I think pride, anger and greed for power prompted Lear to make the decision of giving up the kingdom to his malicious, hateful and ungrateful daughters, Regan and Cordelia. After that, Lear banishes the earl of Kent, a faithful courtier who disapproves his punishment for Cordelia. The untimely abdication of his throne, his blindness to Cordelia’s authentic love and Kent’s faithfulness triggers and results in a chain reaction of events that send him through a tragic journey. The cruelty and ingratitude of Goneril and Regan is indubitable; and Lear himself is obsessed by the way that his
This is demonstrated by her imagining her hands stained by blood and her constantly trying to clean the “damned spot” away and rid her sole of the guilt. The subconscious actions of Lady Macbeth illustrate how the guilt tears apart at her integrity and ultimately destroys her with the taking “off her life”. Guilt engulfs and destroys the lives of the characters within Macbeth which showcases to the responder the true extent of guilt and impacts the audiences understanding of the play. The closing scenes of Macbeth illustrate to the responder that harmony can be restored following doom. Throughout the play the character of Macbeth selects unethical ways of climbing the social and royal hierarchy and ultimately causes chaos.
Medea, the protagonist of Robinson Jeffers' play of the same name, is a vengeful termagant, stricken with grief and wanting nothing but to vindicate Jason's deeds. To her credit, though, she is quite wily, and in possession of one of the most impressive acumen ever given to a character of her type. So deep is her animosity towards Jason that she goes to such lengths as parricide (killing her children, who are merely "pawns of her agony") to extract revenge on her former husband. She does not stop there, though. She despoils him not only of two children, but also of a wife, a father-in-law, and a kingdom.
“Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out”. This takes her femininity away and portrays her as a cold-hearted character who is not only willing to commit murder, but also able to persuade her husband into going against what he believes in. As well as this, the violent imagery in this quote is very shocking and gives a gothic element to Act One Scene Seven. It also shows us how quickly Lady Macbeth
It drives Lady Macbeth to insanity that will eventually bring her to her collapse. This blood acts as a symbol that foreshadows the pain that Macbeth and his wife will later receive. Without this element in the play, there would not be a driving force that leads the characters to devastation. This appalling icon hounds them to their grave. Not only does this symbol contribute as a function in the work, but also reveals many sides of Lady Macbeth and her husband.
Then she insults his masculinity and questions his courage. Her talent for persuasiveness and deception starts a chain of destructive events and she definitely contributed to the conversion of Macbeth from well respected soldier to a repugnant, bloody tyrant. Lady Macbeth is undoubtedly a woman “of direst cruelty” and had largely a negative impact on Macbeth. At the start of the play Macbeth had the potential for greatness but because of Lady Macbeth influence this potential remained unfulfilled. If he continued on the ethical path he was on he very well may have rose in rank importance without his stir.
Medea, the main character of the tragedy, was an extremely radical anti-heroine who continues to inspire both admiration and fear in the readers today. Euripides makes one sympathize with Medea's downtrodden state and applaud her strength and intelligence. However, her bloody and vengeful rampage shocks and unsettles audiences even to this day. Throughout the play, Medea interacts with the dominant males in the storyline. She defies both her husband and her king.
If Othello’s emotions were not so invested in Desdemona, he would not have been so consumed by jealousy and frustration to entirely change character and become a mere reflection of his true self. Giving into emotions such as Jealousy result in conflict. Medea, after her transformation from suicidal despair to sadistic fury unleashes her revenge on Glauce, her husband’s new bride. In her jealousy, Medea sends several poisoned gifts to Glauce, which kill her.
Desdemona’s role is as a vehicle for the tragic action, as Iago’s manipulation of Othello is focussed upon tricking him into believing that his wife Desdemona has been unfaithful. Othello falls for false evidence presented to him, causing Othello to avenge his sense of betrayed honour and faithfulness by killing his faithful wife. This provides the climax of the tragic action and so, arguably, Desdemona serves to intensify the tragedy very strongly, as she is a victim of what is considered today to be the ultimate tragic end of domestic violence. This intensity of tragic feeling is created by her innocence, her continuing love of Othello even after his accusations and her awareness of her death. However, in Shakespearean times, the attitude to other races enhanced the tragedy of a white girl being victim to a “blackamoor”.
Lady Macbeth was one Shakespeare’s most courageous female characters. She convinced her husband to cruelly kill Duncan and urged him to be strong in the murder’s aftermath. Fortunately she was eventually scarred by the effect of Macbeth’s animosity towards her. In each case, ambition—helped, of course, by the hurtful predictions of the witches that’s what drove the couple to extreme insanity. The problem, the play suggests, is that once someone decides to use violence to further their quest for power, it is difficult to stop them.