We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy

How Lady Macbeth Showed Shakepeare’s View of Women?

essay
The whole doc is available only for registered users
  • Pages: 2
  • Word count: 324
  • Category: Macbeth

A limited time offer! Get a custom sample essay written according to your requirements urgent 3h delivery guaranteed

Order Now

John Lennon once said “There is a great woman behind every idiot.” By idiot, Lennon means man, which makes a very good point. Behind every man, or idiot, there is a powerful woman who made him that way. This quote is easily proved in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. Lady Macbeth heavily influenced her husband to do everything she did not have the courage to do, or could do not do because she was a woman. In Elizabethan England, the only way for a woman to gain any power was through their husbands. Shakespeare very clearly proved this in his play Macbeth when Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband into murdering many people in order for her to gain power.

You can start to see Lady Macbeth’s control over her husband, Macbeth, in the very beginning of the play. In act one she convinces Macbeth to kill the king, Duncan. When Macbeth starts to have doubts about the murder, Lady Macbeth instantly starts to emasculate and mock him. Macbeth tries to defend himself and Lady Macbeth takes it one step further by implying she is more of a man than he is by saying she would have “dashed the brains out” (1.7.59) of a baby while it was smiling in her face. Lady Macbeth wins the argument and by the end of the act Macbeth had murdered Duncan and soon becomes king, making Lady Macbeth queen.

In Elizabethan England there was no equality between men and women, therefore the only way for women to gain any type of power was through their husbands. In my opinion, Shakespeare made Lady Macbeth a manipulative wife to show the consequences of this inequality. If women could gain power themselves, Lady Macbeth would have had no reason to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan. She would have had to gain power on her own, leaving no excuse for convincing her husband to do all of these horrible things.

Related Topics

We can write a custom essay

According to Your Specific Requirements

Order an essay
icon
300+
Materials Daily
icon
100,000+ Subjects
2000+ Topics
icon
Free Plagiarism
Checker
icon
All Materials
are Cataloged Well

Sorry, but copying text is forbidden on this website. If you need this or any other sample, we can send it to you via email.

By clicking "SEND", you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. We'll occasionally send you account related and promo emails.
Sorry, but only registered users have full access

How about getting this access
immediately?

Your Answer Is Very Helpful For Us
Thank You A Lot!

logo

Emma Taylor

online

Hi there!
Would you like to get such a paper?
How about getting a customized one?

Can't find What you were Looking for?

Get access to our huge, continuously updated knowledge base

The next update will be in:
14 : 59 : 59