Mary, Eve, and Lilith in Shakespeare's King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth

Mary, Eve, and Lilith in King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth

Feminist criticism often explores the symbolic or archetypal use of the Biblical figures of Mary and Eve in literary criticism. One figure which seems appropriate to such discussions, but so far neglected it seems, is the figure of Lilith. Indeed, in the case of Shakespearean criticism, Lilith seems an appropriate model at times for such characters as Goneril, Regan, Lady Macbeth, and so forth. Accordingly, it is my intention to explore this lost archetype and relate it to three of Shakespeare's tragedies: King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth.

To begin, Lilith is an enigma in many circles, with varying tales and legends ascribed to her. In certain aspects of Jewish folklore, Lilith is believed to have been the original wife of Adam who was exiled from Eden and replaced with the better known Eve because she refused to submit to Adam's male authority (Grolier "Lilith").

According to one version, she slept with Adam after the Fall and birthed evil spirits and also supposedly the devil and birthed the jinn (Arabic demons of legend, sometimes ascribed as being genies). Later in legend, she became identified as a succubus who caused "nocturnal emissions [associated with "wet dreams in men"] and the birth of witches and demons called lilim." Charms were created to protect from her influence and she was believed to have stolen and slain children (Grolier "Lilith").

She is mentioned in the Talmud in several places. Among these references include:

Rabbi Jerimia ben Eleazar further stated: "In those years, after his

expulsion from the Garden of Eden, in which Adam...,was under the

ban, he begot ghosts and male demons and fema...

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... Rev. ed. Baltimore: Penguin, 1969. 1021-1057.

Smith, Jeffrey. "Lilit, Malkah ha-Shadia." Babalon-1. Online. Internet. 25 Apr. 1996. Available Address: http://lark.cc.ukans.edu/~rrosen/lilith/lilit.html [Link no longer active]

"The Story of Lilith." Alphabet of Ben Sira 23A-B. Ed. Michael Abrahams. Online. Internet. 25 Apr. 1996. Available Address: http://www.ed.ac.uk/~p92002/lilith.html [Link no longer active]

Vanita, Ruth. "'Proper' men and 'fallen' women: the unprotectedness of wives in 'Othello.'" Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 Spring 1994: 341-356. InfoTrac EF Expanded Academic ASAP 1993-April 1996. CD-ROM. Information Access. April 1996.

Zender, Karl F. "The humiliation of Iago." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 Spring 1994: 323-339. InfoTrac EF Expanded Academic ASAP 1993-April 1996. CD-ROM. Information Access. April 1996.