This essay will analyse and compare the presentation of Lady Macbeth and Curley's wife through the structure, themes, what is said about them, their actions and what they themselves say. Presentation of character can be explored by observing what Lady Macbeth says. Lady Macbeth is illustrated as a cruel character because she requests the evil spirits to “unsex” her. The use of the word “unsex” shows that Lady Macbeth does not possess the masculine qualities required to perform such an evil
She has the ability to build up a climax into a higher level and then to defuse it by ending an act – turning it into an anti-climax. Moments of high tension include the initial accusations of witches, and John Proctors attempt to undermine Abigail. This could suggest that Abigail Williams is only part of the play to relieve or exacerbate problems occurring in the play, demoting her from the category of being the most important character in, “The
A feminist theory approach might have one interpret “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” as a clarion to the sexual ambiguity in the text. As Marilyn French points out re: the witches, “They are female, but have beards,” in itself pointing to the gender ambiguity in the play. (91). French goes on to suggest deeper issues with regard to gender roles in a male dominated society when she notes of women, “They are aggressive and authoritative, but seem to have power only to create petty mischief.” This all seems to suggest that the witches represent members of a society, (read here: women) characterized as having no true power, and with a penchant for wrongdoing. Lady MacBeth’s wish to shed her sexual identity, as seen through the “unsex me here” line, stamps an even greater importance on the notion that traditional male qualities alone are of any
Question: How is a specific group portrayed in the Test? Written Task Two: Portrayal of Women in Hamlet Hamlet is a play filled with many themes and motifs. Shakespeare uses several different literary devices to portray those themes. One of the major themes in the play is the roles of women and how they are portrayed as mentally weak, unimportant and second class, as well as being held to a double standard. Shakespeare’s use of allusions and metaphors portray this throughout the play as a whole.
Compare the presentation of female characters in The Crucible, Othello and Enduring Love Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play set in Puritanical New England, 1692. Miller wrote the play as an allegorical statement against McCarthyism in the US. Abigail, one of the central female characters, was the previous mistress of John Proctor; the play’s protagonist, portrayed as a tragic, noble hero and therefore Abigail, who was his mistress who he no longer has feelings for, and causes him trouble, is bound to be seen in an inverted light to the one John Proctor is seen in. Certainly Arthur Miller goes to great length to use Abigail as the anti-hero to John Proctor’s noble, almost incorruptible (if it weren’t for his affair) figure. Miller takes the “woman scorned” approach to his character of Abigail.
Miller manifests this ideology through the application of literary and stage techniques. A key character in the play which demonstrates this ideology is Abigail Williams. Her unscrupulous nature promotes the use of propaganda to shift suspicion among people and to manipulate by the power of hysteria. From the beginning of the play Abigail enforces power of speech stirring hysteria to devoid any towards her. Continuously throughout the text she performs acts of deception which tragically condemn others to death just to cover her lies.
47-51). Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manhood and insults him for showing qualities of a female. Because of Macbeth’s inability to display characteristics of a man Lady Macbeth has to display these characteristics. By displaying these characteristics she becomes similar to the three witches. Lady Macbeth’s influence over Macbeth is very similar to the witches, “Lady Macbeth's power as a female temptress allies her in a general way with the witches as soon as we see her.
Many of Shakespeare’s characters in “Macbeth” were complete hypocrites; they manipulated and tricked innocent others into believing that they were friends and then killed them. This play demonstrates that people are not always what they appear to be on the outside and not everyone can or should be trusted. The people that you may think are your closest and dearest friends may turn out to be your biggest enemy. Lady Macbeth is an extremely hypocritical and manipulative character. She may very well be the underlying cause of all evil in the play; she tricked King Duncan, used her husband, and made her guests believe that, rather than feeling guilty for his crime, Macbeth was sick.
Quote 1- Explain- When the lady Macbeth said unsex me here she went to the spirits to make her less lady like Quote 2- "too full o' the milk of human kindness" Concluding sentence- Concluding paragraph Thesis restate- The play Macbeth briefly demonstrates a significant role within the characters using quick tactics and strategies to manipulate and use super natural powers to have influence over others. Important points- Final
Ophelia’s Syndrome Ophelia Syndrome is defined as being dependent on another person's thoughts, feelings or actions. The syndrome gets it name from a character in Shakespeare's “Hamlet.” Ophelia Syndrome is best described as thinking or feeling a certain way because a person is told to. People fail to think independently due to the presence of authority figures or different forms of the media. For example, some young girls feel the pressure to be thin or to change their bodies because the media communicates in different ways what, by the mainstream media's definition, is accepted and considered attractive. These girls take drastic measures to alter their bodies due to the belief that the media is the authority on the subject.