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7 Accommodating the virago: Nineteenth-century representations of Lady Macbeth
GEORGIANNA ZIEGLER
Lady Macbeth is a troubled character who continues to haunt our fin-de-siècle perceptions of women. The December 1994 issue of the British magazine Tatler featured a fashion spread entitled, “Dedicated follower… If looks could kill,” which proclaimed that “Richard Eyre’s moody production of Macbeth at the National this year pioneered a heroine whose singular ambition and wardrobe of velvet were absolutely in tune with the Nineties” (Phillips 1994:46–47). Three actresses, two former and one prospective Lady Macbeths, all slim and beautiful, modeled slinky red and black velvet evening dresses. The message conveyed by this advertisement is ambiguous and thus reflects the conflicted nature of contemporary society toward the position of women. On the one hand, they are still “dedicated followers” in a man’s world, still dressing to attract male attention, still killing with their looks. On the other hand, they are allowed their own ‘‘singular ambition”; women in the nineties are assertive and attractive, the advertisement reassures us. But that in turn depends on the position of the woman. If she is too near “the throne,” assertiveness can be seen as threatening. Take the case of America’s First Lady, Hillary Clinton, whose early attempts to direct part of her husband’s domestic agenda were met with surprisingly vehement opposition. In his London Times column of June 11, 1993 entitled, “Hillary Clinton Rejects Lady Macbeth Image,” Martin Fletcher writes:
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