Macbeth Summary †historical context and the main female roles Essay

* Macbeth was written around 1606* King pack I has recently honoured Shakespe ars theatre company and so this trifle was a thank you to himo The story is made relevant to him as he had written a book on Demonology close to witchcraft with many of his beliefs appearing in Macbeth.o He also claimed direct descendant of Banquo.o King James later had a medal struck of a snake concealed by blossomings after the gunpowder plot on him as it showed deceitful concealment of that in Macbeth.* Women in the seventeenth century (1600s) lose had no rights and were inferior to men.o They were thought to be to a greater extent misogynistic as well, implying that they were more susceptible to plague as well e.g. prototypical sin.o They were to be obedient to father and conserve and hostess to men so they couldnt farm a divorce & if divorced they would own home or land and would be frowned upon by societyo Women had no power or upbringing (Lady Macbeth is different she can read & has power oer husband and as male monarch)o Only addition to throne by way of manliness (Macduff stripped of his connections with weak womanhood as c-section birth)* Shakespe ar takes the diachronic part of the story from a historian called Raphael Holinshed. In his chronicles, Lady Macbeth is only mentioned once.* The real Macbeth was a Scots index in the 11th century who ruled after Duncan and is supposed to have been brave, honest and lucky in conquering land.* The people of the era would have believed in the divine right of kings whereby a king was appointed by God and only God should have the power to kill him. Therefore the hearing would have been appalled to her such a plot.* Witchcraft was very much believed in at this fourth dimension and those who were thought to be a witch were burnt, hung and drowned as they where that dangerous. They thought they could control everything from the weather to the future and did the drop groundless of the devil. Those who didnt believe w ould still have followed it for the purposes of the play.Lady Macbeth* She has an abnormal effeminate identity as she is able to read Macbeths letter symbolising her power* Her domineering personality also breaks social ensamples and the witches prophecies pompousness the power of womans sexuality* Macbeth and her have an equal relationship my de argonst partner of superior and knows that Macbeth isnt unpitying enough and so she helps him butcher Shalt be what thou art promised or Hie, thee hither that I whitethorn poor my spirits in thine ear. They atomic number 18 on the same riffle length* Her decision to be unsexed by evil turns her into more into a witch slip over time than a character of masculine power.* Lady Macbeth is first shown to be toilsomeer, more ruthless and more am postious than her husband as she plots and persuades her way to the finish up of Duncan. She dominates the first meeting showing Macbeths dependence on her and the ease that he submits to the plan shows his true ambition. Look like the innocent flower and be the serpent under it* She is pre-eminently cunning with a practical mind to plan the murder* She wishes that she were not a women so she could murder herself and her husband implies she is a masculine soul inhabiting a young-bearing(prenominal) body by linking masculinity to ambition and violenceo Menstrual flow stop uterus equated to the womanly feelings of tendernesso Milk to gall denies womanly instincts of birth and suckling child ( would have intercourse in her own childs head to gain her ambitions) Antithesis of a maternal mothero Milk of human kindness while blood is masculine in bedchambero She calls on darkness like her husband to hid the truth* She manipulates Macbeth by questioning his manhood as her ambitions of power have social constraints. He gives in by saying I dare do all that may become a man ho dares to do more is none and when you durst do it, then you are a man* She is like a serpent behind the innocent flower as she performs evil behind being a good hostess to Duncan where he even says Fair and noble hostess, we are your guests tonight while she plans the Fatal end to Duncan under my battlements she plays the stereotypical women, the perfect mask to get apart with murder.* She is very much involved with the murder as she drugs, leaves come out the daggers & smears blood over the guards. She even says, Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had dupee it which is a sign that she is human* She steadies her husbands nerves (a little water clears us of this deed) issuing imperative language and commands over what he should do, but slips later into madness as she sleep walks later through the castle trying to get rid of an invisible blood stain ambition affects her more strongly than Macbeth before so viciousness haunts her more strongly afterward* She is partly responsible for the corruption of Scotland but from the point Macbeth murders the guards unplanned, she slowly slips out of the story* She is cool self-possession who is courageous enough to faint on the news of Duncans murder for her husband and dismiss him from the banquet. False faith doth hide what do the heart does know* Lady Macbeth gets queen which is what she wanted but isnt any happier as her husband drifts away from her (asks permission of servant to let the cat out of the bag to him and is left out of other murders as Macbeth wants her to be innocent of the knowledge)* Just before the banquet, Macbeth takes over as the dominant partner controlling their conversion and it taken Lady Macbeths last bit of strength to think of an excuse for Macbeth seeing Banquos ghost. It buy the farms at first relating back to her masculine coward argument against Macbeth but the second time the ghost comes back, Macbeth is in so much shock that he doesnt give in to her. Lady Macbeth is then forced to call off the banquet without etiquette. On the plus side, Macbeth goes along with her excuse of his terrors showing their still is trust.* She is the complete opposite of Lady Macduff who is era standard woman who is a maternal mother & defends husband despite criticism over leaving them. Her stopping point relates back to Fair is foul and foul is fair as its the good that suffer. The murder of her innocents may have put lady Macduff over the edge.* Once Macbeth goes away, Lady Macbeth starts to sleep walk and wants a lightsomeness beside her as she sleeps as there is so much darkness inside her. This scene shows her at her more or less venerable with Out damned spot as she reiterates the whole murder. She uses irony of Will these hands never be clean and hyperbole of all the perfumes in Arabia couldnt sweeten this hand which is a first for her logical mind.* She now says whats done cannot be undone compared to whats done is done strong minded opinion earlier in the story.* She apparently kills herself at the end as she cant cope with the guilt and her character has no further need as Macbeth cant administration her as he sees what deeds they have done.* Macbeth feels that his life is now over because of her death as he uses a strong soliloquy saying There would have been time for a word tomorrow so he goes into battle to die a soldiers death.* The last words on her were from Malcolm saying This dead butcher and his fiend like queen which could be a biased opinion bit we dont know how she actually died.* Her role in the story is vital but supplementary to the work of the witches in tempting Macbeth to evil as she is the one who Macbeth trusts and loves* The witches and her share similar features in that they lack in human empathy and are ambiguous beings e.g. witches have beards and Lady Macbeth wants to be unsexed.The Three Witches* Three weird sisters who are the first characters we meet in the play providing dark thoughts and unconscious temptations to evil with their supernatural powers as they play on Macbeths ambitions like puppetee rs.* They have beards giving the impressions that they are neither male or female therefore unambiguous* Each worked with their own familiar an animal of transfiguration (Greymalkin & Paddock)* The witches appear in howl and lightning as they control it. They speak in rhythmical paradox (rhyming couplets) fair is foul etc. which is echoed by Lady Macbeth and there appears to be an omen over the castle.* The witches plant the thought, Macbeth thinks it and Lady Macbeth waters it* The witches words are comical but a clearly the most dangerous characters as they act as sovereign agents toying with human lives and their prophecies are reports of the inevitable.* Their effects of temptation are shown in Macbeth as this great armed forces hero is wrapped in a trance, sees visions, is unable to pray and suffers from fear before saying I have almost forgot the taste of fears* They could be thought to have controlled Lady Macbeth in her insanity when she rubs at the damned spot as they c ould have been the ones who as she says unsexed her* Shakespeare leaves the witches well outside the limits of human cognition and only implies stereotypes of the era for the characters* The witches help no one but themselves, even when Macbeth is helped by their prophecies there are tricks within e.g. Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane or being killed of a man not born of a woman. (Equivocation is the distortion of truth)