The Femme Fatales Lady Macbeth and Serena Pemberton

976 Words2 Pages

William Shakespeare commented on the length of life when he wrote that life is simply a march toward death in his play Macbeth. Characters known as femme fatales are well aware that life is short, and they will not waste it. These striking, driven, intelligent women are prepared to take life for all it has, and nothing will stop a true femme fatale from pursuing her course of action. Macabrely fascinating, these women appear again and again in both classical and modern literature. Perhaps the archetypical example of a femme fatale, the Lady Macbeth of Shakespeare’s Macbeth serves as a loose model for Serena Pemberton of Rash’s Serena. Lady Macbeth and Serena are both intelligent, self-servingly ambitious, and commanding femme fatales in their own right.

Lady Macbeth and Serena are both extremely mentally sharp, often more so than their male counterparts. This is abundantly clear when each woman is presented with events that require immediate decisions. For Lady Macbeth, this comes in the form of the decision of King Duncan’s fate. When she first hears of the witches’ prophecy, Lady Macbeth realizes that something must be done to assure the ascension of Macbeth to the throne, long before Macbeth seriously considers the same thought. When she hears of King Duncan’s imminent arrival, Lady Macbeth is keenly decisive, saying “The raven himself is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan / Under my battlements” (Crowther 1. 5. 28-30). She realizes that Duncan’s death will catapult the Macbeths to power. For Serena, one of many critical decisions comes about when Pemberton assists Rachel Harmon and the child he fathered with her. Serena realizes that this compassion of his threatens her vision of her future, so she makes the i...

... middle of paper ...

...ey frequently prove themselves smarter than the men around them, picking up on subtleties much quicker, and making efficient, if ruthless, decisions. The women are unfailingly ambitious, always in search of power, money, and control for themselves, and their husbands by accessory. Lady Macbeth and Serena control the men and situations around themselves, through sexual or other means, earning admiration. These femme fatales are indeed dangerous, and yet they are captivating in their experiences, perhaps becoming fatal to those that care about them.

Works Cited

Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear Macbeth.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 16 Jan. 2012.

Rash, Ron. Serena: A Novel. New York: Ecco, 2008. Print.

Marling, William. "Femme Fatale, Detective Novel." Detective Novels - An Overview. Web. 17 Jan. 2012. .

Show More
Related

  • Macbeth vs A Simple Plan

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is a common stereotype that men are stronger than women. That is however, neither true in Macbeth nor “A Simple Plan”. Macbeth and “A Simple Plan” are similar in the aspect of manipulative women who forced their husbands to betray, lie, and murder.

    Read More

  • To what extent the characters in depth at Sheila from ‘An Inspector Calls’ and Lady Macbeth from ‘Macbeth’ and be comparing the relationship betwe...

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...elligence and emotional strength to become a powerful atypical Edwardian girl who is in control of her situation and her role in society. It can be observed that the women’s attitudes to the ‘chain of events’ in each play are in stark contrast to each other; As William Cowper states, ‘Glory built on selfish principles, is shame and guilt’, and there can be no disputing that Lady Macbeth’s guilt was a result of her glory and subsequent corruption while Sheila’s glory was built by acknowledging her guilt and shame. Sheila accepted her guilt and as such mastered it; Lady Macbeth refused to accept any guilt for killing King Duncan, and succumbed to it. The only similarity between the two is that a great wrong is done by each, yet how each character chooses to handle these wrongs is a testament to their character, the way they are written, and the resulting differences.

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth and the Jacobean Society

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lady Macbeth’s atypical and complex character directly challenged the archetypal principles and beliefs of the Jacobean era which as a result, drew major fascination through the ages. Lady Macbeth was Shakespeare’s device to not only stimulate audience’s emotions, but to also provide historical context and elicit dominant themes which reflected Jacobean society. Her ambiguous character and remarkable influences in the play raised a lot of controversy and fascination amongst both modern and Jacobean audiences. She can either be seen as linked to the witches in a feminist bid to overthrow the balance of power, or as a representation of the evil side of Macbeth. Nevertheless, it was her distinct characteristics and actions which ultimately catalysed the chain of conflicts of the play. Again, this reinforces her important role in the play.

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth- Character Changes Throughout The Play

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    To metamorphose ones character through years of experience and age is salutary. To deteriorate ones character through a short period of fast decisions and unsure actions is perilous. Lady Macbeth proves the truth to this theory. The impulsive mistakes and power-hungry tactics littered the journey Lady MacBeth paves throughout this play that ultimately ends in her death. She feels overwhelmed by all that is happening, both physically and mentally, and decides to end her own life.

    Read More

  • The Manipulative Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. As she is Macbeth’s wife, her role is significant in his rise and fall from royalty. She is Macbeth’s other half. During Shakespearean times, women were regarded as weak insignificant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Though in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the highest influence in Macbeth’s life. Her role was so large; in fact, that she uses her position to gain power, stay strong enough to support her unstable Lord, and fails miserably while their relationship falls apart. Everything about Lady Macbeth is enough to create the perfect villain because of her ability to manipulate everyone around her. It appears that even she can’t resist the perfect crime.

    Read More

  • The Horrendous Evil Within Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1962 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lady Macbeth is at the same time greater and lesser than her husband. She has a hardness which he lacks, but she has none of his subtlety and perception. She knows her husband well and despises him a little, but to satisfy her ambition, which is a crude desire to see her man King, she will devote herself soul and body to evil. (62)

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth Manipulation Essay

    528 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Antigone vs Lady Macbeth Essay

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 than 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 in similar places due to their personalities, similar situations, strong wills, and sense of determination.

    Read More

  • Macbeth - Downfall Of Lady Macbeth

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    We see how a vigorous Lady Macbeth; initially in association with the witches’ predictions, at-tempts to mirror their disturbance of gender in psychological terms by desiring to "unsex" herself in order to carry out such a powerful action [murder], otherwise, being impossible for a woman to carry out (no offence or sexism is intended when I state this).

    Read More

  • To what extent is Lady Macbeth responsible for the murder of King Duncan and the downfall of Macbeth?

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Literary Analysis

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story of Lady Macbeth throughout Macbeth is one unlike those of its time in its unusually forward-thinking portrayal of a woman with thoughts and actions which would have been considered indecent. This is seen through the representation of her relationship with Macbeth and how they interact. It is also illustrated through Lady Macbeth’s morals and their effect on how she acts and reacts in situations which would weigh heavily on most peoples’ conscious. Her power-hungry attitude is one often reserved for men, especially in this era of literature. All of these factors create a character in Lady Macbeth which is dissimilar to the classic portrayal of women in the seventeenth century.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Use Of Power In Macbeth

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...key component to the plan. The gender roles of Macbeth and his wife seem to go hand in hand, the operation would not succeed with only one of the individuals. This shows that a woman’s psychological actions are just as powerful as a man’s manual work.

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    After hearing about the prophecies that had been dealt to Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, concerned that her husband was too weak and/or kind to seize this opportunity that had been apportioned to him, began to devise a plan of her own which she would make Macbeth, the newly appointed Thane of Cawdor, carry out. I would think that a regular human being, male or female, would be more concerned about how the event in question would come into play. However, Lady Macbeth (and Macbeth) seems quite impatient and instead starts to think of ways that she could bring this event out herself. At about this time Macbeth is also thinking of killing Duncan in order to become the king. This is an example of the similarity between Macbeth and his wife. Its like they say, “great minds think alike”. It’s scary when the great minds belong to devious people.

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth's Character Analysis

    315 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout the play Macbeth, characters start to emerge as dark and cruel. The author William Shakespeare writes about a strong and ambitiously powerful woman named Lady Macbeth. In the play, Lady Macbeth’s character shares with the audience that she believes her husband is not man enough to excel in completing the prophecy that the three witches have given to him. As a women, she makes sure to tell us that just because she is a women that you can be strong and independent. Although it may seem that Lady Macbeth has a tough exterior, she does proceed to have a conscience that causes her problems that comes to display later in the play.

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth Feminist Analysis

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and daunting female characters. As Macbeth’s wife, her role is very important in Macbeth’s rise and fall from royalty. In Shakespearean times, females were considered as feeble and unimportant beings whose only use was to give birth, and for their looks. They were not by any means equal to men, nor intelligent. Though in this play, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as the biggest impact in her husband’s life. In her role, she uses her status in Dunsinane to gain power, stay sane enough to support Macbeth, and fails while their relationship falls apart. Everything about Lady Macbeth makes her the perfect villain for the play, mostly because of her capability to manipulate anyone that is around her.

    Read More

More about The Femme Fatales Lady Macbeth and Serena Pemberton

Open Document