Dotzel 1

Lindsey Dotzel
Shakespeare 363
Dr. Francis
12/03/14
Lady Macbeth
For over 400 years, Lady Macbeth has earned the status as one of Shakespeares most
devious and fascinating characters. During this time, hundreds of people have talked about her,
casted her, and filmed her, with each adaptation being different. Lady Macbeth is a complex
character and is going to be broken down throughout this research. A focus will be on her unsex
me here speech and sleepwalking scene. These will be analyzed in relation to scholarship,
performances, and movie interpretations.
Theories:
Lady Macbeth is always a focal point when it comes to reading Macbeth. Among
scholars, there are three main interpretations of her character. These include, gender ambiguity
and masculinity, her likeness to the witches and demon-like characteristics, and her ability to
persuade Macbeth and overpower him.

Commented [BaLM1]: NCATE/NCTE 3.1: Know skills of

English language
This paper demonstrates my understand of the English
language and how it functions. It shows my understanding
of grammatical and formatting rules. This paper
demonstrates how reading, listening, viewing, and thinking
are interrelated by watching, reading, and researching
different Shakespeare plays.
NCATE/NCTE 3.2: Know oral, visual, written literacy
practices
The project required me to read a Shakespeare play, watch
multiple films, and research theories about a specific
character. By doing this, I have applied knowledge of
language structure and conventions to creating and
critiquing print and non-print texts. I have also
demonstrated the influence that language and visual images
has on thinking and composing.
Commented [BaLM2]: NCATE/NCTE 3.7: Know research
theory and findings in ELA
This entire section of the paper is dedicated to different
theories about Lady Macbeths character. It is broken down
into gender ambiguity, characteristics, and power. Later on
in the paper I also explore different research about the
history of Lady Macbeth and how she has been portrayed in
different performances.

Multiple scholars put a magnified glass over many of Lady Macbeths speeches and
actions. In Burnetts article, The fiend-like Queen, he explicitly states a definition for
gender. He does this because of its often misuse by others. His definition explains that gender is
a cultural idea rather than a biological fact. In doing this, his definition shows how denaturalizing
women is a part of a larger social and linguistic construction (4). Both Cakebread and Thomas
state that Lady Macbeth sacrifices her womanliness in order to gain acceptance of traditionally
masculine qualities that help to get power. When Lady Macbeth says, Come to my womans

Commented [BaLM3]: NCATE/NCTE 3.3 Know reading

processes
This portion of the paper demonstrates my knowledge of
the different reading processes. Using this research, I
interpreted and responded to the different thoughts and
perspectives. I also used a variety of strategies to
comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate the
different texts.

Dotzel 2

breasts/ And take my milk for gall, (1.5.46-47) she pronounces that she is trading her traditional
feminine role as mother and nurturer in exchange for violent, masculine power (Cakebread). She
wants to have the traits of pity and sympathy and bodily signs of motherhood removed.
Cakebread also says that femininity is not an attribute that is associated with power. Asp goes
even further to say that adopting a male mentality helps rid Lady Macbeth of those feminine
qualities that are associated with weakness. In order for her to gain this authority, she has to
detach herself from her feminine side. Some scholars say that she violates the dictates of gender.
Thomas describes her as frightening because of her perceived ability to empower the feminine
while disempowering the masculine (83). In the scene of Duncans murder, the stereotypical
woman is described by Macduff to be too gentle for such a foul thing to be spoken into her
womans ear. However, before this, Lady Macbeth asked for the spirits to unsex me here. She
is fit to hear the news because she has been transforming herself into a man. She wishes for
particularly masculine features so that she will be bold enough to do such a deed like murder.
Asp explains that she takes on the role of manly murderer, using images directly [related] to her
physical femaleness: I would . . ./ Have pluckd my nipple from his boneless gums (1.7.5657) (161). She has no room for vulnerability. She resists both feminine roles (culture) and
denial of femaleness (biology) (Burnett 18). She rejects patrilineage by dying childless and
removing herself as an instrument who can secure success. By the end of the play, she is
completely removed from the masculine world she so desperately wanted to enter and which so
effectively has excluded her (Asp 167). Lady Macbeth separates herself from gender roles to
allow for a shift of power between her and Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth is not a nurturing mother, rather she is an infanticide. She shifts to a
power position which resonates with a sense of maternal evil (Cakebread 2). Lady Macbeths

Dotzel 3

speech about nursing a baby and then dashing its brains out shows the crossing of a divide
between male and female power, marked by a fit of violent and disturbing imagery. She uses this
gained power to belittle her husband. Asp states that Lady Macbeth is such a woman, worthy of
the equality her husband bestows upon her when he calls her, my dearest partner of greatness
(159). It would seem that he intends to share power with her. Asp continues by saying that there
is no evidence showing that Lady Macbeth wants royal status for herself alone, however, she
knows she must push her husband if they are to both achieve greatness. In order to do this, Lady
Macbeth scrutinizes his weaknesses and uses her words to provoke him. She states, chastise
with the valour of tongue/ All that impedes from the golden round (1.5.29-30). She is aware of
her role of arousing Macbeths noble strength in order for them both to gain power. Thomas says
that Lady Macbeth uses effective rhetorical manipulation of her husband to be a man and take
action (81). Her only way to feel powerful is to belittle him anyway that she can. She scorns
him when he refuses to do what he has sworn to, so she has no choice but to inflict control over
him by choosing to contemplate the most dreadful thing she can think of, murdering her own
baby feeding. She states that Macbeth is too full o the milk of human kindness (1.5.19). Lady
Macbeth is aware that she must be the one to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan and go after the
throne. She knows what it takes to gain power and to get what she wants.
Throughout the 1800s, Lady Macbeth is compared with witches, demons, viragos,
snake-women, and evil women like Medea. Many scholars have noted similarities between Lady
Macbeth and the witches. Within the course of the play, Lady Macbeth takes on the roles of men,
witches, and a conventional wife. She acquires these either deliberately or is driven into them by
powers that she cannot resist. According to Thomas, she is monstrous because she has called
upon demonic forces to help her achieve her goals (81). Her first words are Glamis thou art, and

Dotzel 4

Cawdor; and shalt be/ What thou art promisd (1.5.15-16). These lines go back to the witches
prophetic visions. Burnett makes a connection between Lady Macbeth and the witches by
quoting lines where Lady Macbeth imagines herself pouring ingredients to create a hellish
mixture, hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear, And chastise with the valour of
my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round, which fate and metaphysical aid doth
seem to have thee crownd withal (1.5.25-30). She takes on the witch-like qualities in her
speech and also in her desire to have gender ambiguity. Lady Macbeth asks for supernatural
beings to unsex her. Thomas says that many scholars point to these lines as evidence of Lady
Macbeths evil or unnatural behavior due to the invocation of the murderous spirits, which
additionally resonates with the incantations of the supernatural witches (84). She is becoming
more and more like the witches through her speeches. According to Curry, when she requests for
these forces, they do come and take possession of her body and fill her from crown to toe, topfull of the direst cruelty; they thicken her blood and stop up the passage to remorse. She
becomes, for the most part, the fiend-like queen in thought and action (33). Some scholars, like
Burnett, take it a step further and categorize Lady Macbeth as a demon woman. He says that her
murderous plan of Duncan makes it more profitable to understand her as an enchantress, a
demonic chemist who robs the chamberlains of their reason, as do the witches, her supernatural
counterparts (13). She has no mercy and seems to be ruled by a force not of her own. Lady
Macbeth is mentioned last in the play, and the description of her seems more appropriate
according to Burnett. The fiend is the arch-enemy of mankind; the devil (Burnett 17). It is
only fit that her personality is contrasted with that of characters who appear less harsh, on the
outside atleast.
Performances:

Commented [BaLM4]: NCATE/NCTE 3.5: Know/use

extensive range of literature
The research for this paper required me to use articles and
movies from different time periods and cultures. Some of
the articles that I used were about performances from
hundreds of years ago. I also used articles about Japanese
Manga to compare and contrast with more contemporary
performances of Lady Macbeth.

Dotzel 5

Although Macbeth has been performed thousands of times, no two performances are
alike. This includes the ways that characters are played and portrayed. Lady Macbeth is no
exception. From comic books, to manga editions, to performances on Broadway, it has all been
done when it comes to Macbeth.
In Heather McPhersons article, she talks about a women who played Lady Macbeth
named Sarah Siddons. Siddons career as Lady Macbeth started in London in 1785 and ended at
the Covent Garden in 1812. McPherson states that Siddons striking, original interpretation of
Lady Macbeth made an indelible impression on her contemporaries and exerted a powerful
influence on nineteenth-century actresses from Isabella Glyn to Ellen Terry (299). McPherson
also stated that the conception of Lady Macbeths character came more from Siddons
representation of her than from Shakespeares text itself. In the plays, Siddon wore less
elaborate, more functional costumes that would enhance the effect of naturalness in her acting.
McPherson explains that by emphasizing Lady Macbeths charm and femininity and by
cultivating her own domestic image, Siddons established the necessary critical distance to act out
the overreaching ambition, decisiveness, and superhuman resolve of Lady Macbeth in the
cathartic public arena of the stage (309). In the dagger scene, Siddons wears a coiffure with a
black hat and dark green costume. In her most innovated interpretation of Lady Macbeth, during
the sleepwalking scene, she mesmerized the audience. Rather than holding the taper, like all
actors before her, Siddons sets it down. She is clothed in a flowing white gown, head covered in
drapery, as she stares blankly at the audience. Siddons also acted out the dementia of the
obsessive hand washing more naturalistically and convincingly than others, according to
McPherson. By foregrounding Lady Macbeths femininity and more superiority, Siddons was
able to heroicize and domesticate this unruly heroine successfully while balancing between

Dotzel 6

masculinity and femininity (McPherson 319). It was the feminine and more conventional side of
Lady Macbeth that Siddons showed and emphasized in her performances.
In Thomass article, she mentions a few different authors of graphic novels and manga
that portray Lady Macbeth. Both of these compare and contrast Lady Macbeths unsex me
here speech with her sleepwalking scene. The first graphic novel illustrated by Von and
published in 1982 was created to bring Shakespeares language to life and to have drawings
accompany the text rather than substitute it. One focus of this novel shows the parallels between
Lady Macbeth and the witches. Thomas states that Lady Macbeth, through her positioning and
dress, becomes essentially a fourth witch (85). The graphic novel stages her in the backlit
window of a tower. There is a golden glow behind her that suggests a hell-like aurora. She is
wearing a red, hooded robe and has dark red nails that are sharpened like claws or talons. She is
staring straight at the reader with angry wide eyes and her posture projects aggression and
strength. In the words of Thomas, this Lady Macbeth means business (86). This is the only
illustration of her where she has on a hooded robe. The only other characters in the novel that
wear this article of clothing are the weird sisters. Readers are encouraged to visually associate
the witches with the queen. It is also no mistake that she is seen wearing all red. Much of her
body shape is covered, so the red does not indicate sexual power, but the blood that she is going
to crave. Her bloody nails will come to represent the out damned spot speech later on in the
play.
The prior scene greatly contrasts the sleepwalking scene, as far as the portrayal of Lady
Macbeth. Vons illustrations turn to dark greys, blues, white, and black. Von does this because
the doctor and attendant add an ominous and ghostly quality to the scene. In comparison to her
unsex me here speech, here she has her black hair falling in loose waves, showing her

Dotzel 7

femininity that she desperately tried to leave behind. Von also shows her as having ample
cleavage and exposure to sexualize her. These illustrative choices, as stated by Thomas, define
Lady Macbeth clearly as all women and a sexualized one at that; but we are led to understand
that point in the context of her undoing-physically, mentally, emotionally, and politically
(87). She is talked about by the doctor and attendant. And although she has a voice, what she is
saying is being watched, judged, and classified. Lady Macbeth, by the end of this graphic novel,
has turned back into the stereotypical role of women being objects.
Thomas also discusses how Lady Macbeth is portrayed in a manga version of Macbeth.
This Japanese technique focuses on the characters bodies, facial expressions, and positions in
each frame. This particular version, Manga Shakespeare: Macbeth, illustrated by Robert Deas,
gives the most provocative version of Lady Macbeth. Deas casts Lady Macbeth as an action
heroine. The play is set in a futuristic Japanese techno-world, post-nuclear mutation. According
to Thomas, Deas creates a Lady Macbeth that takes control of her own destiny, claims her
desires, and works alongside her husband to achieve power in a world turned strange by previous
conflicts (94). Although she is highly sexualized, she is still visually a powerful dominatrix.
Deas depiction of Lady Macbeths unsex me here speech is in a dramatic two-page spread.
She is seen with huge communication towers behind her as she stand on a rocky ledge with her
legs spread in an aggressive stance, one hand cut and bleeding while the other is raised, clutching
a bloody dagger. She has on thigh-high boots with garter straps and a mini-skirt that hugs the v
hemline at her crotch. She also has on an off the shoulder shirt/robe that scoops her neckline,
exposing her large breasts. Her eyes are wide and furious as she shouts her lines. The picture also
has three dragon spirits flying around her during this speech. Thomas explains that she is clearly
in control and not represented as a sexualized victim. Although she is sexualized, she is

Dotzel 8

powerful, dominant, and aggressive. Thomas goes on to explain that the dragons may be
included to empower Lady Macbeth with warrior knowledge, confidence, and purpose from prior
generations. In this scene, Lady Macbeth is ambitious, sexually powerful, and does what it takes
to obtain her desires.
In Lady Macbeths sleepwalking scene, Thomas discusses the complications that Deas
portrays by not making her a sexualized object. In this scene, Lady Macbeth is in her robe, parted
down to the middle of the navel, exposing ample cleavage. Her hair is slightly undone from her
samurai bun and she seems upset and unaware that others are watching her. There are no candles,
mirrors, or fearful looks when the panel switches from facial shots to close-ups of her hands and
mouth. However, the scene with Lady Macbeth does not end here. Deas adds a scene where
Lady Macbeth jumps from the edge of a building and plummets to her death. Thomas toys with
the idea on whether she is supposed to be truly mad or just taking control of one thing that she
knew she could- her life. Deas portrayal allows Lady Macbeth to become a new world tragic
hero. According to Thomas, she is no less ruthless in this incarnation, but instead of being
reduced to an evil or deranged cipher, her power rises, explodes, and dies with her (98). Lady
Macbeth was able to straddle both sides of the gender divide in Deas Manga edition of Macbeth.
In 1988, Glenda Jackson took on the role of Lady Macbeth on Broadway. In an article
review posted by Louise Sweeney, Jackson is a fireball both on and off stage. Lady Macbeths
scene opens up in a cold, gray, stone castle. According to Sweeney, when Lady Macbeth
appears, she looks like a flame shooting up from the stage. From the tip of her wild, curly red
hair, to the hem of her fiery orange medieval gown. She is radiating heat and energy. Jackson
explains Lady Macbeth not as a simple evil incarnate, but as a human. She plays Lady Macbeth
in a way that shows that it is a human being who is committing evil acts, not some demonic,

Dotzel 9

devil figure. Sweeney also says that Jackson believes Lady Macbeth is driven more by love for
her husband than mad ambition. Jackson states that she is a woman, and he is a man, of major,
major passions. Shes absolutely, passionately committed to her husband. She thinks he would
make the greatest king Scotland had ever seen. Like Deas manga edition, Jackson shows that
Lady Macbeth can be an equal power to her husband and that maybe there is more to it than just
a desire for her own power. Lady Macbeth just knows how to use her passion to get what she
wants. Jackson swept across the stage in a jeweled medieval gown that ran on the red spectrum
from blood orange to crimson. Sweeney talked about how the play moves like a bullet, so it was
important that the imagery was included. The directors presented a space what was spare,
uncluttered, and focused so that where the actors were on it, the audience was about to let their
imagination run free. The New York Times also offered up a critique on this performance.
The New York Times article, written by Frank Rich, was less than impressed with the
performance. The first few paragraphs are filled with critique of the performance from directors,
to the stage set, to the performance of Macbeth himself. Rich also had a few things to say about
Lady Macbeth. He said that like Macbeths, her performance doesnt grow much beyond the first
impression, which he thought was not arresting. Rich explains that the actresss ability to
convey Lady Macbeths Machiavellian ambition and ferocious anger is beyond doubt. But were
distanced from her potentially riveting personality by the self-consciousness of the actresss
technique (2). The trembling hands while reading Macbeths letter, the calculated use of raised
arms and open palms in the unsex me here soliloquy, the carefully calibrated shifting of vocals
and the crouch to the floor in the sleepwalking scene were all too rehearsed and unnatural (Rich).
It is too much of a studied insanity than a spontaneous passion rising from within, in the opinion

Dotzel 10

of Rich. There is not enough focus on the raw reactions and emotions of Lady Macbeth, rather a
focus on what is coming next and the memorizing of actions and words.
Movie Analysis:
Throughout my research thus far on Lady Macbeths character and performance analysis,
I have found a similarity with the focuses of content. Most of the research I found puts a
spotlight on Lady Macbeths unsex me here speech and her sleepwalking scene. To keep
things consistent, I am going to focus on these two aspects of Lady Macbeths performance in
both of the movie versions that I watch. I wanted a wide survey of differences so I am watching a
BBC Shakespeare Animated version made in 1992 and a PBS filmed stage production from
2009. At first glance they appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum and I will focus on the
similarities and differences between their portrayals of Lady Macbeth.
BBCs 1992 version of Macbeth is animated and split into 3 ten minute segments. Being
this short, it only shows the main plot points that are necessary to keep the movie flowing.
Words arent simply taken out, but transformed into action and visual language. When we first
meet Lady Macbeth, receiving the letter from her husband, she does not speak. All of her lines
are in her head instead. She is seen wearing an orange dress that sits off of her shoulders. Her
hair is pulled back into fabric and she has a sinister look on her face while reading the letter from
Macbeth. I think that it is interesting that so many versions, whether it be movie or manga, show
her in a fiery orange color. It may be expected that she be in a red, to symbolize her sexuality or
blood, but orange adds a mysterious and powerful layer to her character. She is in a dark castle
and shadows cast over her face. When Macbeth arrives, she embraces him and keeps contact
with him while they speak. When we see her next, for the unsex me here speech, her hair is
down and wildly flowing. She is in a tight, gray dress that clearly shows the outline of her body.

Dotzel 11

The movie is sexualizing her and showing her womanly parts that she wants the spirits to take
away. The scene gets dark and creepy as she continues her speech. At the end, she rips her chest
open and two creatures poor out. One is a horse with red eyes and the other is a green dragon
with red eyes and sharp teeth. I think that these are there to represent the spirits that she is calling
upon to take her femininity. By making them animal-like creatures, they are showing the
barbaric side of Lady Macbeth and her actions. This scene reminded me of the manga version of
Macbeth. They both used dragons in this speech to represent power and a monstrous feel to Lady
Macbeth. I think that this movie version does a great job of showing the feminine side of her that
she wishes to get rid of. I think it also uses the demonic idea of spirits to remove these womanly
parts. The movie correlates heavily with previous performances of Lady Macbeth, besides the
fact that it is animated. However, I believe that the animated aspect gives an interesting
perspective to this version. Animation has an advantage over a stage performance in the way that
it can create a vivid atmosphere. Where a live performance cannot actually chop off characters
heads or have real blood, an animation can. The display of these animated scenes have so much
in them, disguised in symbols, colors, and movement.
In Lady Macbeths next large scene of the movie, she comes in as a shadow. At first you
can only see the outline of her unruly hair, moving like snakes. I liked this part of the scene
because it showed that she was completely letting go. Her hair was no longer restrained and
neatly kept. Then Lady Macbeth comes on the screen in a blue gown that is form fitting. She is
still being sexualized. Like the previous scene, she is not speaking her lines, but rather thinking
them. She is also alone, there is no doctor or attendant watching her. She stumbles around the
room, rubbing her hands vigorously. We are shown her hands and they have no blood on them,
showing that it is her own imagination. She is completely white and distressed throughout the

Dotzel 12

scene. For the remainder of the speech she falls back and forth on the stage and you can see that
she is not mentally all there. It follows much of the research that focuses on this scene. She is
shown in mentally fragile pieces and lost at the end of the movie. One thing that this version did
not seem to make a connection between, that the research did, was the witches and Lady
Macbeth.
The second filmed that I watched was a Broadway production in 2007 and 2008 before it
was filmed for television in 2009. Kate Fleetwood played the part of Lady Macbeth in this
version. It is modernized visually, but the language is still Shakespearean. War is depicted more
like it is today and soldiers are tended to by nurses in hospitals. The witches were wearing
nurses dresses and the headdress of a nun. They had a mask to cover their mouths. Interestingly,
they were not accommodated with any supernatural aspects. When Lady Macbeth appears on
screen for the first time, she is reading the letter from Macbeth. Throughout this scene, the
camera angle is set so that we are looking at Lady Macbeth through bars of a sliding door. I took
the bars as a symbol of how Lady Macbeth feels trapped in her body. She doesnt want the
womanly features that she has, however she cannot get rid of them. The lights in the room flicker
on and off and she is wearing a white dress with a low V-neck. She has dark, black hair that sits
on her shoulders and her face and voice are stern and serious. When she begins her unsex me
here speech, she starts to shake and her voice begins to rise. She stays planted in one place as
she recites her speech with passion. I thought she used emotion but I wanted to see more. I
wanted her to move around and be more aggressive. This version uses her sexuality to its
advantage. When Macbeth comes in, her dress is parted down the middle, exposing her cleavage
and her stomach. Macbeth carries her and sets her on the table while they kiss. She uses her
words and womanly body to manipulate Macbeth. This version does not desexualize her after the

Dotzel 13

unsex me here speech. She does not become manly, but sexual and powerful with her words. I
liked this decision because it shows that she can be strong and womanly at the same time. Her
actions are very effective and is very manipulative to Macbeth.
In her sleepwalking scene, she comes into a dark room with a flashlight. She is wearing a
slim, white, almost see-through night gown with a blue sweater over it. Her hair looks soaking
wet and she is pale as she stumbles onto the screen. She sets down her light and begins to scratch
and rub at her hands feverously. The doctor and attendant talk about what she is doing and
comment on her actions from prior nights. On the stage is a sink with two spickets and a bottle of
bleach. She opens the bottle of bleach and pours it onto her hands and cries hysterically,
screaming that the smell will not leave as she rubs her hands. You can hear the bleach burning
into her skin. She then calms herself, sobs softly and attempts to leave the room. However, when
she turns to leave, she turns on the water. Out of the spicket pours blood, to which she screams in
horror and runs out of the room. I loved everything about this scene. I think that they showed a
broken and battered Lady Macbeth. Her emotions were all over the page and you could see that
the guilt had finally got to her. I also really liked the added blood that came out of the sink. I
think that this added another poke at the guilt that Lady Macbeth is feeling. The props were
effective in emphasizing the emotion in this scene.
Both versions were very different and effective in their own ways. However, I thought
that the 2009 version was a better representation of Lady Macbeths personality and character.
While the first, animated version showed Lady Macbeth as almost demonic and monstrous, the
second version did not add these aspects to her speeches. Neither versions took advantage of the
resemblance between Lady Macbeth and the witches. The 1992 version had the witches heads
floating in and out and around the screen. They changed constantly from skeleton like, to mask

Dotzel 14

like, to witches faces. The second version used women in nun-clothing to depict the weird
sisters. Neither used clothing similarities to draw the witches and Lady Macbeth together.
However, both movies chose to emphasize the sexuality of Lady Macbeth. The first focused on
her clothing and body parts to represent her sexual side. Her outfits accentuated her curves and
womanly features. The second version focused on her body as well, but it also played close
attention to the way that Lady Macbeth used her sexuality to physically manipulate Macbeth. I
thought that it was interesting because only the modern version seemed to focus on props. The
scholarship on the manga, graphic novel and animated movie version didnt touch on props at
all. I think that the modern versions use of these in the sleepwalking scene added greatly to the
effect. For some, it could be hard to picture or imagine Lady Macbeth scrubbing her hands
violently, in a way that is believable. By adding a sink and bleach, it grounds this idea for the
viewer. In the end, both versions showed the downfall and demise of Lady Macbeth. They had
her delirious and crazy. The modern version allowed for more dramatization and emotion in the
sleepwalking scene than the 1992 version. I think that these movies had great, diverse qualities to
them. They both followed ideas that were explained and demonstrated in research and
productions of Macbeth.
Through a survey of research on scholarship, adaptations, and viewing movie
adaptations, I have made a lot of connections between Lady Macbeths character. Whether it was
an animation, a graphic novel, or a modern adaptation, the fundamental aspects of Lady
Macbeths character were the same. She has shown gender ambiguity, masculinity, witch-like
qualities, and her persuasiveness on Macbeth in all of these different modes. These adaptations
go across a survey of genres. While the movie versions focus on tragedy, the manga and
scholarship by Louise Sweeney points to a more heroic and dramatic interpretation where Lady

Dotzel 15

Macbeth is working with her husband, rather than against him. One thing is apparent in all
genres and versions, the sexuality of Lady Macbeth. She is always over sexualized. However,
even after 400 years, she is still being talked about and studied and will continue to be for years
and years to come.

Dotzel 16

Works Cited
Asp, Carolyn. Be Bloody, Bold and Resolute: Tragic Action and Sexual Stereotyping in
Macbeth. Studies in Philology: 78.2 (1981): 153-169. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
BBC Shakespeare Animated Tales Macbeth Part 1-3. Dir. Nikolai Serebryakov. Christmas
Films, 1992. Film.
Burnett, Mark. The Fiend-like Queen: Rewriting Lady Macbeth. Parergon: 11.1 (1993): 119. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Curry, Walter. The Demonic Metaphysics of Macbeth. Twelfth Century Interpretations.
Hawkes. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1977. 117-125. Print.
Macbeth. Dir. Rupert Goold. Perf. Kate Fleetwood. British Broadcasting Corporation and Public
Broadcasting Service, 2010. DVD.
McPherson, Heather. Masculinity, Femininity, and the Tragic Sublime: Reinventing Lady
Macbeth. Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture: 29 (2000): 299-333. Web. 19 Nov.
2014.
Rich, Frank. Review/ Theater; A Macbeth Starring Plummer and Jackson. The New York
Times. 22 April 1988. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.
Sweeney, Louise. Glenda Jackson. Theaters New Lady Macbeth is Fiery on Stage and off.
The Christian Science Monitor. 18 May 1988. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.
Thomas, Catherine. (Un)Sexing Lady Macbeth: Gender, Power, and Visual Rhetoric in her
Graphic Afterlives. Digital Facsimile: 31 (2012): 81-98. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.