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Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries From Genuinely Interested Students 4.2.97: Top | Help


Plays with his ego...

Lady Macbeth's most obvious ways of manipulation is her
1)Challenge of his manhood 2) Demand of an act of love.
He knew that according of the definition of manhood and duty at
his time that "I do all that becomes a man. Who does more is
none" --or however it goes, I don't have my book here-- but his
wife claims that "When you durst do it, then you were a man."
I am quite sure that Macbeth's statement is true and Lady
Macbeth's is false according to the definition of manhood in
11th century Scotland according to the entire play, but she uses
it to get what she wants from him (to be the queen). His fear in
being less a man than his very motivated wife (see her lines
around "unsex me here" (I.vii) causes him to commit to the murder.
I don't remember as much about the act of love part, but I did
read that in an published essay somewhere. Check out in the
same place where the other lines are.

Posted by Tristan Scholze on April 12, 1997 at 12:50:59
In Reply to "Lady Macbeth and Medea- Theme of manipulation and the evil that results" posted by Karen on April 10, 1997 at 09:08:42


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Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries From Genuinely Interested Students 4.2.97: Top | Help