (Dall). However, again it was uncommon for a woman to want such things as power. So Lady Macbeth showed that she wanted to trade her gender for power, “unsex me here” (Dall). This is still a way to show that women did not have much say because that was what Lady Macbeth was despising of, Lady Macbeth wanted to be rid of whatever made her feel like a woman, she just wanted to be without a gender so what she desired would be felt as normal (Dall). On the other hand, there is a counter argument that can be made about Lady Macbeth. Although it is known that Lady Macbeth would have done anything to gain power, she did have a limit. This boundary was displayed when she could not kill Duncan herself, with all the ambition and the want to be of neutral gender, Lady Macbeth could not kill the king because he looked similar to her father (“Macbeth”). This could probably mean that even though she tried to not think like a woman, she could not escape
William Shakespeare’s writing reflected and at times emphasized the gender oriented stereotypical roles and responsibilities of the English Renaissance. However, many Shakespearean characters including Benedick and Beatrice of Much Ado About Nothing challenged the standard image and characteristics of men and women.
The untraditional marriage between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Lady Macbeth shows how a woman takes charge of her marriage, showing she is the woman of the house. She is manly and all powerful over her husband. Lady Macbeth proves to be the untraditional woman of Scotland, she differs from the role of a traditional woman because she is not feminine as a woman should be, in fact she wishes she was a man. She tells the spirits to, “ unsex me here”. ( Enotes… unsex me here). This pertains to the theme of gender roles because it demonstrates how Lady Macbeth wishes it was a man. She’s manlier than her husband, that show the untraditional woman. Lady Macbeth feels her husband is to nice, friendly, and full of milk “ worrying her is to full of the milk of human kindness to take Duncan’s throne” ( Gale. Par 3). She worries that Macbeth has cold feet. He’s afraid of the consequence that will follow the murder; She planed the murder herself, because she didn’t believe he could do with out her help. She worries he is to manly to snatch the crown. So Lady Macbeth is manly enough to plan the murder, but wants Macbeth to commit the murder. ...
The concept and perception of gender has changed radically from Shakespeare’s time to now, yet the perceptions of women and the limitations placed on them remain shockingly similar. William Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, Macbeth, addresses gender concerns and the role of women in power positions. The play was written for King James VI of Scotland and I of England as he took the throne during a transitional period in the country’s history. The succession of King James marked the long-desired transition from a matriarchy to a patriarchy. Considering the historical context and Shakespeare’s affinity for King James, some Shakespearean critics hold Lady Macbeth responsible for the political, moral, and personal destruction in the play, as well
Firstly we will commence by discovering how women are presented in Shakespeare’s play .Through-out the play women are presented as immature , impuissant characters : Lady Capulet & Juliet ,all women are regarded as possessions of men ,for them to do as they please . They are ornaments, they cannot speak their minds nor can they make their own decisions. Women are in the men’s shadows.
Throughout Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, there is an overlaying presence of the typical roles that men and women were supposed to play. During Elizabethan times there was a major difference between the way men and women were supposed to act. Men typically were supposed to be masculine and powerful, and defend the honor. Women, on the other hand, were supposed to be subservient to their men in their lives and do as ever they wished. In Romeo and Juliet the typical gender roles that men and women were supposed to play had an influence on the fate of their lives.
Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare dramatically shows what can happen when our common gender roles are broken. He shows the power that people can have over others when they aren’t acting the way they’re expected to.
Macbeth is a famous play written by Shakespeare. This play like most stories had women in it, and whether Shakespeare intended to or not he showed his own views on women. The women in this play are the witches and the two wives. Witches aside the two wives are quite unique before settling in to the stereotype of playing second fiddle to a male character. “They wanted, it seemed, to be supporting actresses in their own stories”. (Kelsey McKinney) These women take the time to make it clear how awful they are before fading out. Both the wives and the witches do this masterfully before succumbing to the stereotype of fading out to a male character. In Macbeth the three main feminine themes are clearly that women should not be trusted, have little faith in others, and make foolish decisions.
In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth ‘bullies’ her husband by doubting his masculinity and provoking a response. She called Macbeth “afeard” and a “coward”. I am inclined to think that Lady Macbeth chose these words as Macbeth values his courage and fierce nature as it has positioned him highly in society. It is possible that Macbeth’s greatest vulnerability is his love for Lady Macbeth and that enables her to exploit his love for power. This shows her femininity as a strength as she can use it to influence Macbeth and show him as the weak spouse.
Neely, Carol Thomas. "Shakespeare's Women: Historical Facts and Dramatic Representations." In Holland, Norman N., Sidney Homan, and Bernard J. Paris, eds. Shakespeare's Personality. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989.
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.
“Gender hardly determines the nature of a character, in the plays of Shakespeare. It is for this very reason, that his plays are read, viewed and enjoyed by both the sexes equally, even after five hundred years of their composition” (Singh). Gender is not something that defines what a character is going to be like in Shakespeare’s plays. This quote illuminates that in Shakespeare’s writings females and males were on equal level playing fields when it came to their traits. Females during the time period were considered inferior to men.
In each of his plays the women are the same, with their own little quirks, but overall they all portray a woman that isn't totally fitting to the elizabethan stereotype. Shakespeare was clearly way ahead of his time as a writer. The uncommon characteristics that he gave his women, perfectly describe women today.
The story of Lady Macbeth throughout Macbeth is one unlike those of its time in its unusually forward-thinking portrayal of a woman with thoughts and actions which would have been considered indecent. This is seen through the representation of her relationship with Macbeth and how they interact. It is also illustrated through Lady Macbeth’s morals and their effect on how she acts and reacts in situations which would weigh heavily on most peoples’ conscious. Her power-hungry attitude is one often reserved for men, especially in this era of literature. All of these factors create a character in Lady Macbeth which is dissimilar to the classic portrayal of women in the seventeenth century.
Shakespeare has written some of the most outstanding pieces of literature through out history that have lasted through out the ages. But, critics often critique Shakespeare as being sexist towards women in his work. He often portrays them as weak minded, evil, or as sexual objects. Ophelia, Queen Gertrude, Lady Macbeth, and Juliet Capulet are just a few female heroines that are accused of being feeble or heinous. Shakespeares Othello represents Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca as weak characters that do not become triumphant by the end of the play. While they have ardous intentions, none of them ever defend themselves. Desdemona is a passive victim who lets Othello abuse her, Emilia allows herself to be abused by Iago, and Bianca lets Cassio take
The play Othello is presented as a male-dominated society where women are only recognized as property; objects to own and to bear children. Women in the Elizabethan society and in Shakespeare society were not seen as equal to men and were expected to be loyal to their husbands, be respectful, and to not go against their husbands judgements or actions. Shakespeare presents Desdemona, Emilia , and Bianca as women in the Elizabethan time where they were judged based on their class, mortality, and intelligence. Shakespeare makes his female characters act the way they would be expected to act in an Elizabethan society. The role of these women in Othello is crucial because they show how women were treated and how unhealthy their relationships between men really were in both Elizabethan and Shakespeare's society.