William Shakespeare s Macbeth Women s Agency - 2261 Words

Cory Weaver Michael R Kightley English 201 24 November 2014 Relative Masculinity in Macbeth: Women’s Agency William Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show the agency that is created for women when men are pushed into proving their own masculinity. In order to fully understand Shakespeare’s portrayal of masculinity in Macbeth we must first examine the stereotypes of the Elizabethan era that effected Shakespeare’s writing. â€Å"Defining what a female was supposed to be and do was an act of Renaissance culture, as it has been for other times. For Shakespeare, as well as for most of Renaissance society, women as the feminine represented the following virtues which, importantly, have their meaning in relationship to the male; obedience, silence, sexual chastity, piety, humility, constancy, and patience. However, gender characteristics were socially constructed and there was an easy cross-over of masculine and feminine traits to both genders.† (Gerlach, Almasy, Daniel, Revisiting Shakespeare and Gender). Defining masculine an d feminine characteristics allowed writers like Shakespeare to draw males with certain feminine characteristics and females with certain masculine characteristics. â€Å"This merging of masculine and feminine traits in both males and females helps to explain how easy it was for the Elizabethan stage to employ and accept all male casts.† (Gerlach, Almasy, Daniel, Revisiting Shakespeare and Gender). These plays utilized men to play strong female characters like LadyShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Character of Macbeth from Macbeth1960 Words   |  8 PagesMacbeth from Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In William Shakespeares tragedy Macbeth we find a guilt and fear-ridden usurper of the throne of Scotland. Let us study this character in this essay.    A.C. Bradley in Shakespearean Tragedy paints a portrait of Macbeth:    Macbeth, the cousin of a King mild, just, and beloved, but now too old to lead his army, is introduced to us as a general of extraordinary prowess, who has covered himself with glory in putting down a rebellion and repelling theRead More The Hero? In Macbeth Essay1952 Words   |  8 PagesThe Hero? In Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   The tragedy Macbeth highlights an ambivalent character who wants to be king. This paper will take a close look at his character.    Samuel Johnson in The Plays of Shakespeare states that every reader rejoices at the fall of Macbeth (133).    In Shakespeare and Tragedy John Bayley talks about Macbeth as a responsible agent for his actions:    It is essential to the hypnotic tension of the play that Macbeth should not seem in any ordinary way responsibleRead MoreThe Complicated Politics Of Gender Identity Essay3466 Words   |  14 PagesQueerness in Macbeth: The Complicated Politics of Gender Identity Saswata Kusari and Prof. Mahua Bhattacharjee Abstract: The thematic concern of appearance and reality is dealt with at various levels in Macbeth. This paper is an exploration of how the conventional ideas of gender and sexuality are subverted in this play. The paper would also seek to explore how the paradigmatic shift in the conventional gender identity creates a sense of queerness. Our attempt is to interrogate the play from anRead More Psychoanalytical Criticism2775 Words   |  12 PagesThe focus of this essay is to apply these psychoanalytical techniques while interpreting Lady Macbeth’s character in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. However, before I begin my argument, I feel that Lacan’s concepts of psychoanalytical theory need some introduction. One of the more prevalent psychoanalytical theorists since Freud was Jacques Lacan and I will use Lacan’s â€Å"The Agency of the Letter in the Unconscious or Reason since Freud† as a starting point to explain some of his concepts of psychoanalyticalRead MoreThe Occupation of a Carpenter Essay2229 Words   |  9 Pagesworking as contractors themselves on small jobs. Jobs Carpenters held about 1.1 million jobs in 1998. Most of them, about 80 percent, worked for contractors who build or repair buildings. Most others worked for private firms, government agencies, retail stores, and schools. Nearly one-third were self-employed. Carpenters get jobs in most parts of the country. Preparing for the job Carpenters learn their work mostly on the job and through training programs. Many carpenters learn