Still, I think that we must forgive Shakespeare, whose writing reflects the societal structure that was considered completely normal at his time. Macbeth not only tells us that a woman in power is a corruption of the natural order, but also that when they are in power, they make mistakes and are cruel, untrustworthy leaders. When Hillary Clinton is painted as untrustworthy and un-presidential, for instance, is that because we are uncomfortable with a woman in power? After all, women are capable of a lot of nasty deeds, as Shakespeare taught us. And we know that fiction affects what we believe. She is the original figure that spawned an entire archetype. In addition, we must recognize that Lady Macbeth is the reason we have the image of the plotting, deceitful, power-hungry woman in our pop culture. When we analyze a classic work of literature, that has spawned countless interpretations, only to find that it has an underlying subplot which utterly denies women control over their life choices, it is disheartening. Our movies and books are so often the offspring of Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet, and our literary symbolism and narrative formats were constructed by Shakespeare himself. But it’s important to recognize that we’ve based many of our modern storytelling motifs and structures from Shakespeare’s works. Now, of course, Shakespeare’s plays are hundreds of years old, and many of the concepts he wrote about are now outdated. So in this world, being a woman who goes after power will be punished because women’s ambition goes against the “Chain of Being.” Alternatively, if you’re a “proper” woman, you might just be killed by an enemy who wants to upset your husband. And she’s the prototype of a proper woman. Ultimately, she’s just used as a prop in a political standoff. These are noble concerns, of course, but Lady Macduff really has no character traits outside of her family, and while Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s deaths have significance to the story and close their character arcs, Lady Macduff is murdered in what is essentially a power play meant to upset Macduff. Lady Macduff, who represents the right way” for a woman to behave, is docile and focused, and she only cares about her husband coming home from battle, and raising her children. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Macduff’s wife. Despite her tragic end, she’s still a rare example of a powerful woman in a time when women were largely powerless. Nonetheless, I can see Lady Macbeth’s strength as empowering. As soon as the audience in 1606 saw this, they likely realized that something was off, because a woman in control of a household represents a crack in the sacred “Chain of Being.” Lady Macbeth’s violation of the natural order is punished just like her husband’s, when her guilt pushes her to suicide.įrom where I sit, reading Macbeth in my 10 th grade English class, it’s upsetting to read a story where a strong woman is punished simply for being the dominant one in her relationship. She coaxes her husband to commit murder, and is generally a cruel and “more masculine” character than any of Shakespeare’s other depictions of women. It’s quickly established that Lady Macbeth is a strong and independent woman who runs her marriage. Macbeth is about a lot of things, but one of the themes is the subversion of the “Chain of Being.” Even if it seems to a modern reader like the story could end in a variety of ways, audiences in the early 15 th century knew as soon as Macbeth killed the king that he would die in the end, because those who invite chaos into the “Chain of Being” will always be punished.Īnother way that the “Chain of Being” is subverted in Macbeth is in the structure of the Macbeth household. The man was the head of his household, and his wife was his subordinate, like a microcosm of the larger chain. Even plants and animals were part of the chain, and the philosophy extended into familial relationships too. In the 15 th century, the prominent philosophy focused on the “Chain of Being.” This was a view of the world which essentially saw a natural order, with god at the top, followed by angels, followed by the king, etc. That Scottish Shakespearian tragedy, so shrouded in mystery that it is unlucky even to say its name, gave society new ideas about women that have stayed with us since 1606, when the play debuted in London.
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