When I was researching an article, I came across this passage that I found interesting and thought that played into where we are with Macbeth right now. " Defining masculine and feminine characteristics allowed writers like Shakespeare to draw males with certain "feminine" characteristics and females with certain "masculine" characteristics. This merging of masculine and feminine in both males and females might help to explain how easy it was for the Elizabethan stage to employ and accept all male casts and utilize men to play strong female characters like Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Cleopatra, and Kate, the Shrew. Contemporary audiences, so set on separating female from male, would have great difficulty returning to this standard practice of the Renaissance". I guess the reason why this passage struck me so much, was the fact that I do find some "feminine" characteristics in Macbeth as he is more compassionate. When it came to Lady Macbeth" Masculine" traits appear to all of us in her strong personality and at times seeming cold hearted . What don you guy's think about it.
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Cynthia Magana,
ReplyDeleteNice article, I like it. I favor how it describes Shakespeare giving masculine figures feminine characteristics and vice versa. I really love when writers do attempt that because a gives no specific gender roles to tie down a character. Just trying to imagine Macbeth in a Melodrama format would be horrific and somewhat typical.
This is a perfect explanation ! I think it makes sense. Since female actress were not really permitted and I feel like men felt sort of ... less powerful (feminine) when playing a role of a women. So making that women strong and masculine it allowed the men to much easily act on a stage still presenting themselves as strong and powerful.
ReplyDeleteYes! I agree, it is a perfect explanation. I also like how you tied in cross-gender acting because in the ancient Greek theatre men played females, as they did in English Renaissance theatre and men continued to do so in Japanese kabuki theatre.
DeleteSo true! it makes more sense now. great article.
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