Lady Macbeth: Shakespeare’s Modern Day Medea

3930 Words16 Pages
Lady Macbeth: Shakespeare’s Modern Day Medea Author and critic Judith Cook explains, “Lady Macbeth…has continued to intrigue and puzzle most commentators [and] critics over the centuries” (120). Lady Macbeth’s character is intriguing in that she is strong, persuasive, and committed, and Shakespeare understood the importance of presenting interesting characters. Former British professor Emrys Jones writes, “Much of Shakespeare’s power comes from his skill in choosing subjects that arouse interest and attention” (15). Shakespeare was a man who took what was popular at his time and adjusted those stories to create his works. In the case of Macbeth, critics have long recognized that Shakespeare borrowed extensively from Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1577). Yet to really impress his audience, to truly create a character worth loving, sympathizing with, or despising, Shakespeare looks to a lesser-discussed author in Seneca to create a woman who, as Cook describes, “intrigue[s] and puzzle[s].” Many parallels can be found between Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the story of a man and woman who will do anything to get what they want, and Medea from Seneca’s play Medea, the story of a woman scorned who allows nothing to stand in the way of her revenge. Shakespeare’s decision to model Lady Macbeth after Medea is based on more than just recreating a vindictive woman. Rather, Shakespeare aimed to compare his modern-day detestable character to a classical one to highlight the frictions and conflicts between male and female and society and self. Ultimately, the overall atmosphere of the play and the depiction of Lady Macbeth can be attributed to the Latin author. Shakespeare bases much of his work on the popular works of others. Cook says that “witchcraft was in the air; James I had written a treatise on the subject…and treason was

More about Lady Macbeth: Shakespeare’s Modern Day Medea

Open Document