Lady Macbeth as a Blueprint for Scarlett O’hara and Amy Dunne

Abstract

The paper deals with the research of connection between the female characters in the works of literature that were created in different time periods. First of all, it deals with the significance of William Shakespeare’s character Lady Macbeth that served as a blueprint for the creation of female characters whose po­wer stems from intelligence, manipulation, and a willingness to transgress moral and gender norms. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the role and significance of the character of Lady Ma­cbeth in creation of complex and ambitious female characters such as Scarlett O’Hara (Gone with the Wind) and Amy Dunne (Gone Girl). After analysing William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Margaret Mitchell’s novel Gone with the Wind and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, using the comparative and analytical-interpretati­ve method, it is concluded that Scarlett O’Hara and Amy Dunne embody ambition, manipulation, and psychological complexity characteristic of Lady Macbeth, emerging as modern iterations of the same archetype that refuse to conform to limitations of any kind. In this paper, special attention is devoted to emphasi­zing the importance of the female characters who defy societal expectations and refuse to play by the rules and who disturb and fascinate audiences/readers in equal measures.