Femininity Of Shakespeare s Macbeth And King Lear

Femininity in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and King Lear William Shakespeare, arguably the greatest English writer of all time, uses his plays and characters to teach moral lessons. Often, he uses extreme examples and circumstances that seem excessive and unrealistic, but he seems to abide by the rule that Flannery O’Connor later articulated: â€Å"†¦to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures† (Collected Works). In order to ensure that he got his point across, he relied on flamboyant examples. In Shakespeare’s famous tragedies Macbeth and King Lear, he uses extreme characterization in order to teach a lesson about the role of femininity. Traditionally and historically, women have been nurturers. As the ones who carry, bear, and nurse children, women seemingly instinctively care for their families, particularly their children, but also husbands and parents. Lady Macbeth from Macbeth and Goneril and Regan fr om King Lear are vicious. The callousness that they display often causes readers to pause, not only because of the cruelty, but also because such heartlessness is particularly shocking coming from women. The actions and words of these three women completely defy the traditionally feminine characteristic of nurturing. Lady Macbeth completely forsakes her nurturing instinct. She does seem to care for at least the social standing of her husband in that she is determined to see him become king. However, she demonstrates an astoundingShow MoreRelatedFemale Characters Of William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet2248 Words   |  9 PagesAbstract—Numerous characters appear in the works of England’s most prominent play writer, William Shakespeare. Most of the time, his male protagonists possess various and complex characteristics throughout the storyline of his work, making it interesting for the readers to analyze their actions in many different aspects. However, some critics a rgue that unlike male characters, Shakespeare’s female characters are rather more flat and one-sided, pointing out that they are either the extreme versionRead MoreMacbeth9435 Words   |  38 Pages------------------------------------------------- Macbeth From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about Shakespeare s play. For other uses, see  Macbeth (disambiguation). A poster for a  c.  1884 American production ofMacbeth, starring Thomas W. Keene. Depicted, counter clockwise from top-left, are: Macbeth and Banquo meet the  witches; just after the murder ofDuncan; Banquo s ghost; Macbeth duels Macduff; and Macbeth. Macbeth  is a play written by  William Shakespeare. It is considered one of his darkest