Mary, Eve, and Lilith in Shakespeares King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth

Mary, Eve, and Lilith in King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth Feminist criticism often searchs the emblematical or archetypal use of the Biblical figures of Mary and Eve in literary criticism. One figure which seems appropriate to such discussions, but so outlying(prenominal) neglected it seems, is the figure of Lilith. Indeed, in the case of Shakespearean criticism, Lilith seems an appropriate model at times for such characters as Goneril, Regan, Lady Macbeth, and so forth. Accordingly, it is my intention to explore this lost archetype and relate it to three of Shakespeares tragedies King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth. To begin, Lilith is an enigma in many circles, with varying tales and legends ascribed to her. In certain aspects of Jewish folklore, Lilith is believed to have been the original married woman of Adam who was exiled from Eden and replaced with the better known Eve because she refused to submit to Adams male authority (Grolier Lilith). According to one version, she sl ept with Adam after the Fall and birthed evil liquor and also supposedly the devil and birthed the jinn (Arabic demons of legend, sometimes ascribed as being genies). Later in legend, she became identified as a succubus who caused nocturnal emissions associated with wet dreams in men and the birth of witches and demons called lilim. Charms were created to protect from her influence and she was believed to have stolen and slain children (Grolier Lilith). She is mentioned in the Talmud in several places. Among these references include Rabbi Jerimia ben Eleazar further stated In those years, after his forcing out from the Garden of Eden, in which Adam...,was under the ban, he begot ghosts and male demons and fema... ... Rev. ed. Baltimore Penguin, 1969. 1021-1057. Smith, Jeffrey. Lilit, Malkah ha-Shadia. Babalon-1. Online. Internet. 25 Apr. 1996. Available hide http//lark.cc.ukans.edu/rrosen/lilith/lilit.html Link no longer active The Story of Lilith. Alphabet of Ben Sira 2 3A-B. Ed. Michael Abrahams. Online. Internet. 25 Apr. 1996. Available Address http//www.ed.ac.uk/p92002/lilith.html Link no longer active Vanita, Ruth. Proper men and fallen women the unprotectedness of wives in Othello. Studies in side of meat Literature, 1500-1900 Spring 1994 341-356. InfoTrac EF Expanded Academic ASAP 1993-April 1996. CD-ROM. Information Access. April 1996. Zender, Karl F. The humiliation of Iago. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 Spring 1994 323-339. InfoTrac EF Expanded Academic ASAP 1993-April 1996. CD-ROM. Information Access. April 1996.