Macbeth's Influence On Women

How the Tragedy of Macbeth Influenced Women in European Society Women’s liberation has always been a prevalent issue around the world. Women’s liberation in early Europe also began to increase around the time Macbeth was written. In the Tragedy of Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, the female roles are often strong and contradict gender roles. The female characters in this play are surprisingly in charge and influential in many situations. Macbeth, published in 1603, may very well have influenced women in Europe. Many women in Europe became more powerful after this play was written. Although women’s rights are a popular, ongoing issue, Macbeth may have been an inspiration in the progression of women’s liberation.

Throughout the Tragedy of Macbeth, women had control and authority in many situations. Lady Macbeth was a sublime example of this when she says “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (1.1.49) meaning that Macbeth would not be deemed a man

This is an especially big deal as, according to Helen Block Lewis, “fictional representations, in drama, poetry, and novels of all historical periods, are a rich source of data on the ideas which the writers and those around them had about women’s nature and social role.” (Warren,231) so for women to be describing themselves in their own way is monumental. The first woman to write and get paid for it was Alphra Behn. Her first book, Oroonoko, was published in 1688. Maria de Agreda from Spain was also an important figure in European literature and politics. She wrote an autobiography, which was burned at the command of her confessor because he did not approve of women writing. She wrote another copy of her biography per the wishes of a different confessor. She became a close friend and political advisor of King Philip IV of Spain after he came to meet her in 1643 (Commire, Klezmer