1983. From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.
Villains are an essential part of most any work. Apart from their obvious role in plot creation, they reveal and propel the author’s message. Lady Macbeth is exactly this type of character. Complex and ambitious, her villainy stems from repressed desire for control she has been denied in a society that allows her little. Lady Macbeth comes to embody the themes of gender identity conflict and insanity that permeate Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth acts as the driving force behind Macbeth’s ascension through her ruthless ambition. So determined is Lady Macbeth to become queen, she attempts to purge herself of any empathetic and “feminine” characteristics. She equates her femininity with mothering qualities, declaring to herself that she would bash in the skull of the infant she nursed. Notably, she and Macbeth appear to have no children; symbolically Lady Macbeth is incapable of nourishing life, she is too consumed by her own ambition. Lady Macbeth’s campaign against the stereotypical “delicate” qualities of females extends beyond her own gender. When she needs to goad Macbeth into action she attacks his masculinity, calling him a woman when he hesitates to kill King Duncan.
Although she is capable of dealing with Macbeth’s growing insanity in front of guests, Lady Macbeth eventually cracks under the guilt of her actions. The appearance and obsession with the unreal is mirrored in speeches of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. While he is immediately guilt stricken, he hallucinates a dagger. Her reaction is delayed, but more impressively insane; Lady Macbeth’s guilt manifests itself in blood she cannot rid her hands of and she eventually kills herself. Insanity becomes a form of atonement; only through her death can she clean her hands of her part in treason.
Lady Macbeth, arguably the true villain of
Your intro is good, but I would suggest you introduce clearly the work you are talking about with the author to make it very clear to the reader. In your thesis you say that Lady Macbeth embodies the themes of gender identity conflict and insanity. So what exactly is the meaning of these things in the play? What is Shakespeare saying with this? From what I see of the rest of this (I think the last part got cut off),you were following your thesis well and answering the prompt's goals. I would talk about meaning more, but you most likely did that in the end which I can't read. But you could add meaning right at the end of the first body paragraph...what is Shakespeare's message he is trying to communicate by making Lady Macbeth deny her feminism?
ReplyDeleteI like the introduction. You do a good job with the format we are suppose to follow. Another strong point of your essay is avoiding plot summary and focusing more so on the meaning of the work. It could just be me, but I feel like you went a little overboard with the semicolons in the 3rd paragraph. Also, it appears the essay cut off?
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