Two scenes that demonstrate Shakespeare could write complex Female characters

There is a lot that is misunderstood when it comes to the way in which Shakespeare wrote female characters, these scenes show a depth and range that proves his detractors wrong. Whilst is undoubtedly more known for his portrayals of complex male figures of power, Shakespeare often built these words around the women who surrounded them, and the complex social dynamics that were the source of much consternation and trouble for them. These female characters were also often more subtle, more nuanced than the men that overshadowed them, as these scenes show.

Macbeth Act 5, Scene 1

This scene most famous for the line “out damned spot” is perhaps not only one of Shakespeare’s most iconic moments, but one of the most iconic moments for any female character on stage or script. Demonstrating the layers of guilt, hubris, and conscience, and helping to position her as something of a morally ambiguous figure. At fault for assisting her husband, but equally still a victim of his hubris and ruthless ambition.

Hamlet-Act 4, Scene 5

Arguably one of the definitive portrayals of female madness and depression, Ophelia has become an often revisited and reinterpreted figure throughout art, literature, and music. Unlike so many other more fraught portrayals, this is not a matter of a woman driven insane by love or capriciousness but by grief and despair., something far more immutable and intangible.

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