Role Reversal In Macbeth And The Yellow Wallpaper

There is a prevailing role reversal in both texts in that the submissive character becomes more powerful and rises above their formerly dominant spouse. Initially, in ‘Macbeth’, their personalities reflect the inverse of society’s standards while in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, the couple has conformed to society’s expectations. Although there is a reversal of this in both relationships, it has opposite effects. Since her separation with her husband, Lady Macbeth adopts his quiet, guilty nature. She asks many rhetorical questions which displays her uncertainty and fear. It could be argued that she is directing them at Macbeth and because of his absence, it can be inferred that the lack of communication contributed to her madness. She continues to paraphrase and repeat things she has said to Macbeth like …show more content…
Despite that it’s been a long time since Duncan’s murder; she can still smell the blood on her hands. Lady Macbeth also surrounds herself with light which is symbolic of hope and light, this can be juxtaposed to the start of the play when she longed for darkness – “come thick night”. From a Jacobean audience’s view, Lady Macbeth has broken down completely as sleepwalking indicates a troubled and disturbed mind. However, in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, the Narrator is liberated due to her role reversal. By the end of the novella, she completely identifies with the woman in the wallpaper. She perceives John as pathetic as he doesn’t understand her or the wallpaper. She has become empowered by the wallpaper and now sees him as inferior. The reader no longer hears from John which suggests his disempowerment since he has less of a voice in the narrative. While creating her “smooch” at the end of the play, her language and exclamatory statements indicates the role reversal in which she is patronising him. She claims that “he can’t put her back” meaning the change is permanent due to the use of categorical