...Macbeth and Gender John J. Armes, M.Ed. Ashford University June 4, 2018 Dominance; This theme occurs in so many of William Shakespeare’s plays because it is vital to the creation of conflict within a storyline. The Plot of Macbeth would have never advanced if the foresight given by the witches did not make Macbeth willing to take power away from Duncan and become king himself. Many of Shakespeare’s female characters have also been willing to obtain power; however, achieving power was not as easy as it was for men. Women were not put into leadership roles as easily as men were; they had to seek them out. Lady Macbeth from Macbeth is a the perfect example of a woman who took action to control her own life and the lives of those around...
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...Lady Macbeth is a character in Shakespeare's Macbeth (c.1603–1607). She is the wife to the play's protagonist, Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman. After goading him into committing regicide, she becomes Queen of Scotland, but later suffers pangs of guilt for her part in the crime. She dies off-stage in the last act, an apparent suicide. According to some genealogists, Lady Macbeth and Duncan's wife were sisters or cousins, where Lady Macbeth had a stronger claim to the throne then Duncan's wife. It was this that incited her jealousy and hatred of Duncan. The character's origins lie of the accounts of Kings Duff and Duncan in Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), a history of Britain familiar to Shakespeare. Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth appears to be a composite of two separate and distinct personages in Holinshed's work: Donwald's nagging, murderous wife in the account of King Duff, and Macbeth's ambitious wife Gruoch of Scotland in the account of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth is a powerful presence in the play, most notably in the first two acts. Following the murder of King Duncan, however, her role in the plot diminishes. She becomes an uninvolved spectator to Macbeth's plotting, and a nervous hostess at a banquet dominated by her husband's hallucinations. Her fifth act sleepwalking scene is a turning point in the play, and her line, "Out, damned spot!," has become a phrase familiar to many speakers of the English language. The report of her death late in the fifth act provides the inspiration...
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...Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth illustrates one of Shakespeare’s most powerful female characters because of her role as both a driving and destructive force, which was uncommon of women during the Elizabethan Era. Women of this time (circa AD 1000) were not very influential and did not normally have meaningful input. Despite this social convention, Lady Macbeth is an unparalleled character Shakespeare creates to entertain his audience. Lady Macbeth’s passionate desire and ambition to murder Duncan in order to gain power is a characteristic developed by Shakespeare not seen in her historical counterparts. After learning of the prophecy telling that Macbeth will become King of Scotland, Lady Macbeth ferociously pushes Macbeth to murder Duncan and cleverly uses her words to manipulate Macbeth into action “through a meticulous process of cruel and piercing emasculation, purposefully designed to attack his warrior status” (Ancona and Thompson). This exemplifies how...
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...Manhood in Macbeth In today's society the traditional stereotype of manhood is that men are to be strong and powerful. Normally males demonstrate a being strong and have a powerful exterior, while females usually show that they are full of inertial emotions. Common Manhood motifs shown in in Macbeth are tied together with strength, power, physical courage, and force. The characters in the Macbeth use the idea of manhood to instigate one another into fighting, just to serve their own benefits the characters have manipulated their ideas of manliness. Masculinity becomes a trait that is manipulated by Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth by making him questioning his manhood and convincing him to murder the King of Scotland, Duncan. The same way Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband. Another example would be how Macbeth convinces the three murderers he hired to kill Banquo and Fleance by questioning them, and making them question their own power and masculinity. One point of view of masculinity could be its dominance over femininity. The first women that appear in the play are the witches. When they meet Macbeth for the first time, he “start and seem to fear” (1.3.54) their prophecies. While it is not shown in the play, there is also a wish that...
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...the warrior role; however, the dismissal of gender specific characteristics in literature often contradicts the gender roles throughout the 1600s. For example, Macbeth includes several characters that fail to possess the qualities typically associated with their gender. The subversion of gender roles in Macbeth becomes particularly evident during the planning of Duncan’s murder and then in the overthrow of Macbeth. These two events highlight the sharp...
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...which. Shakespeare didn’t write “heroes” and “villains.” He wrote real people with real flaws, who were all equally capable of committing good and evil. One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches' statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status quo within the character Macbeth and without. When Macbeth and Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their hideous appearances. Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to converse with these universally known evil creatures. After hearing their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland came by foul means. Macbeth became the Thane of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan. Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life. This theme is further verified by King Duncan's statement "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face." (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-12) Although Macbeth has the semblance of the amicable and dutiful host, ("fair") he is secretly plotting Duncan's death...
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...witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, symbolizes a common theme found in English literature: the effect of the supernatural. The supernatural is constantly exploited by authors to develop their plot. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the supernatural is something “belonging to a realm or system that transcends nature, as that of divine, magical, or ghostly being.” As well as William Shakespeare, Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys utilize the supernatural in their books Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea, respectively, to affect the amount of power each character has the ability to attain. No matter the gain or loss of power, the supernatural...
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...will do whatever it takes to remain in control. Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, utilizes psychoanalysis to portray how the Macbeths’ lust for power ultimately leads to their downfall. To begin, Macbeth’s thirst for power commences upon hearing the Witches’ prophecy. The Third Witch proclaims, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51). Macbeth and his companion, Banquo, find this prophecy of being king absurd to the point of being funny. Yet Macbeth secretly...
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...manipulative wife, a pushover husband, and a treacherous plan to be king into the mix, it can lead to divorce…or in this case, death. In the play Macbeth, gender roles and relations are a prominent theme throughout the play. This recurring thematic element is especially illustrated in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's actions as individuals as well as a couple. Their perception of gender specific roles for male and females, as well as their personal adaptation to unforeseen situations in the play, caused them to reexamine the preconceived notions of acceptable male - female relations and ultimately led to their demise both as individuals and as a couple. During the opening acts of the play, specifically acts I and II, Macbeth’s persona could be described as timid and humble; on the other hand, his counterpart -Lady Macbeth, had ruthless, devious, and manipulative character traits. From the beginning, Lady Macbeth was undoubtedly not a typical wife. She broke the status quo of the stereotypical 11th century wife of the soon-to-be Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. She did not stay in her castle and perform mundane wifely duties; on the contrary, she was a go-getter, and her robust nature often made her seem more manly than her husband. In fact, she wanted to become a man, so she could do the things her timid husband would not. She knows Macbeth is ambitious, but fears he is too “full o th’ milk of human kindness” to take the necessary steps to make himself king. “...come you spirits...
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...Celton Brito-Lobato Analyse and compare how Lady Macbeth and Curley's wife are presented Shakespeare’s ' Macbeth' and Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ In the Shakespearean play of ‘Macbeth’ we are introduced to the character of Lady Macbeth. Similarly in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice of Men we also presented with an equally diverse character of Curley's wife. ‘Macbeth’ was written during the early 17th century, and was a play 'fit for a king'. It outlines a couple's ambition to become rulers of Scotland and sees them fulfil this ambition and in doing so, killing the king in the process. Despite being written during patriarchal Jacobean society, Lady Macbeth is a female protagonist. Throughout the play, through Lady Macbeth's actions we are forced to believe that she is evil. In contrast, in the novel John Steinbeck tells a story of dreams, hopes and loneliness. We are introduced to a majorly significant and complex character, named Curley’s wife. Steinbeck shows us that Curley’s wife is flirtatious, mischievous (despite the patriarchal society of the 1930’s) but most of all she is an isolated character. Her hasty marriage to Curley proves to be failed attempt to escape her own spiral of disappointment of not fulfilling her ambition of becoming an actress. This ironically is a main theme in both texts. This essay will analyse and compare the presentation of Lady Macbeth and Curley's wife through structure, themes, what is said about them, their actions and what they themselves...
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...Courtney White Victim or Manipulator? How do Shakespeare in ‘Macbeth’ and Steinbeck in ‘Of Mice of Men’ present female characters? Both Shakespeare and Steinbeck have presented their characters in ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Of Mice and Men’ as women who possess the features of a manipulator and a victim. Both elements are a question of power; manipulation being able to overpower someone else, whereas a victim is a subject to someone else’s power. Lady Macbeth and Curley’s wife both manipulate men using their femininity: Curley’s wife shows this as she manipulates the men on the ranch using her appearance and Lady Macbeth uses her sexuality to persuade her husband to kill the king and by welcoming Duncan into her home, even though she was plotting to kill him. Alternatively, there are differences between the two women, as Curley’s wife is lonely and isolated on the ranch, her husband disrespects her and is disliked by all the men on the ranch and as a result, manipulates the men innocently to get some attention. Lady Macbeth desires power and fame, and acts manipulatively and selfishly to get what she wants. Lady Macbeth is upperclass, giving her more freedom to do what she wanted. She had status, wealth, glamour and equal partnership with her husband. This was very unusual for the time- Shakespeare has presented her as a very modern anti-heroine. The writers have also presented the women as victims of their gender. During the time each text was written women had restrictions placed on...
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...Some definitions of literary devices, techniques and style from searching via http://www.ferretsoft.com/ LITERARY DEVICES http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/lit.htm Literary devices refers to any specific aspect of literature, or a particular work, which we can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze. Both literary elements and literary techniques can rightly be called literary devices. Literary elements refers to aspects or characteristics of a whole text. They are not “used,” per se, by authors; we derive what they are from reading the text. Most literary elements can be derived from any and all texts; for example, every story has a theme, every story has a setting, every story has a conflict, every story is written from a particular point-of-view, etc. In order to be discussed legitimately, literary elements must be specifically identified for that text. Literary techniques refers to any specific, deliberate constructions of language which an author uses to convey meaning. An author’s use of a literary technique usually occurs with a single word or phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases, at one single point in a text. Unlike literary elements, literary techniques are not necessarily present in every text. Literary terms refers to the words themselves with which we identify and describe literary elements and techniques. They are not found in literature and they are not “used” by authors. Allegory:...
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...23 32 SECOND DRAFT 4.1.4 Drama 4.1.5 Films 4.1.6 Literary Appreciation 4.1.7 Schools of Literary Criticism 4.2 Catering for Learner Diversity 4.3 Meaningful Homework 4.4 Role of Learners Chapter 5 41 45 52 69 71 72 73 74 Assessment 5.1 Guiding Principles 5.2 Internal Assessment 5.2.1 Formative Assessment 5.2.2 Summative Assessment 5.3 Public Assessment 5.3.1 Standards-referenced Assessment 5.3.2 Modes of Public Assessment 74 74 74 75 77 77 77 Quality Learning and Teaching Resources 104 6.1 Use of Set Texts 6.2 Use of Other Learning and Teaching Resources 104 108 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 109 Supporting Measures 7.1 Learning and Teaching Resource Materials 7.2 Professional Development 109 109 Appendix 1 Examples of Poetry Analysis 110 Appendix 2 Examples of...
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...Mälardalen University School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology International Business and Entrepreneurship Master Thesis, Spring 2008 Leif Linnskog, Supervisor The International Expansion of a Multinational Company ---A Case Study of H&M Authors: Jun Li Maja Frydrychowska Abstract Date: Level: Authors: June 19, 2008 Master Thesis in International Business and Entrepreneurship, 15 credits Jun Li (1981-11-01), China jli07001@student.mdh.se Maja Frydrychowska (1974-05-29), Poland mfa07001@student.mdh.se Title: The International Expansion of a Multinational Company---A Case Study of H&M Leif Linnskog How did H&M go international and what factors did influence its expansion? The aim of this thesis is to describe the internationalization of H&M and to explain such way of expansion using different theories and theoretical concepts. In our thesis, we mainly used the qualitative method for our case study of H&M. Meanwhile, for the data collection, the documentary approach was applied. As a retailer, H&M does not follow the standard pattern of establishment chain presented in the Uppsala model. Its establishment chain is composed of three stages: franchising, wholly owned sales subsidiaries and production offices. The company has developed strong macro-position within the clothes industry network and strong bonds with its external suppliers. The expansion decisions of H&M have been influenced by the factors included in the psychic distance concept. Supervisor:...
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...A ROOM OF ONES OWN [* This essay is based upon two papers read to the Arts Society at Newnharn and the Odtaa at Girton in October 1928. The papers were too long to be read in full, and have since been altered and expanded.] ONE But, you may say, we asked you to speak about women and fiction--what, has that got to do with a room of one's own? I will try to explain. When you asked me to speak about women and fiction I sat down on the banks of a river and began to wonder what the words meant. They might mean simply a few remarks about Fanny Burney; a few more about Jane Austen; a tribute to the Brontës and a sketch of Haworth Parsonage under snow; some witticisms if possible about Miss Mitford; a respectful allusion to George Eliot; a reference to Mrs Gaskell and one would have done. But at second sight the words seemed not so simple. The title women and fiction might mean, and you may have meant it to mean, women and what they are like, or it might mean women and the fiction that they write; or it might mean women and the fiction that is written about them, or it might mean that somehow all three are inextricably mixed together and you want me to consider them in that light. But when I began to consider the subject in this last way, which seemed the most interesting, I soon saw that it had one fatal drawback. I should never be able to come to a conclusion. I should never be able to fulfil what is, I understand, the first duty of a lecturer to hand you after an hour's discourse a...
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