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Comparing and contrasting lady macbeth and macbeth
Antigone vs macbeth compare and contrast essay
Antigone vs macbeth compare and contrast essay
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In the plays Antigone by Sophocles and Macbeth by Shakespeare, the lead feminine protagonists Antigone and Lady Macbeth are two women with strong beliefs, ambition, and personalities. They are both female characters with underlying power, and must fight the feminine social stereotypes in order to succeed. These women live in a time where men are ultimately superior, but end up having more mentality then any of the men in their plays anyway. These characters are both willing to do anything to achieve what they want, even if it is turning against the rules of society that have been built around strong feminine stereotypes. While these two women are trying to achieve two completely different tasks for two very different reasons, their ambition and motivation is rooted from similar places due to their personalities, similar situations, strong wills, and sense of determination. One could argue that Antigone and Lady Macbeth are both strong women who have contrasting beliefs and views, often causing the ambition for their actions to be analogous.
While there are many similarities between the two character’s Lady Macbeth and Antigone, the morals of each of these characters are very different. Antigone, as shown in her actions, wants to do what is right, and has very good morals. She says quotes like “But I am doing only what I must”, and “but if I had left my brother lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. Now I do not.”, showing the readers that her actions have a purpose, and that they come from the heart. Antigone shows throughout the play that she is always thinking that she must do what is best for other’s and not just herself. She is willing to do what is needed to follow the law of the gods, even if it is breaking the...
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...eel ashamed, regretful, and when she dies, she dies a holy death, one without sins. “But I will bury him, and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy”. Lady Macbeth, however, feels guilt. She feels so much that she ends up going mad because of it, and after that, committing suicide from it. She began to realize how horrible her actions and thoughts were, and her mind took over as she slipped under and became insane. “Nought’s had, all’s spent, Where out desire is got without content; ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.” Guilt is one of the emotions that explains why these two characters are so different. It shows us that although they have the same ambition and motivation for the tasks they want to complete, their beliefs, morals, and opinions make the characters, their actions, and their lives completely different.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a story of a great Scottish warrior hero who falls prey to the temptations of his own aspirations to be king. Macbeth hastily silences everyone who even has a chance of standing in the way of his power. Initially, he is able to overcome his scruples to obtain the position he desires, but soon the uneasiness catches up to he and his wife in shocking manners. The dagger scene, banquet scene, and sleepwalking scene are all related because they demonstrate the guilt that both the Macbeths experience after the murders of Duncan, Banquo, and the Macduffs and how their actions are driving them to their inevitable deaths.
This essay earned a 89/100. it was a lot of work considering the lines from macbeth for textual support.
Captivatingly, both women act daringly, regardless of the culturally constructed labels as women, products of incest and wickedness. They use their “otherness” as a power mechanism, rather than an excuse to passivity. In conclusion, Elphaba and Antigone challenge conventional roles of gender, as they are strong, courageous figures of rebellion and exemplify a lack of traditional gender normativity.
A quote which really defines Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s ambition regarding power is “Power does not corrupt men; fools; however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power” George Bernard Shaw. Lady Macbeth is more ambitious in terms of gaining power then Macbeth is and that Lady Macbeth will do almost anything to gain power, even evil things that she normally wouldn’t do. This is shown when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth learn about the witches’ predictions, then roles in the plans to murder king Duncan in order to gain power and then finally after the murder, Macbeth doesn’t want to finish the plan making Lady Macbeth angry and causing a chance they might get caught and gain no power at all.
Antigone was a selfless person with pride as a strong characteristic of her personality. She possibly had feelings of loneliness and anger from the way society has looked upon her family from their past. It took a strong willed person who has no fear of the repercussions to stand up to a king as she did. To make everything all the worst she stood up to a king who was her Uncle and she being a female back in those time, standing up and speaking out for herself was not heard of.
Shakespeare wrote timeless literature pieces, set in the Elizabethan era. His stories relate to conventional views of Renaissance culture while maintaining a realistic, morphable view concerning issues, such as gender roles. By questioning and challenging Elizabethan hierarchy, stories such as Macbeth posed a threat to stereotypes and ideology while respecting values. Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, explores femininity, gender stereotypes, and allusions to Greek mythology to investigate relativity between cruel behavior and masculinity. (NEED ONE SENTENCE)
In everyday society, there are movie stars, celebrities, athletes and powerful figureheads that are looked up to. In every generation people experience downfalls due to individual choices, personal conflict, and family problems, . These people develop a tragic flaw that usually leads to their ruin. In William Shakespeare's, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth, the main character develops a tragic flaw, and ends up experiencing a downfall. In this play, there are people who can be blamed for his eventual demise, but in the long run, people are truly responsible for their own choices and actions. Macbeth is responsible for his own downfall. Macbeth is responsible because he abandoned his morals, he was easily persuaded, and he became too hungry for power.
Typical of Shakespeare’s works, the play Macbeth has a protagonist who ultimately experiences a downfall that lead to his demise. The protagonist or tragic hero of this play is Macbeth, once brave and honorable, who eventually becomes tyrannical and feared by many due to what Abrams describes as his “hamartia” or “error of judgment or, as it is often…translated, his tragic flaw.” In this case, Macbeth’s tragic flaw proves to be ambition; however, he cannot be held solely responsible for his downfall. As a result of many outside influential factors, including the witches’ prophecies and a rather coaxing and persuasive wife, one should not hold Macbeth entirely culpable for his actions and tragic end.
By examining Shakespeare’s use of sleep, one can determine that sleep portrays unnaturalness that happens throughout the play and changes people’s lives. Readers who would read this, would think this is just another royal tale but by reading this story, they find out that there is a twist in the plot. Sleep allows the witches in the play to cast spells and cause problems which mostly affects Macbeth’s mind. The unnaturalness comes during the time that everyone goes to sleep, which curtains them from anything good. Lastly, Lady Macbeth is becoming mentally ill from unnaturalness disturbing her from the choices she has made with Macbeth.
There was a common saying, “Behind every great man there's a great woman”. The men, Macbeth and Winston Smith in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and George Orwell’s 1984 may not be considered as the “great man” however, both Lady Macbeth and Julia are good examples that can be presented as the “great woman” behind the men. Both Lady Macbeth and Julia do an excellent job of pretending to be someone who they are not, they are not only affecting the men in their lives to rethink their previous position but also have a bad ending accompanied with physical and psychological issues.
The play Macbeth is a dramatic tale that includes many different themes. The themes in this play include love, supernatural, and tragedy. The supernatural elements are in particular, a major aspect of this play. Three main elements of the supernatural in this play are witches, apparitions, and hallucinations. The projected outcomes given through visions in this play did not always match up with the actual events that occurred. Although the main characters use these visions to try and achieve their goals, it often did not occur the way that they wanted.
In certain situations, women are the downfall of men. Macbeth is a prime example on how women influence men. We are going to probe into the hidden lives of Lord and Lady Macbeth, and show how without Lady Macbeth, Macbeth would have lived and prospered.
In the play ‘’Macbeth’’ by William Shakespeare Macbeth struggles with his conscience and the fear of eternal domination if he assassinates King Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s conflict arises when Macbeth’s courage begins to falter. Lady Macbeth is has a cruel, venomous, evil personality in which no man can escape from her wrath and raging power. Lady Macbeth is like a black widow who utilizes aggressive and ruthless tactics to persuade Macbeth to commit the assassination. This cruel minded woman utilizes the power of manipulation and reverse psychology to get what she desires.
Throughout history women have fought for the same rights of men. In the time of William Shakespeare they were seen in society as weak and vulnerable. They were seen to be good, caring and not as powerful as men. Men were the superior and ruled the land. Shakespeare has taken the stereotypical image of the women of the time and turned it on its head in ‘Macbeth’. Lady Macbeth is shown as a very powerful, strong woman. She has an evil about her that Shakespeare has used to make ‘Macbeth’ a supernatural play. Women were seen to be good and not as powerful as men, in ‘Macbeth’ Lady Macbeth is the dominate character and commands and persuades Macbeth to commit the murders and crimes that he does.
Although ancient Greece was a male-dominate society, Sophocles' work Antigone, portrays women as being strong and capable of making wise decisions. In this famous tragedy, Sophocles uses the characters Ismene and Antigone to show the different characteristics and roles that woman are typical of interpreting. Traditionally women are characterized as weak and subordinate and Ismene is portrayed in this way. Through the character of Antigone, women finally get to present realistic viewpoints about their character.