Comparison Between Lady Macbeth And The Wife Of Bath

Ambition is a key theme in both William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath. This essay will focus on the contrast in ambitions between Lady Macbeth and The Wife of Bath. I will argue that whereas Lady Macbeth’s uncertain ambition that stems from her preoccupation with her maternal qualities – and her apparent inabilities to bear children, the Wife of Bath is liberated and appears to relish her status as an independent woman unconcerned with child bearing, ‘a mother’s unique biological function’ , and, it could be argued, finds ambition in seeking marriage and the rewards that it brings. Lady Macbeth is initially depicted as a character whose ambition is seen to act in her own interests. In Act 1, Scene 5,†¦show more content†¦From this, it could be argued that Lady Macbeth’s femininity is unusually applied in an attempt to serve this undiminishing ambition. Similarly, in The Wife of Bath, the eponymous wife’s ambition is depicted in a way that benefits her. She is depicted as having great confidence. Vladislava VanÄ›Ä kovà ¡ argues that ‘The Wife of Bath is certainly not a model for motherhood’. In fact, there is no reference made to the Wife’s maternal status. From this it could be argued that, unlike Lady Macbeth, the Wife is not preoccupied with maternity and this liberates her, enabling her to engage in more sexually promiscuous behaviour. Sheila Delaney argues that the Wife ‘bears fruit not in children, but in profit †¦ [marriage] settlements and land inheritances from her husbands’. In line 28 of the Prologue, the Wife states that ‘God bad for us to wexe and multiplye’, suggesting that the need to ‘bear fruit’ is incredibly powerful. The use of ‘God’ has divine connotations, amplifying the intensity of the perceived need to possess ambition. However, bearing Delany’s interpretation in mind, the request to ‘multiplye’, with its connotations of abundance, suggests an incessant desire and could be an ironic reference to biological multiplication through reproduction, suggesting the Wife’s ambition is to find sexual partners for material rather than biological gain. Furthermore, it can be suggested that her ambition is motivated by her lack of concern with conformity motherly qualities,Show MoreRelatedSleep and Rest In Macbeth Essay1787 Words   |  8 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ sleep is a very significant aspect of the play which is portrayed by many references to it and occurrences that result in sleep deprivation. To emphasize the importance of resting Shakespeare uses varied poetic language and sleep distortions. Sleep comes as a significant theme of the play when Macbeth, persuaded by Lady Macbeth kills King Duncan while he is asleep at their house. Consequently, Macbeth suffers from devasta ting nightmares and delusions which are theRead MoreA Streetcar Named Desire Analysis887 Words   |  4 Pagesand her sister, and the plot is driven by how wanton is inevitably their downfall. One-third of this sexually tense trifecta is Blanche DuBois, the â€Å"lady† of the three individuals, who takes the ideas of innuendo to a completely different level. From the beginning of the play, Blanche is characterized as somewhat of a â€Å"nervous wreck†, and makes baths a continual habit throughout the play to â€Å"soothe her nerves.† It can be assumed that the activity is an escape from the clammy and stuffed apartment: