Saturday, June 2, 2012

What is an example of misogyny, isolation, fate, omniscience in Macbeth or Frankenstein? Please define the terms as well.

Misogyny--hatred of women


Omniscience--the ability to know everything


Fate--predetermined outcome


Isolation--a walling off of one's self of a group from others in the world


I'm not sure there is evidence in either of these works for misogyny.  You might count the fact that in Frankenstein, it seems that every female character gets a raw deal--Caroline dies of plague, Justine is framed and hanged for something she didn't do, Elizabeth is ignored by Victor and murdered by the Creature.  However, considering that this novel is written by a woman, misogyny would be hard to prove.


Fate is evident in both the novel and the play since there are similar themes--playing God will only bring you trouble.  Macbeth tries to tempt fate by hurrying events along and murdering Duncan.  Victor attempts to play God by creating a human being which, after being abandoned, turns on him.  In both, the outcome is not pleasant.  Those who take faith out of the equation are destined to suffer horrible consequences.  Had Macbeth allowed Fate to "stir" his future for him, he might have been King without murdering Duncan and losing favor with his friends.  Had Victor allowed his father and professors to steer him away from the countles antiquated books he was studying, he may not have created the creature and suffeed so many losses.


Both Victor and Macbeth suffer from isolation.  Victor suffers moreso, I think, since his isolation at first is of his own doing.  He chooses to spend months at his unsavory experiments--visiting charnall houses and graveyards to collect his materials.  He does not go out into the world to enjoy nature, he does not sleep or eat well.  Later, his isolation is because he is trying to protect those he loves from the creature (so he says).  Macbeth is isolated due to his guilt for killing Duncan, and then because everyone recognizes him for what he is--an evil, ambitiious, killing machine who will cut down anyone in his way.


Omniscience?  I'm having a hard time finding evidence for this in either work, unless you want to include the witches in Macbeth.  They seem to have a handle on what the truth is, but they are bent on hiding that from Macbeth.  Otherwise, they don't get to observe his downfall.   Victor, while intelligent, never knows everything, although he is at a distinct advantage over others since he does know of the existence of the creature where other humans are oblivious to the superhuman being.

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