Discuss The Representation Of
Men dominated Elizabethan times. It was a patriarchal society. Women needed to conform to the social expectations. They were not supposed to show off their bodies. Their dresses had high, choking necklines, a plate that flattened their bosom, and layers of cloth that made them appear larger than they really were on the hips. The ideal picture of beauty was fair-skinned, red hair, high foreheads and very thin eyebrows. They spoke softly and did not express their opinions openly. Women were expected to be good wives and mothers, and they had to obey their fathers or husbands, because in a patriarchal society, women were possessions, and were basically owned by males. In William Shakespeare's ...
Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers
|
The dramatic techniques Shakespeare uses to construct his female characters are the setting, the character's dialogue, including asides, and what other people say about them, especially behind their backs. Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff are two very different characters, and there is plenty of binary opposition between them. The weird sisters, on the other hand, are 'things to be afraid of'. These characters give the audience an indication of how women were represented in Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is Macbeth's wife. There are many minor references to her beauty throughout the play. Outwardly, she conforms to the social expectations, but her true character is an active one. She is ambitious, manipulative, remorseful and ruthless. Lady Macbeth would do anything it takes to gain power. Being the dominant and more assertive character behind Macbeth's sordid activities, she is duplicitous as she can act the part of the good wife, and the quiet well-behaved female in front of others. ...
Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.
Already a member? Login
|
end, when Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking, her waiting gentlewoman and the doctor talk about her. "Gentlewoman: She has spoke what she should not, I am sure of that. Heaven knows what she has known. (Act 5 Sc. 1 Ln 40-1)" When the doctor observes Lady Macbeth sleepwalking, he gets shocked and says, "Doctor: Foul whisp'rings are abroad; unnatural deeds Do breed unnatural troubles; infected minds To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets. More needs she the divine than the physician. God, God forgive us all. Look after her; Remove from her the means of all annoyance, And still keep eyes upon her. So, good night, My mind she has mated, and amazed my sight. I think, but dare not ...
Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library.
Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports,
and research papers in 2 minutes or less.
|
CITE THIS PAGE:
Discuss The Representation Of. (2008, April 7). Retrieved November 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Discuss-The-Representation-Of/81726
"Discuss The Representation Of." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 7 Apr. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Discuss-The-Representation-Of/81726>
"Discuss The Representation Of." Essayworld.com. April 7, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Discuss-The-Representation-Of/81726.
"Discuss The Representation Of." Essayworld.com. April 7, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Discuss-The-Representation-Of/81726.
|
Save
Report