DigitalCommons@Linfield

Medea and Lady Macbeth: Control in Madness and Strength

Jereld R. Nicholson Library

Ideals on women are constantly fluctuating throughout society, theatre and literature. In classical time periods, women were often expected to be meek and powerless. Two salient exceptions to this rule are Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth and Euripedes’ Medea. This paper applies feminist ideals and a psychological perspective to examine how these two women are presented as frighteningly mad in their strength. In defining herself purely through the love of her husband, Medea harnesses her madness when he scorns her, thus regaining control over herself through the violence that ensues from her psychopathy. Lady Macbeth defines herself as the power behind her husband. She attempts to take too much control over her husband, and thus feels responsible for the horrendous acts of violence he commits. The insanity that ensues causes her to lose control of herself in a final act of suicidal violence. By defining themselves through their husbands and the balances of control within those relationships, severe power shifts occur. These power shifts prove to be injurious in the violence that accompanies them. Because of this, Medea and Lady Macbeth typify how harmful it is to define oneself through one’s relationships with others.