Gender Ambiguity in Shakespeare's Macbeth

Suspicion of the Undecidable

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book Gender Ambiguity in Shakespeare's Macbeth by Barbora Sramkova, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Barbora Sramkova ISBN: 9783640427000
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: September 16, 2009
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Barbora Sramkova
ISBN: 9783640427000
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: September 16, 2009
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Essay from the year 1996 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1, University Of Wales Institute, Cardiff (Cardiff School of English, Communication and Philosophy), course: Shakespeare's Tragedies, language: English, abstract: Probably the most powerful lines lingering in the reader's or audience's memory after experiencing Macbeth are the hero's words in reaction to the news of the death of his spouse: 'Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.' (V, 5, 23-28) When life signifies nothing, does this play signify anything? However simple the question may seem, the answer is hardly straightforward. Trying to stay away from moralising about vaulting ambition that doesn't pay in the end I would like to speculate about possible significations of the play, not necessarily connected to the plot, or to put it in another way, examine the possibly significant themes and motives recurrent in the play: ambiguity, uncertainty or indeterminacy of meaning. Equivocation is the term used in the play itself (e.g. the porter scene in III, i) and it well captures the theme of walking the tightrope above the abyss of single, definite meaning on one hand, and the endless proliferation of meaning on the other. One cannot escape the impression that the thematically prominent characters of the play (Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the witches, the Porter) virtually evade committing themselves to definite meanings.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Essay from the year 1996 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1, University Of Wales Institute, Cardiff (Cardiff School of English, Communication and Philosophy), course: Shakespeare's Tragedies, language: English, abstract: Probably the most powerful lines lingering in the reader's or audience's memory after experiencing Macbeth are the hero's words in reaction to the news of the death of his spouse: 'Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.' (V, 5, 23-28) When life signifies nothing, does this play signify anything? However simple the question may seem, the answer is hardly straightforward. Trying to stay away from moralising about vaulting ambition that doesn't pay in the end I would like to speculate about possible significations of the play, not necessarily connected to the plot, or to put it in another way, examine the possibly significant themes and motives recurrent in the play: ambiguity, uncertainty or indeterminacy of meaning. Equivocation is the term used in the play itself (e.g. the porter scene in III, i) and it well captures the theme of walking the tightrope above the abyss of single, definite meaning on one hand, and the endless proliferation of meaning on the other. One cannot escape the impression that the thematically prominent characters of the play (Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the witches, the Porter) virtually evade committing themselves to definite meanings.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book The Franco-German Relationship by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book The Creoleness of Middle English by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book Dialysis - Principle, Advantages and Disadvantages by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book Competence to conclude international investment agreements - Exclusive to the European Union or vested in Member States? by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book European Union and United States: Problems and Perspectives of the Transatlantic Dialogue by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book Drug and alcohol testing of employees and privacy rights by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book The European security and defense architecture and the Russian Federation by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book The presentation of love in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book The Significance of a Small War by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book Hanseatic Architecture by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book The Concept of Metamorphosis in Literature by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book Statement of Cash Flows by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book The English Language in Canada by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book Immunmodulation inflammatorischer Autoimmunerkrankungen mit Hilfe Mesenchymaler Stroma-/Stammzellen by Barbora Sramkova
Cover of the book Case Study - Nike's dispute with the University of Oregon in De Wit & Meyer by Barbora Sramkova
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy