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Similarities Between Lady Macbeth And Curley's Wife

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Compare how women are presented in Macbeth and Of Mice and Men and are it true to say that women are villains rather than victims commit
Both Shakespeare and John Steinbeck wrote their books where at the time male dominance was the norm. Both Lady Macbeth and Curley’s wife challenge this norm by manipulating men and in doing so they gain power over them, we know that Lady Macbeth is more successful in achieving power as she accomplishes her goal of becoming queen unlike curley’s wife who dies before achieving her ambition. Both female characters attempt to become socially accepted as independent women in society. Both writers gave their characters roles in society which would have been unusual for a women to have as male supremacy was …show more content…

Curley's wife tried reaching out to someone she could relate with, someone who also struggled with people. She unfortunately causes a ripple effect going through till the end of the book, she tells Lennie to “Feel right aroun’ there an’ see how soft it is” this seductive line is an failed attempt to become friends with Lennie, without thinking of the impression she could be giving out to other men of the ranch and to her husband Curly. As a consequence of her actions, Lennie started applying pressure resulting in her panicking then causing Lennie to get scared and kill her. Towards the end of the book Lennie is shot due to the fact that George thinks Lennie is a threat to other people. Curley's wife could be seen as the cause of this and therefore portrayed as a villain in the reader's eyes. On the other hand, while even though this can be questionable, Curley’ wife attack on crooks was vile and dehumanizing to the point where he was pushing himself up against the wall, swelling inside feeling less and less appreciated as a human or worker on the ranch. Curley's wife outbreak originated from her joy of having power over men she knows how easily she can manipulate men for her own personal gain. Furthermore, she knows she has power over crooks as he is black and knows has full control over

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861 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the novella, Lennie managed to severely hurt Curley, murder an innocent puppy, and finally murdering Curley' wife. Lennie simply cannot contain himself and seems to always end up getting into a tangle of mess that comprise of major consequences, in which Lennie must pay. Ultimately, it is not Curley's wife's fault for getting Lennie killed, when it is particularly based on Lennie's incompetence to withstand

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768 Words | 4 Pages

This showed that even though she doesn’t have any power she still has power over African Americans. She can even threaten to have Crooks killed because he talked to her. After she said that “crooks seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall. ‘yes, ma’am’” (80). This shows that the words Curley’s wife has a terrible effect on Crooks.

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2082 Words | 9 Pages

Women have always been portrayed as the weaker sex compared to men. It has been demonstrated in history itself and throughout literary works. Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Homer’s The Odyssey, however, portray women to be more powerful than men, even when their society thought otherwise and underestimated them because of their gender. Lady Macbeth, The Three Witches, Queen Arête and Penelope demonstrate the astute, charming, and ambitious side of women that was overlooked by men when it came to having power and making decisions.

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581 Words | 3 Pages

In the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the character Lennis is a big, tall man who is described as a "big baby" because he has a mental condition that makes him act childish. The character referred to as Curley 's wife, is a petite and pretty lady. She is known to be a troublemaker and does not act the way a "normal" wife would. Although the two characters are very different, they share the feeling of being left out and alone.

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1476 Words | 6 Pages

Macbeth takes place in medieval Scotland, where gender barriers were very strict. Men were supposed to act as strong fighters, while women were locked in the domestic sphere. These gender roles are prominent in the character developments of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At first, Macbeth is a strong, heroic solider that shows unbounded courage in battle and loyalty to his king. As the play progresses, he becomes cold, ruthless, and miserable.

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973 Words | 4 Pages

Traditional gender roles in today’s society are very different from what they once were. Shakespeare had progressive views on gender and gender roles in his time period, which he expressed through his writing. In MacBeth, Shakespeare showcases both his views and unusual roles through Macbeth and Lady MacBeth, MacDuff and the witches. Gender roles in the relationship of MacBeth and Lady MacBeth are probably the most obvious correlation between masculine traits expressed through female characters. Lady MacBeth belittles MacBeth and frequently challenges his manhood.

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493 Words | 2 Pages

Lady (of) Macbeth In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the presence of power declares a condition where gender holds a superior position to that of political status. Overcome with murderous rage, Lady Macbeth’s refusal of her gender identity, “Unsex me here,/ and fill me...

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477 Words | 2 Pages

In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses the subversion of gender roles to reinforce Elizabethan notions of female and male behavior through the characters of Lady Macbeth, the three witches, and Macbeth. The ideal woman in Shakespearean times was submissive and docile. She is expected to be a mother and hostess, and little else. However, Lady Macbeth is the exact opposite of this notion. She constantly challenges and manipulates her husband to feed her ever-growing ambition.

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1152 Words | 5 Pages

In “Macbeth: The Prisoner of Gender,” Robert Kimbrough explores the topic of manliness in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. Kimbrough begins by examining how masculinity and femininity came about in the first place, stating that the origin can best come from the “Judeo-Christian version of God the Creator” (179). The differences between males and females created a hierarchy in Shakespeare’s time, where males were on the top and females were on the bottom. Kimbrough states that the differences betweens the two genders are “matters of the mind,” and believes “Shakespeare sensed that so long as one remains exclusively female or exclusively male, that person will be ... denied human growth" (179). These “matters of the mind” are what Shakespeare tackles

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Paul Vu Dr. Elizabeth C. Ramírez THTR 475A.03 2 May 2017 Macbeth and Medea: Breaking Expectations Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Medea by Euripides are known for their powerful critiques on the social expectations of women. Women during the time of Elizabethan and Greek theatre were often stereotyped and considered the weaker sex. Men were depicted as strong individuals who supported and protected women. However, both Shakespeare and Euripides broke expectations by portraying strong and iconic female characters in their respective plays. The idea of a strong female character was often unheard of during the time of Elizabethan and Greek Theatre.

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(87) More specifically, the other men on the ranch refuse to talk to her because Curley’s position of power on the ranch portrays him as having the ability to have any man on the ranch lose their job. Furthermore, when Curley’s wife was conversing with Lennie in the barn and confided in him, she said: “Well, I ain’t

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729 Words | 3 Pages

It is human nature to want power, to be at the top of the pyramid, to be king/queen, but that comes at a price as shown in Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will do anything to have absolute power and nothing stands in their way. From killing to going completely mad, they will become the next king and queen at all costs. The ambition and the want for power is so high that they kill many, they do whatever they can to be one step closer, and they go completely insane, all because they want that absolute power.

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1959 Words | 8 Pages

Mihir Sharma Ms. Dornford ENG 3U1-05 10 December 2015 Power and Corruption William Shakespeare in “Macbeth” and F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby, depict how greed for power and social status can make women ruthless and crafty in their aspirations. To achieve their ulterior motives, they can destroy lives through either pretense or manipulation. William Shakespeare depicts women as malicious in their intent who can camouflage their real intent to achieve their ambitions. Lady Macbeth is unable to pursue her dreams due to social constraints.

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851 Words | 4 Pages

The women in Macbeth are presented by Shakespeare to be powerful and ambitious which was unlike the typical views during Jacobean times. The playwright portrays Lady Macbeth and the witches to be highly influential to male characters in the play, which again contrasts the contemporary views to that time. Their ambition and power are demonstrated through the perversion of nature. This highlights the evil and immoral side, they possess. Shakespeare, however, presented Lady Macbeth and the witches to be manipulative and cunning, rather than violent like Macbeth was during the play.

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847 Words | 4 Pages

Women are never shown as strong dominant characters, whether it be in the past or modern day. Previously, women were owned by their husbands and told how to and what to do in their lives. Today, women are no longer owned but still seen as objects, over-sexualized and objectified. Propitiously, Lady Macbeth was not portrayed like this at all, nor was she depicted as most women in plays. Women in plays are usually displayed as weak, vulnerable character with little to no sense.

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