The art of influence is a powerful asset in the pursuance of control. Control comes through personal influence over another, compelling them to act a certain way. It can also be, conversely, by tyrannical influence through authoritarian or government-related force. Macbeth and Memory Police both integrate these themes to depict the negative impact of these external influences on its characters. Through personal manipulation and authoritarian influence, both Ogawa and Shakespeare skilfully illustrate how our perception can be subtlety altered and corrupted, suggesting the influence external factors have on our beliefs and reactions. The following essay will analyze and compare the theme of influence in its diverse representations in these two …show more content…
In the first act of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth uses her personal knowledge of Macbeth to agitate him, stating “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man” (Shakespeare, 1.7. 49-51). In this proclamation Lady Macbeth exercises authoritarian power over her husband. This quote exhibits her ability to personally manipulate him, ultimately persuading Macbeth to commit murder, in order to secure his place as king. Lady Macbeth uses her knowledge of Macbeths fragile masculinity, exclaiming that only when he murders King Duncan, “then you were a man”. Lady Macbeth repeatedly uses Macbeth's insecurities regarding his manhood to influence him to kill King Duncan. She states “Unsex me here” (Shakespeare, 1.4), and subsequently, how she wishes to swap her milk for “gal”, so she can be a man so and kill King Duncan herself. This statement emanates the idea that murder is a man’s job, meaning that if Macbeth does not go through with the murder he has surrendered his manhood. Macbeth exercises the societal standard of masculinity as a reoccurring theme which expedites Macbeth to kill the king. Ultimately, Lady Macbeth takes advantage of this theme of Macbeth’s need to prove his manhood, and influences his characters plot. Similar to this intimate manipulation, the typing teacher in Memory Police also uses a personal connection to manipulate and influence the typing student. The typing student is abused mentally and physically by the typing teacher however, the student still is under his control and relies on him. The teacher somehow manipulates the student into “losing” her voice forever, and eventually losing her bodily presence, and attachment to the outside world. This is prominent in the statement “I could no longer understand
In Macbeth, gender roles are held in high regard by the characters and the society in which the characters live. The strict gender roles upheld by society influence the character’s actions throughout the play, becoming a driving factor for the plot of the play. Macbeth's insecurity in his masculinity drives him to be easily manipulated by Lady Macbeth, and her cruelty and ambition are compared to masculinity. Lady Macbeth's desire to escape from the confines of her femininity is driven by the rigidity of the gender roles of her time, which she felt limited her possibility for power. Overall, gender plays an essential role in Macbeth as the struggles the characters face with the constraints of the gender roles of the time guide many of the character's actions and decisions throughout the play.
Towards the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth criticizes Macbeth for being nervous to kill Duncan by saying, “Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life/And live a coward in thine own esteem (Shakespeare I.vii. 43-49). Lady Macbeth starts to manipulate Macbeth by saying that he is not a man, but rather a coward, which Macbeth takes it to heart and tries to reach her expectation of being a man. Macbeth tries to hide his sensitivity and prove Lady Macbeth wrong by killing Duncan. Moreover, Macbeth tries to prove his masculinity even more during a dinner where he thinks he sees Banquo.
In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth labels Macbeth a coward and makes fun of his manhood by claiming he is too kind to do the job. After Macbeth objects, Lady Macbeth exclaims “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (I.vii.49-51). Using these words, Lady Macbeth brings out the competitive and sexist nature in Macbeth. Macbeth refuses to be underestimated and appear weak in front of others. Furthermore, Macbeth’s initial objection suggests his free will.
From the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth impacted the plot and forced the main character into changing his mind set. Lady Macbeth questioned Macbeth’s man hood to attempt to convince him to kill Duncan. After commenting on Macbeth’s weak ambition Lady Macbeth stated, “When you durst do it, then you are a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” (I, vii, 49). For Lady Macbeth to be able to convince her
First of all, Macbeth is presented as a strong and noble soldier at the beginning of the play. As a warrior, he has very traditional masculine traits, such as bravery and strength. However, his masculinity is often questioned by his own wife, Lady Macbeth. When the couple is planning Duncan’s murder and Macbeth hesitates, Lady Macbeth is always ready to insult his manhood. She calls him a “coward” and tells him
In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, masculinity is a recurring theme. The play explores various aspects of masculinity like bravery, loyalty, and honor through characters like Banquo and Macduff and using Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to demonstrate a more destructive and toxic approach to masculinity. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is brave, loyal and respected. But his ambition to become king changes his idea of masculinity to one of strength, ambition and ruthlessness. Lady Macbeth takes an even more aggressive approach to masculinity, and pushes Macbeth into the murder of King Duncan and his own friend, Banquo.
Well Lady Macbeth, who is dead set on having absolute power, disagrees with that. She convinces Macbeth to kill, to cover up the murders, and tries to convince him that these murders will get them to the top. Lady Macbeth calls upon the witches and states, “unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty” (Macbeth Act 1 Scene 5 lines 31 and 31). This shows that while in the pursuit of power, Lady Macbeth wanted it so much that she asked the witches to “unsex” her and make her more like man. But along with that you see the theme of gender roles are uncertain which ties into Lady Macbeth leading Macbeth in this pursuit of power, also giving him the ambition that she wants him to
Shakespeare outlines Macbeth’s strange behaviors as a result of his extensive thought about the murder subject. It is evident that Macbeth exemplifies the guilt and consequences that accompany sinful choices throughout the hallucination as the placement of the handle is specifically towards his hand. Subsequently, the hallucination exclusively affects the mind, “a dagger of the mind, a false creation” and the mind controls everything else (2.1,37). In this soliloquy, Shakespeare magnifies the parasitic nature of guilt as even when identified, it can still have a tremendous impact on one’s mind. Here, Macbeth demonstrates this effect on the mind as he understands his hallucinations are not real, yet he can still not diminish them.
Control is a recurring theme in the play "Macbeth" as it warns the audience of the reprecussions of trying to control your fate. The first key event where control features in a significant way is the witches prophecies. They tell Macbeth that he will become Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland which establishes the importance of fate. Shakespeare conveys the witches as agents of evil that are deceptive and dangerous, "oftentimes to win us to our harm/the instruments of darkness tell us truths," showing that they use truth itself to influence a horrible outcome (Macbeth 's tragic demise.) Their message is compelling and attractive and we can clearly see their effect on Macbeth as it greatly contrasts to that of Banquo.
Lady Macbeth uses the tactic of belittling him about his manhood. Implying that he is not a man unless he does what she asks. She offers him to ease the burden of this crime. Not only does Lady Macbeth and the witches have an impact on Macbeth, he also is the last one to accept his poor choices he will make to lead him to the failure he
Although Macbeth may be perceived as a vicious tyrant, it is the effect of guilt on his conscience, not his eagerness to become king, that truly sabotages his mind. The aftermath of Macbeth’s unjustifiable choices induces his complex interactions with blood and, despite his gradual progression into inhumanity, ultimately
William Shakespeare portrayed the character Lady Macbeth to be extremely ruthless, malicious and manipulative. Thus, being the reason she could easily convince Macbeth to do her will, yet still put on such a convincing performance in front of those who knew nothing of her and her husband’s actions. Lady Macbeth shows her complexity constantly throughout the story when she shares her view-point on masculinity by demasculinizing her own husband, when she strategically plans the murder of the King Duncan, and finally when she finally goes crazy because of the guilt she possesses for not only her own actions but also turning her own husband into a
Macbeth feels pressure to prove his masculinity to Lady Macbeth, who questions his courage and manhood when he hesitates to murder King Duncan for the throne. This pressure drives Macbeth to kill not only Duncan--but also his closest friends and allies in his pursuit of power. As the play progresses, Macbeth's increasing paranoia and guilt over his actions further entrench his belief that he must maintain his masculinity at all costs. This would ultimately be Macbeth's
Lady Macbeth tried and attempted to fasten onto Macbeth’s inner feelings and attacked his level of masculinity. He is a easy person to manipulate once the future queen questioned his manliness. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he cannot go through with killing King Duncan, she proceeds to tell him that he is a coward. To further convince her husband to kill Duncan is the utmost importance she said that she “would, while (her unborn child) was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed his brains out.” (Act 1, Scene 7, Lines
Lady Macbeth takes on a “manly” role, which is surprising because of how patriarchal the society is. However, she “gradually falls apart, consumed by guilt, and eventually commits suicide”. (Klett) Lady Macbeth does not conform to medieval Scotland’s female stereotype of being a domestic wife.