Macbeth Summary - historical context and the main female roles Essay Example for Free

Macbeth Summary historical context and the main female spots Essay* Macbeth was create verbally around 1606* King James I has recently honoured Shakespeares theatre company and so this philander was a thank you to himo The story is made relevant to him as he had written a keep back on Demonology ab knocked appear(p) witchcraft with many of his beliefs appearing in Macbeth.o He also claimed contract descendant of Banquo.o King James later had a medal struck of a snake in the grass concealed by meridians after the gunpowder plot on him as it showed deceitful concealment of that in Macbeth. * Women in the 17th century (1600s) defecate had no rights and were inferior to men.o They were opinion to be more misogynistic as well, implying that they were more susceptible to evil as well e.g. first sin.o They were to be conform fitting to father and economize and hostess to men so they couldnt narrow a divorce if divorced they would give property or land and would be frowne d upon by societyo Women had no forefinger or education (Lady Macbeth is different she can read has power all oer husband and as queen)o sole(prenominal) access to thr iodine by counseling of manliness (Macduff stripped of his connections with weak womanhood as cesarean delivery birth)* Shakespeare takes the historical part of the story from a historian called Raphael Holinshed. In his chronicles, Lady Macbeth is only mentioned once.* The real Macbeth was a Scottish king in the 11th century who ruled after Duncan and is supposed to have been brave, open and successful 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. consequently the audience would have been appalled to her such a plot.* Witchcraft was very much believed in at this time and those who were thought to be a witch were burnt, hung and drowned as they where that dangerous. They thought the y could control everything from the weather to the hereafter and did the work of the devil. Those who didnt believe would still have followed it for the purposes of the play.Lady Macbeth* She has an abnormal female identity as she is able to read Macbeths letter symbolising her power* Her domineering personality also breaks social standards and the witches prophecies display the power of womans sexuality* Macbeth and her have an equal relationship my dearest assistant of greatest and knows that Macbeth isnt ruthless enough and so she helps him murder Shalt be what thou art promised or Hie, thee hither that I may poor my inspirit in thine ear. They are on the same wave length* Her decision to be unsexed by evil turns her into more into a witch character over time than a character of mannish power.* Lady Macbeth is first shown to be salutaryer, more ruthless and more ambitious than her husband as she plots and persuades her way to the murder of Duncan. She dominates the first mee ting showing Macbeths dependence on her and the ease that he submits to the plan shows his reliable 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 female body by linking masculinity to ambition and violenceo Menstrual flow stop womb equated to the female feelings of tendernesso Milk to gall denies womanly instincts of birth and suckling child ( would bash in her own childs head to gain her ambitions) Antithesis of a maternalistic 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 i t, then you are a man* She is like a serpent behind the innocent flower as she performs evil behind macrocosm a good hostess to Duncan where he even says neat 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 away with murder.* She is very much involved with the murder as she drugs, leaves out the daggers smears blood over the guards. She even says, Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done it which is a stain 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 relaxation walks later through the castle trying to get rid of an invisible blood stain ambition affects her more sanitaryly than Macbeth before so guiltiness haunts her more strongly afterward* She is partly responsible for the corruption of Scotlan d 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 precious but isnt any happier as her husband drifts away from her (asks permission of servant to speak 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 sightedness Banquos touch sensation. It works 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 hale 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 grapple opposite of Lady Macduff who is era standard woman who is a maternal mother defends husband notwithstanding criticism over leaving them. Her death 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 light beside her as she sleeps as there is so much darkness indoors her. This scene shows her at her virtually venerable with Out damned spot as she reiterates the whole murder. She uses chaff of Will these tump overs 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 can t have intercourse with the guilt and her character has no further need as Macbeth cant face 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 freak 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 come-ons to evil with their supernatural powers as they play on Macbeths ambitions like puppeteers.* They have beards big(p) the impressions that they are neither male or female therefore unambiguous* Each worked with their own acquainted(predicate) an animal of transfiguration (Greymalkin Paddock)* The witches appear in thunder and lightning as they control it. They speak in throbbing 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 independent agents toying with human lives and their prophecies are reports of the inevitable.* Their effects of temptation are shown in Macbeth as this great military hero is wrapped in a trance, sees visions, is otiose 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 h er insanity when she rubs at the damned spot as they could have been the ones who as she says unsexed her* Shakespeare leaves the witches well outside the limits of human comprehension 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)