An Bataillean Analysis of Lady Macbeth's Dynamics of Power, Desire and Death

Abstract

In Macbeth, as one of the most crucial Shakespearean women characters, Lady Macbeth incarnates a dramatic personality heatedly controversial for her desire and pursuit of power. She is often regarded as a representative of the absolute evil force, the whistle blower of the devil, and the "pillow talk" to instigate Macbeth's killing villainies. From the perspective of a female subject, this essay integrates French philosopher Bataille's philosophical arguments on death, desire, violence and sovereignty as a unifying theoretical framework, against which, her course of life that evolves from a desire for material power to inner conflicts and to the terminus of death is inspected with an aim to illuminate her hidden motives and explore the dynamic escalation of her power and desire. By so doing, this essay seeks to frame up a new means of interpretation to address William Shakespeare's classic characterizations.