Characters are shaped by their cultural context. To what extent
would you agree with this statement, with reference to the texts you have
studied?
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| Macbeth: Feudalism |
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| The Road: Dystopian |
The
society of a time indubitably dictates the personality that its inhabitants are
expected to conform to; their behavior, their morality – even their appearance.
The three texts I have studied – Children of Men (COM), Macbeth and The Road – each
portrays a different facet of this idea, showing the effects of this influence
on the characters existing within these diverse cultures. The Road depicts the
world as it would be when all remnants of society have fallen apart. The
cultural context of the Father and son forces them to lose some traits of
humanity is central to their survival within their dystopia. The nightmare that
is their reality leaves them no choice but to conform to the
“Barren.Silent.Godless.” world, at least to an extent, if they have any hope of
surviving. This idea recurs in (COM). - a culture on the brink of extinction,
where the desperation pervading the world”since women stopped being able to
have babies” is the driving force behind Theo’s and Kee’s mission. For them, it
is the last chance to survive, and often it is the recklessness spurred on by
this desperation that keeps them alive. Macbeth, while devoid of the anonymity
created by the seeming irrelevance of existence in The Road, or the desperation
to extend the lifespan of humanity in (COM), provides an extreme towards the other end
of the spectrum. Macbeth’s tragic ambition is undoubtedly nurtured by his cultural
context. Within it, it is the lack of anonymity that creates the pressure to
”dare do all that may become a man”, and the ambitiousness to climb to the top
of the feudalistic ladder, to prove his worth. This helps shape Macbeth into the man that
persists until his tragic end. These three texts show the profound effect societal structures, or lack there of, can have on a character both in terms of their actions and their
personalities.
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| Children of Men: Dystopian |
