Lady Macbeth's Ambitious Ways example essay topic

Term Paper On Lady Macbeth William Shakespeare created a dynamic character called lady Macbeth; she was the total opposite of what women of the Shakespearian era were supposed to be. Despite qualities women were supposed to have in Shakespeare's time, Lady Macbeth defied the way most women of her time acted. Lady Macbeth defied the ways of women of her time by being manipulative, ambitious, and ruthless. Women's lifestyles back in Shakespeare's time period was very different from the modern day women's lifestyles of today. The characteristics for women of that time was that women should be uneducated, should follow chastity, take care of the home and should not join a profession or get a job. Most women were denied the chance to be schooled beyond the basics of simple reading and very little writing.

Some women of the upper class were schooled but they were not looked upon as educated women but were instead welcomed to the company of men. Women would not be able to enter professions because of the lack of education and the fact that they were women. For the poor women their work was spinning and weaving. The best job that they could get was to be an overworked nurse.

The only real profession that women at this time could get into was marriage. In marriage women were expected to only take care of the home and anything that would benefit the home. When entering marriage women were further endorsed by the law. The law said that when entering marriage women became property of the men and all their belongings were the mans property now and the man could do whatever he wanted with these belongings such as selling them. A woman was generally fail and soft, which proved their overall weakness. A good woman of that time was supposed to be practice obedience, patience, chastity, modesty, and virtue.

Women who didn't live up to these expectations were considered to be "bad women". During their free time Elizabethan women would sing, dance, and write letters. (Papp and Kirkland) Lady Macbeth defied many if not all the ways of women of the time period. She was very ambitious in achieving her goals. Lady Macbeth took charge in the murder of Duncan. Macbeth was in shock when he killed Duncan and Lady Macbeth said to Macbeth: My hands are of your color, but I shame To wear a heart so white.

[Knocking within.] I hear knocking At the south entry: -retire we to our chamber. A little water clears us of this deed: How easy is it then! Your constancy Hath left you unattended. - [Knocking within.] Hark, more knocking: Get on your nightgown, lest occasion call us And show us to be watchers: -be not lost So poorly in your thoughts. (II, i, 146-155). Their nerves are raw, every noise seems like an explosion to them.

Starring at his bloody hands, Macbeth at last recognizes that the murder is no longer an abstract idea but an accomplished fact. This one act transforms Macbeth horribly because of Lady Macbeth's ambitious ways. Yet Macbeth soon becomes accustomed to his new identity and killing doesn't mean that much to him any more because he has already "murdered" sleep. (Epstain) Shakespeare uses symbolism to convey a message in the statement made by Lady Macbeth. The blood represents a sign on what Macbeth did to Duncan and he can't get rid of the blood and he keeps on seeing the blood. Lady Macbeth doesn't really care about the entire killing and she just says that only water will clear them of what he just did.

Macbeth insists that he murdered sleep along with Duncan and Lady Macbeth has no problem going to sleep at night. Lady Macbeth persuaded Macbeth to kill Duncan in order to fulfill her own ambitious ways because she wanted to be the queen. Lady Macbeth. ".. (is) but a victim of a pathological mental dissociation arising upon an unstable, day dreaming basis, and is due to the emotional shocks of her past experiences. Lady Macbeth is a typical case of hysteria; her ambition is merely a sublimation of a repressed sexual impulse, the desire for a child based upon the memory of a child long since dead". (Cori at) Lady Macbeth is very ambitious but only because of an unnatural urge caused by hysteria. Lady Macbeth also shows that she is ruthless, cold hearted and vicious.

Lady Macbeth shows that she is very vicious throughout the play. In act I scene V William Shakespeares' Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to "look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't". (Macbeth, 71-72) This shows how sneaky and vicious Lady Macbeth really is to achieving her goals. Lady Macbeth really only looks out for herself and doesn't care what the consequence is for what she strives for.

Lady Macbeth Says: I have given suck, and know How tender 'tis to love the babe that miles me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this. (I, vii, 54-59). William Shakespeare shows great imagery here in how graphic he describes how the baby's brains are being bashed in. No normal woman of any time period thought this way and this is very unnatural. Lady Macbeth proves here how vicious and cold hearted she really is to bash a young baby's brains in. Throughout the play Lady Macbeth has proven to be outspoken and very outgoing about what she is thinking.

Shakespearian women are not supposed to be like this or else they would be deemed the title of a "bad" or "improper" woman. (Epstain) Lady Macbeth tells off Macbeth many times like when she had called Macbeth less than a man. Lady Macbeth also wasn't you average woman who cleaned around the house, Lady Macbeth conspires with other people without Macbeth. She is trying to persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan but he doesn't want to. She continues to say: What beast was it then That made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man, And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man.

(I, vii, 46-51) She humiliates Macbeth and belittles him be calling him less of a man because he wouldn't kill Duncan. She does this in order to fulfill her ambitious need in order to become queen. Lady Macbeth also shows ambition when she talks with Macbeth and tries to persuade him against his will. She tells things just how she sees them fit and tells it like it is. Lady Macbeth is by far the total opposite of what a Shakespearian woman is supposed to be. She is bold, ambitious, ruthless, cold hearted, vicious and manipulative.

A true woman of the Elizabethan era would be humble stand by he husband and take care of the house and would not resemble any of the things that lady Macbeth resembles. All of her actions and decisions prove her to be different from woman of that time. Lady Macbeth is truly unique and an epic character in literature that will always be remembered for how ruthless and different from a true Shakespearian woman really was suppose to be. Work CitedCoriat, Isador.

"The Hysteria of Lady Macbeth". (Internet) Available at web November 25 2003 Epstein, Norrie. "Lady Macbeth". N.Y. : Thomas & Thomas Publishing, 1993 Papp, Joseph and Kirkland, Elizabeth. "The Status of Women in Shakespeare's Time".

(Internet) Available at web November 25, 2003 Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. (Internet). Available at web November 29, 2003.