Literal Imagery
Symbols
A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the/ benefit of sleep, and do the effects of watching.
From a feminist point of view... According to the article Feminist Criticism, from the University of Toronto Library, this school of literary criticism focuses on advocating for equal rights for women in a political, economic, social, psychological, personal, and aesthetic sense. Analyzing this scene from a feminist point of view, there are many instances of gender stereotypes being demonstrated through the portrayal of the characters the Doctor and the Gentlewoman. Before interpreting this scene, it is important to recognize the status of women during Shakespeare's time. According to the article Shakespeare and gender: the 'woman's part', written by Clare McManus, in the Elizabethan era, male actors would perform female roles in plays. The article also explains how in the early 17th century, women were only allowed to work in smaller jobs within the building but were unable to act on commercial stages. In the scene I have selected, the first instance of gender stereotypes is the role of the Doctor. It is not a coincidence that the physician helping the damsel-in-distress character, Lady Macbeth, is a male. This example proves the fact that, outlined in the same article, during Shakespeare's time, women were unable to work in respectable, high-paying job positions. The second instance of gender stereotypes is the role of the Gentlewoman. According to the definition of a gentlewoman, from Merriam-Webster, the gentlewoman is an attendant upon a lady of rank. Although this webpage mentions that a gentlewoman has a high social status, in the context of the play, the Gentlewoman attends to Lady Macbeth in similar ways that a nurse would attend to a patient. This proves that the Gentlewoman carries the attributes of being submissive and emotional which, expressed in the Feminist criticism article, are female stereotypes. From all sources used for this analysis, it is evident that, during Shakespeare's time and society, men were greater than women. Through the literary works of Shakespeare and the portrayal of his characters, it demonstrates the historical component of society and gender roles during his time. Some of the earliest Recognized english actresses in historyAll images are from: The First actresses - National Portrait gallery
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