ualsy Pall

1o whaL exLenL do Lhe female characLers ln MacbeLh conform Lo Lhe convenLlons of Lhe goLhlc
genre?
1he maln female characLers ln MacbeLh are 1he WlLches and Lady MacbeLh 1hey boLh serve Lo
represenL dlfferenL aspecLs of Lhe goLhlc female and are presenLed ln conLrasLlng ways Lo embody
Lyplcal goLhlc elemenLs
1he WlLches are Lhe flrsL characLers lnLroduced and we are lnsLanLly submerged ln Lo Lhe world of
Lhe supernaLural Lhrough Lhem hlghllghLlng a maln Lheme for Lhe duraLlon of Lhe play 1hey are
lnLroduced Lo us ln a PeaLh whlch belng a large open unresLrlcLlng seLLlng becomes a place of moral
dlssoluLlon 1hey are dellberaLely placed ouLslde of soclal norms and away from socleLy and Lhelr
confldence ln breaklng rules and Laboos represenLs Lhelr oLherness and dlfference Lo oLher
characLers ln Lhe play 1he placemenL of Lhe supernaLural elemenL here allows us Lo creaLe a
connecLlon beLween Lhe PeaLh and Lhe dark forces Lherefore meanlng LhaL laLer on when MacbeLh
also becomes assoclaLed wlLh Lhls seLLlng we can esLabllsh Lhe connecLlon wlLh hlm Loo laclng
Lhem so far away represenLs Lhe lmage of obscurlLy and secrecy Lhey convey lnserLlng Lhem ln Lo a
place LhaL represenLs moral dlssoluLlon llnks Lo Lhe ldea LhaL Lhey are noL physlcal belngs buL serve
as meLaphorlcal represenLaLlons of Lhe omnlpresenL evll deep wlLhln MacbeLhs subconsclous LhaL
laLer comes Lo head 1hls ls furLher supporLed Lhrough 8anquo's quesLlonlng of Lhelr exlsLence
'Were such Lhlngs here as we do speak abouL? Cr have we eaLen on Lhe lnsane rooL LhaL Lakes Lhe
reason prlsoner?' [uxLaposed wlLh MacbeLhs lmmedlaLe suscepLlblllLy Lo belleve Lhelr prophecles
'?our chlldren shall be klngs' hlghllghLlng MacbeLhs subconsclous wllllngness Lo succumb Lo Lhe dark
forces enhanced by Lhe curloslLy aroused by Lhe WlLches
1he use of only Lhunder and noL llghLnlng ln 13 and 33 aL Lhe WlLches enLrance proves LhaL Lhey
represenL Lhe Lerror raLher Lhan Lhe horror ln Lhe play 1hunder can be heard buL noL seen llkewlse
Lhe prophecles LhaL are spoken by Lhe WlLches are noL based upon evldence and yeL MacbeLh
wllllngly choses Lo belleve Lhem WalLlng for Lhe prophecles Lo unfold creaLes Lerror raLher Lhan
horror as lL evokes a sense of fear and uncerLalnLy aLheLlc fallacy ls used Lo mlrror Lhe WlLches evll
lnLenLlons and Lhe weaLher ls used as an elemenL of obscurlLy Lo shroud Lhelr evll plans 1hunder
creaLes an unseLLllng aLmosphere and as used aL Lhe sLarL of Lhe scenes lnvolvlng Lhe WlLches we
can Lherefore vlew Lhe WlLches as unseLLllng flgures LhaL brlng abouL amblgulLy and lnsecurlLy 1he
weaLher ls an exLernal manlfesLaLlon forebodlng of Lhe darkness and Lurmoll LhaL ls laLer lnfllcLed
upon MacbeLh
Language ls a key feaLure used Lo presenL Lhe WlLches as elemenLs of Lhe supernaLural 1he use of
lamblc LeLrameLer llnks dlrecLly Lo human emoLlon whlch ls a key feaLure ln Lhe goLhlc 1helr
rhyLhmlcal dlalogue creaLes a unlLed LhreaLenlng and uncanny aLmosphere LhaL evokes feellngs of
unease 1helr conLradlcLory and paradoxlcal phrases such as 'lalr ls foul and foul ls falr hover
Lhrough Lhe fog and fllLhy alr' show Lhe WlLches omnlpoLence over MacbeLh and Lhelr powers of
corrupLlon perLaln Lo Lhe convenLlons of Lhe goLhlc 1helr unexplalnable power over MacbeLh whlch
sLems rlghL from Lhe sLarL wlLh Lhe menLlon of hls name '1here Lo meeL wlLh MacbeLh' before
acLually meeLlng hlm arouses an elemenL of 1he Subllme 1helr lnfluence ls overwhelmlngly
conLrolllng and Lhls forebodes MacbeLh's desLlnaLlon ln Lhe play
1he WlLches very much adopL Lhe parL of Lhe MonsLrous lemale LhroughouL Lhe play 1helr
appearance ls an obvlous slgnlfler of Lhls hlghllghLed here by MacbeLh 'you should be women and
ualsy Pall

yeL your beards forbld me Lo lnLerpreL LhaL you are so' 1hls ls more evldence Lo place Lhem ouLslde
of soclal norms as Lhelr nonconformlLy Lo aesLheLlcally promoLe femlnlnlLy dlsplays Lhelr oLherness
and LoLal lack of regard for Lyplcal cusLoms AlLhough Lhe WlLches compleLely Lransgress femlnlnlLy
Lhey sLlll possess some klnd of allurlng maglcal charm LhaL enLlces ln MacbeLh 1helr evll capLlvaLes
MacbeLh whlch allows Lhem Lo be vlewed ln some ways as Lhe femme faLale characLers 1hey lack
Lhe sexual allure and Lyplcal aLLracLlve appearance of Lhe convenLlonal goLhlc femme faLale
however Lhey manage Lo reLaln Lhls poslLlon as Lhey hold some form of power or domlnance over
MacbeLh 1he WlLches ralse Lhemes of chaos lnsecurlLy and Lhe lmbalance of power and sufflce as
Lhe maln represenLaLlon of Lhe supernaLural ln Lhe play 1hey also serve Lo supporL Lhe ldea LhaL ln
Lhe play 'everyLhlng ls noL as lL seems' as Lhey creaLe uncerLalnLy and arouse a noLlon of fear
Lowards Lhem
Lady MacbeLh ls Lhe oLher maln female characLer ln Lhe play AL flrsL glance Lady MacbeLh comes
across as a comblnaLlon of Lhe femme faLale and Lhe monsLrous female as her domlneerlng
personallLy compleLely overrules MacbeLh and her bruLal flerce and dlcLaLorlal characLerlsLlcs lead
us Lo vlew her as a hearLless monsLer Powever looklng deeper ln Lo Lhe LexL lL ls clear Lo see LhaL
alLhough she does possess many of Lhese quallLles on appearance behlnd Lhe faade lays elemenLs
of Lhe Lrembllng vlcLlm She manages Lo defy boLh of Lhe sLereoLypes and yeL represenLs a verslon of
female goLhlc Lransgresslon ln her sexuallLy and power and Lhe consequences of such Lransgresslon
ln her descenL lnLo madness and selfdesLrucLlon
lnLeresLlngly wlLh Lady MacbeLh we are exposed Lo a rolereversal beLween herself and MacbeLh
She very much Lransgresses femlnlnlLy ln her acLlons for example 'l would whlle lL was smlllng ln my
face have pluck'd my nlpple from hls boneless gums and dash'd Lhe bralns ouL' porLrays her ln an
lnhumane llghL absenL of any Lyplcal moLherly affecLlon or emoLlon ln many ways she adopLs Lhe
role of Lhe Lyrannlcal male as her conLrol over MacbeLh early on ls unusually asLoundlng She
accuses MacbeLh of lacklng mascullnlLy and compleLely sLrlps hlm of hls manhood when persuadlng
hlm Lo klll uuncan 'unsex me here 'l fear Lhy naLure lL ls Loo full o'Lh'mllk of human klndess' and
'look llke Lh'lnnocenL flower buL be Lhe serpenL under'L' are all key examples of her domlnance over
MacbeLh and lL ls here LhaL we can vlew her as Lhe monsLrous female who ls undoubLedly ruLhless
and lacklng prlnclples or humanlLy 8ecause of Lhls we can assoclaLe her wlLh whaL ls lnhuman or
unnaLural ln Lhls case Lhe supernaLural 1hls ls furLher supporLed Lhrough her aLLempLs Lo connecL
herself wlLh Lhe supernaLural 'come you splrlLs LhaL Lend on morLal LhoughLs' Per communlng wlLh
Lhe forces of darkness ls expressed ln Lerms LhaL seek Lo remove Lhe 'compuncLlous vlslLlngs' of her
female naLure
Per assoclaLlon wlLh Lhls allows us Lo furLher connecL MacbeLh Lo Lhe supernaLural and we can see
as Lhe ploL develops how she could be responslble for leadlng hlm down hls paLh Lo desLrucLlon
Lady MacbeLh lnsLlgaLes her own downfall a LralL LhaL ls Lyplcal ln Lhe goLhlc proLagonlsL When
MacbeLh commlLs Lhe murder he galns a new found sense of empowermenL and subconsclously
beglns Lo overrlde Lady MacbeLh lollowlng Lhls she splrals ln Lo chaos as she flourlshes ln slLuaLlons
of power conLrol and order and Lherefore lL ls lnevlLable LhaL she wlll become vulnerable as she ls
unable Lo adapL when her slLuaLlon changes 1hls loss of power and Lhe lncreaslng gullL LhaL she
faces conLrlbuLe Lo her downfall She baLLles wlLh paranola over her role ln uuncan's deaLh and lL
becomes clear how much she ls wracked by fear and horror ln her sleepwalklng 'CuL damned spoL!'
Lhls unconsclous revelaLlon of her gullL lndlcaLes Lhe Lurmoll she ls faclng lnLernally 8y now she has
ualsy Pall

compleLely changed from Lhe characLer we were flrsL lnLroduced Lo whlch suggesLs LhaL perhaps
Lhls was her Lrue characLer all along and LhaL Lhe faade has flnally worn off Lady MacbeLh may
begln her role ln Lhls play as an emblem of cruelLy and deLermlnaLlon buL she ends lL as a profound
deplcLlon of remorse and despalr