Is Shakespeare's Treatment of the Female Character's Misogynistic?
- Submitted by: claudiajayne
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- Category: English: Shakespeare
- Date Submitted: 03/19/2010 08:28 AM
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In this essay I shall be discussing how Shakespeare’s language, plot and portrayal of characters in Macbeth expose his misogynistic treatment towards the female character and demonstrate that both Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff are rendered as evil. The female characters in Macbeth lead the males to horrendous acts from the very beginning of the play as well as suffering horrendous ends.
The three witches open the play. They balance in between the supernatural and reality implicating them both together. They know the future and Macbeth’s fate and they lead him to murderous thoughts. It is the three witches who inspire his tragic end by telling him how great he’ll be.
“All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter.” (I.III.52)
The witches know their influence over Macbeth and by telling him a truth and a near future event his belief in becoming King is heightened. He knows that there is a current King who stands in his way; therefore Macbeth fabricates ideas on how to overrule Duncan; these ideas being murder. Although the witches don’t order Macbeth to kill Duncan they place the temptation in his mind. The witches’ language is riddled, adding confusion and mystery to their characters. We know that they want to cause trouble:
“Double, double toil and trouble,” (IV.I.10.)
This quote explains that the witches want to cause as much trouble as they can which implies they played with Macbeth and his future for their entertainment. In Shakespeare’s time witches were seen as notorious traitors- given this, its evident Shakespeare intended the witches to be evil along with the other female characters.
Moreover, Lady Macbeth pushes Macbeth to his downfall. She is in on his plan to kill Duncan and doesn’t let him back down. She tells him to look innocent but be a “serpent” and when Macbeth loses his nerve to follow through with the plan, she insults his manhood pressing him on.
“And live a coward in thine own esteem?”
Macbeth then saw it as his duty to...
The three witches open the play. They balance in between the supernatural and reality implicating them both together. They know the future and Macbeth’s fate and they lead him to murderous thoughts. It is the three witches who inspire his tragic end by telling him how great he’ll be.
“All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter.” (I.III.52)
The witches know their influence over Macbeth and by telling him a truth and a near future event his belief in becoming King is heightened. He knows that there is a current King who stands in his way; therefore Macbeth fabricates ideas on how to overrule Duncan; these ideas being murder. Although the witches don’t order Macbeth to kill Duncan they place the temptation in his mind. The witches’ language is riddled, adding confusion and mystery to their characters. We know that they want to cause trouble:
“Double, double toil and trouble,” (IV.I.10.)
This quote explains that the witches want to cause as much trouble as they can which implies they played with Macbeth and his future for their entertainment. In Shakespeare’s time witches were seen as notorious traitors- given this, its evident Shakespeare intended the witches to be evil along with the other female characters.
Moreover, Lady Macbeth pushes Macbeth to his downfall. She is in on his plan to kill Duncan and doesn’t let him back down. She tells him to look innocent but be a “serpent” and when Macbeth loses his nerve to follow through with the plan, she insults his manhood pressing him on.
“And live a coward in thine own esteem?”
Macbeth then saw it as his duty to...