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Women in English literature throughout the ages
Shakespeare's representation of women
What theme is Shakespeare revealing through the specific gender roles of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth
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Recommended: Women in English literature throughout the ages
Diane Mariechild, the author of ‘Mother Wit’ and ‘Inner Dance’ once said, “A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” Shakespeare’s portrayal of Lady Macbeth stands in contrast with the typical imagery of women during Jacobean times. Though Lady Macbeth does not create, nurture, and transform, she is depicted as a duplicitous character as the play progresses. Initially, Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as manipulative and ambitious, but as the plot progresses, she is also portrayed as a weak lady unable to influence Macbeth. To begin with, Shakespeare exemplifies Lady Macbeth as a calculating lady throughout the play; by being evil, cunning, and masculine. For instance, immediately after reading of the witches’ prophecy, the idea of King Duncan’s murder does not disturb her. Alternatively, she starts scheming the possible assassination of King Duncan, executed by her husband. She imagines “the future in the instant” (1.5 56)--Lady Macbeth does not care how she realizes her ambition; she cleverly persuades Macbeth to commit the murder. While harboring murderous thoughts, Lady Macbeth exhibits false courtesy to Duncan just to secure his trust with the Macbeths. Therefore, even when her husband wavers, Lady Macbeth remains determined with her plans and manipulates her husband by using emotional blackmail. Additionally, she does not panic during the regicide; this demonstrates that she is in control over the situation. Lady Macbeth then asks Macbeth to “go carry [The daggers] and smear/ The sleepy grooms with blood” (2.2 52-3). When he refuses, she shows no hesitation and takes (the) daggers herself. Lastly, Lady Macbeth asks to “unsex me” (1.5 39). Being a woman means that she is at risk... ... middle of paper ... ...less gums/ And dashed the brains out” (1.7 56-8) Lastly, Lady Macbeth wants complete dominance throughout the whole process as she does not listen to Macbeth’s fears. Although Macbeth is worried that he might get caught, Lady Macbeth pushes him to execute the crime. She is fearless of the consequences Macbeth might have to face. Thus, Lady Macbeth exemplified in Act 1 Scene 7 is typical of her because she is dominant and she is persuasive. Moreover, she has no qualms in (to?) using strong language and cruel imagery to get Macbeth to commit the regicide. In conclusion, Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as a strong and shrewd woman, later to become a powerless and remorseful woman. Also, The passage from Act 1 Scene 7 is typical of Lady Macbeth--she ultimately dominates the conversation, she takes control of the plans, and she uses several methods to exhort Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth has a greater control on Macbeth’s actions than any other character in Macbeth apart from the Weïrd Sisters. She is well known for her persuading speeches to her husband, convincing him to fulfill the murder of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth’s manly qualities, and informs him that only when he follows through with the murder that
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.
Her comparison between him and the milk of human kindness infers that Macbeth is kind and compassionate. Lady Macbeth believes due to Macbeth’s nature, he will not have the determination to go along with the plan and its consequences. The way in which Lady Macbeth speaks is ironic seeing as Lady Macbeth is a woman and she is calling Macbeth a coward and criticizing his role as a man. In cultural stereotypes, men were known to have control over the women by making all the decisions for the household without any different perspectives. Lady Macbeth seems to embody these male-like characteristics.
Lady Macbeth takes the role of the dominant partner in the beginning of the play, by acting as the real power behind the throne. For example, it is easily recognized that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are opposite in many ways (Scott 236). He is weak, indecisive, and takes on the traditional female role of the marriage; she is strong, decisive, and takes on the traditional male role. One place in the play where Macbeth’s character is shown is Act I, Scene 5, Lines 15-17. She says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promis’d : yet do I fear thy nature / Is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.” This is just after Lady Macbeth receives the letter from Macbeth. It is also important to notice that when Macbeth’s first thoughts of killing Duncan appear, he is scared. After he commits the murder, Macbeth says, “To know my deed, ‘twere best not know myself ” ( 2. 2. 72 ). Knowing that he has committed such a vile act makes him uncomfortable. It will be difficult to act innocent and deal with his guilt.
Macbeth, one of the greatest tragedies written by William Shakespeare, tells a story about uncontrollable ambition, which destroys Macbeth and his wife. Interpreting the play using the mythological approach, Lady Macbeth exhibits a profound image as the terrible mother, more so than the “weird sisters.” Her evil intention foreshadows the awful fate and destiny of her family. The force that drives Lady Macbeth is her insatiable thirst for power.
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.
In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth was a power hungry woman who would do anything to achieve control. “…Nature is more powerful than nurture, and a person’s capabilities are strictly limited and largely determined by his endowment at birth” (The Scientific Monthly 221). Lady Macbeth was born to be a powerful and controlling woman. She took on many masculine characteristics, because she was craving power. If it weren’t for her manipulating Macbeth to commit the murder of King Duncan, she would’ve done it herself. Macbeth even thought that she was a man’s soul in a woman’s body. “…Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here/ And fill me from the ...
Back in the day, women were always classified as passive and frail. However, William Shakespeare opposes this stereotype by certain female characters. In Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth,” Shakespeare depicts Lady Macbeth as a strong female character who persuades her husband to do many challenging and wicked tasks. Lady Macbeth is categorized as a person who is greedy and is willing to do anything to gain power and status. It all seemed to be going well until it became karma to her. The things that she once thought were a great plan in order to gain the throne eventually hunts her. Throughout the whole calamity, Lady Macbeth was characterized as greedy, persuasive and crazy all in which leads to her down fall.
It is from this point that we meet the true character of Lady Macbeth. She immediately shows herself as a domineering, strong willed and ambitious wife to Macbeth.
She is a woman, but desires to be cruel and monstrous like a man. In consideration of murdering King Duncan herself, she requests that the spirits “unsex [her there] / And fill her...Of direst cruelty 1.5.44-46”. This matches Shakespeare’s implication of masculinity, as Lady Macbeth feels that if she were a man, she would more easily be able to commit brutal acts without any feeling of remorse. It indicates that men are stereotyped by Shakespeare to be callous and ruthless while women are perceived as rather fair and harmless. Additionally, Lady Macbeth is a large cause of the brutal behaviours that Macbeth demonstrates throughout the play. She convinces Macbeth that if he slaughters Duncan, he will “Be so much more the man 1.7.56”. This continues emphasize that in order to be discerned as a man, one must be violent and cruel. Shakespeare’s ideas regarding theme of manhood are carried out uniquely to a massive extent, as ideas of masculinity are forced upon Macbeth primarily by Lady Macbeth, who is a
Lady Macbeth negatively guides lots of Macbeth’s behaviour, for instance, when Macbeth hesitates to commit murder, she repeatedly questions his manhood until he feels that he has to do it to prove himself as the man that Lady Macbeth always mentioned; it is also one of the reasons that lead to Macbeth’s downfall, as well as the deaths of the other innocent characters in the text. “[Macbeth does] Like the poor cat i' th' adage? ”(1.7.46) says Lady Macbeth, when Macbeth is hesitating whether kill Duncan or not while he’s in Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth describes Macbeth as a poor cat from old stories to satire Macbeth’s indecision. She degrades Macbeth’s manhood as he doesn’t have the dare to act the way he desires, to pursue the power and glory that he wants. Macbeth replies that he only dares to do what is proper for a man to do. However later in the text, Macbeth’s actions go crazy, he cares his family no more, as well as his friends and subordinates. Lady Macbeth seems to know that she needs to push Macbeth into committing murder, or Macbeth will just let nature take its course. At some points, she wishes that she was not a woman so that she could do the things that man could do by herself, such as the murder, so she won’t see Macbeth lacks in the power of decision and his overtaken by misgivings and fear. In addition, Julia encourages
### 2nd Part of Essay ### At the beginning of Act 1, Scene 7, we see a soliloquy from Macbeth expressing his doubts about killing King Duncan. When Lady Macbeth first enters the scene he attempts to assert his power over her, perhaps for the first time, by saying ‘We will proceed no further in this business’. This adverbial phrase is a definitive statement, which is utilized by Macbeth to reinstate his power over Lady Macbeth and regain control. His hesitancy over committing regicide is evidence of the fact that he is not an innately evil person, nevertheless his overriding ambition has the power to change the man into a merciless killing machine not far from the characteristics demonstrated by the Hawk in ‘Hawk Roosting’.
From the very beginning of the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as an extremely strong female character who undoubtedly controls her ...
Throughout the play Macbeth, characters start to emerge as dark and cruel. The author William Shakespeare writes about a strong and ambitiously powerful woman named Lady Macbeth. In the play, Lady Macbeth’s character shares with the audience that she believes her husband is not man enough to excel in completing the prophecy that the three witches have given to him. As a women, she makes sure to tell us that just because she is a women that you can be strong and independent. Although it may seem that Lady Macbeth has a tough exterior, she does proceed to have a conscience that causes her problems that comes to display later in the play.
In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the focus that is placed on the character of Lady Macbeth helps to convey the play's theme of the strife created by the struggle for power and control that is present throughout the entire work. Shakespeare presents her character in great detail and shows her to be a dominating, authoritative woman who thrives on the power she holds over her husband. He then shows the principle character, Macbeth, rise up and join his wife in a struggle for power of his own. It is the actions that Macbeth takes in attempt to achieve ultimate authority that lead to his downfall, and it is Lady Macbeth's loss of control over her husband as he gains this independence which causes her own weakening and eventually leads to her demise as well.