Bad Girls: Katherine Minola and Lady Macbeth
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Authors
Brown, Debra W.
Issue Date
2006
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to uncover the layers of character and motivation inherent in William Shakespeare’s “bad women,” particularly Katherine Minola of The Taming of the Shrew, and Lady Macbeth of Macbeth. Strength of character and ambition make these two women examples of Shakespeare’s unforgettable mean girls. Kate’s humor and jealousy create her frustrated, angry ego best suited to a comedy; whereas Lady Macbeth’s crippling ambition for her husband, and, consequently, for herself generate the energy for a tragedy. In addition to the psychological interest in such character studies, the times in which Katherine and Lady Macbeth purportedly lived played a role in their actions and reactions as women, thus necessitating a feminist analysis of their characters. What is overwhelmingly evident is that Shakespeare drew characters that seemed to live, whose motivations could have belonged to anyone over time. That human universality is what makes his work continue to engage audiences.