Down strumpet!” exemplifies the victimization of Desdemona. Shakespeare uses imperative statements; “out” and “down” demonstrate Othello’s sharp tone due to his rage caused by Iago’s manipulation. Othello commands Desdemona as you would to a disobedient animal, victimising her by putting her in a position where she knows the truth yet she is muted as she still loves and cares for Othello too much that she can’t disrespect him The word “strumpet” suggests that the drastic change in Othello has affected and determined the loss of respect for Desdemona.”Down”.This suggest that in return, As the extract progresses, Othello’s language deteriorates dramatically into a vulgar tone. “Strumpet”- The fact that this name calling is done using exclamatives implies Othello’s rage towards his wife which victimises Desdemona and has given up beating around the bush and is now willing to confront Desdemona’s actions in order for her to admit it.Shakespeare uses this to show how life was for an inferior woman in comparison to a man in the Jacobean era. Shakespeare has presented Desdemona as a victim to emphasise on how women were expected to be docile.
Module A: Comparison of Texts Individuals challenge the values that permeate time, in a manner that is relevant to their society. This rebellion is evident in William Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew and Gil Junger’s film 10 Things I Hate About You whereby Katherina and Kat initially disregard the social expectations for women of their context. The composers portray this comparably, using textual integrity so the women’s misunderstood, shrew-like behavior is suited to their culture and society. This in turn, provokes both characters to experience a transformation of self and their values. In The Taming of The Shrew, Katherina challenges the values and themes of courtship and marriage, dismissing the female etiquette when meeting her suitor.
The perception of gender roles and the pressure to live up to these are used to manipulate the characters and lead to their eventual downfall. Macbeth allows himself to be controlled by both the witches and Lady Macbeth. After being influenced by the three witches and Lady Macbeth to kill Duncan, Macbeth feels remorse. Lady Macbeth seeing this mocks Macbeth and says, “What beast was’t, then / That made you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man” (Shakespeare I.vii. 47-51).
Because of her hate towards Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, Abigail creates demented tales, directed at abolishing the “problem.” Though Abigail’s wild canards seem quite obtuse in civilization today, at the time her acts fell to justification. Furthermore, because of Abigail’s childlike disposition in wiggling her way out of punishment as well as her lust and love for John Proctor, she found deceiving the people of Salem easy, seeing as the threat of witchcraft and demons loomed dangerously in the hearts and minds of all who lived there. Though the
Whom I now keep in service” (Act 1.2 lines 283-286). If first impressions are everlasting, then our first impression of Caliban is Shakespeare’s way to impose a feeling of disdain on his audience toward Caliban. Caliban is also the son of a witch called Sycorax. During Shakespeare’s era, bloodline is a big determination of social status which would further coax his audience into believing that Calibans slavery is within social boundaries. “Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself,” (Act 1.2 line 319) this line is a direct stab at Caliban and his witch of a mother.
In MacBeth, we see a dramatization of man versus woman. It is, in fact, easy to view MacBeth as the victim of women; Lady MacBeth’s towering ambition, as well as the victim of the witches’ bad intentions. In support of this, Sigmund Freud suggested, as cited in Dr. Caroline Cakebread’s essay, “MacBeth and Feminism,” that Lady MacBeth’s singular raison d’etre is to overcome “the scruples of her ambitious yet tender-minded husband… She is ready to sacrifice even her womanliness to her murderous intention…” However, the feminist point of view seems to dismiss the notion of Macbeth as the victim of these multiple feminist plots, reminding us that it was he, MacBeth who killed Duncan, and Lady MacBeth who was left to sort out the mess. This male v. female power struggle is further intensified when viewed through the feminist lens, owing to the fact, described by Janet Adelman, that “In the figures of MacBeth, Lady MacBeth, and the witches, the play gives us images of a masculinity and femininity that are terribly disturbed.” (92). 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.
Miller takes the “woman scorned” approach to his character of Abigail. Abigail’s assertiveness is observed early when she tells her uncle “the rumour of witchcraft is all about; I think you'd best go down and deny it yourself,". This remark, within the confines of a deeply hierarchical and patriarchal society, shows her to have knowledge of social situations and also that she does not conform to the Puritan society, which has already been evidenced by her affair with John Proctor. She is spiteful which helps to build the classic “woman scorned” role which Miller moulds her into: “Oh, I marvel how such
Lady Macbeth’s choice of lexis makes her often appear almost evil, and witch-like, emphasising her ‘fiend-like’ traits. This is especially evident in her speech when trying to persuade Macbeth to murder King Duncan. She calls upon the “spirits” to “unsex” her, in order to remove her ‘womanly’ traits that in the patriarchal society that the play was written, would have meant that she was removing her weak and vulnerable traits, and replacing them with strong and powerful ‘masculinity’, and to fill her “from the crown to the toe” with “direst cruelty.” This demonic possession would terrify an Elizabethan audience, who would have strongly believed in witchcraft and demon possession, making Lady Macbeth appear even more ‘fiend-like’ in their eyes. This devilish language also links her to the witches, with her making reference to the gothic features of “the raven” and “spirits.” She is deceitful, telling Macbeth to “look like th’innocent flower, but be the Serpent under’t”, manipulating him, emphasising her parallel with
Lady Macbeth’s Direct Influence of Macbeth The downfall of Macbeth is caused by two unparalleled sides of the same road that is merely Macbeth’s own personal weak conscious and the dominated physiological abuse of Lady Macbeth. The constant manipulation of Lady Macbeth directed at her husband operates as an assault to his duties as a man and spouse, along with substituting her husband’s ambitions and aspirations with her own thriving greed for power. The ability to think to beyond what is needed encourages not only the collapse of sanity in Macbeth but also the rationality of Lady Macbeth. “What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow’r to accompt? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?”
The repetition of the letter “b” is suggests that she may be starting to cry thinking about the things that happened in her past. In both these texts Shakespeare and Duffy give a voice to people who wouldn’t usually have a voice in their society. In the Jacobean times Othello would have been discriminated against because of his race in the Venetian society and Miss Havisham wouldn’t have had a voice in her society as she is a widow, so the play and poem allow us to see how their feelings change. In both Othello and Medusa violent imagery is used to show the characters determination to gain revenge on the people who betrayed them or were accused of betrayal. In Othello Shakespeare uses repetition of the word “blood” in Act 3 Scene 3 and blood is associated with