Gender Stereotypes In Lady Macbeth's Sleepwalking

The speaker of this passage is the Gentlewoman. She describes to the Doctor about her observations of Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking. According to the Course Content, literal imagery uses straight language rather than figurative language. This passage is an example of the use of literal imagery because it provides the reader with a mental image that directly appeals to their sense of sight. The blunt explanation describes an experience the Gentlewoman witnesses of Lady Macbeth's behaviour while sleepwalking. As well, there are not any implications being made to other ideas, and there are no forms of figure of speech, such as similes, metaphors, or personifications, being used. The speaker of this quote is Lady Macbeth while sleepwalking.

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, female roles in plays were performed in theatres by male actors. 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 gentlewoman, from Merriam-Webster, the gentlewoman is an attendant upon a lady of rank. Although this webpage mentions