…Macbeth represents ‘the (anti) hero’ he fears being seen as weak and his arrogance is a fatal flaw… …Lady Macbeth is ‘the rebel’, she desires power and will break rules, even crossing over to the dark, to achieve it... ...The Inspector takes on a 'father' role for Eva, as he protects her and attempts to keep her safe from the Birlings by keeping her photograph in his pocket and defending her …Mr Birling is also ‘the father’ as he is controlling, stern and powerful conflicts with Inspector- they compete for this role and it is a source of conflict ...Mr and Mrs Birling are the cruel 'villains' whose behaviour exploits and hurts others for their own benefit. ...Sheila as the 'regular girl' who the audience identifies with and accompanies her on her journey of enlightenment. …Gerald is aiming to be ‘the hero’ as he seeks to save Daisy Renton at first and also tries to rescue her. … The Inspector is ‘the rebel’ as he seeks to overturn the social order. …Hyde is the villain who gives into his dark side/ urges and is devoid of sympathy. ...Jekyll is ‘the creator’ as he seeks to experiment and to realise a vision through creativity. ...Jekyll gives into his dark side and embraces it to become Hyde …Hyde is Jekyll’s ‘shadow’ that is controlling him. …Utterson is ‘the sage’ as he truth and understanding.
Nietzsche Key ideas: Life is without objective meaning, purpose, or value. There is no God. This belief is called nihilism. In the absence of a God, superhumans (the ubermensch) who are willing to risk all to improve society will take his place. The ubermensch will be able to establish their own values as the way in which others live their lives. Key vocabulary atheism nihilism purpose recklessness ubermensch values ‘Macbeth’ ‘An Inspector Calls’ ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde In light of Nietzschean philosophy… …it might be argued that Macbeth’s fatalistic belief in fortune could reflect his own inner drives, he looks to the witches rather than praying to a God to help him, as does Lady Macbeth also. They both demonstrate nihilistic tendencies as they seek out the powers of the supernatural in order to disrupt the Great Chain of Being and revoke the ‘divine right of kings’… . ..Eric's nihilistic behaviour can be justified by the absence of god and therefore no moral guidelines for him to follow. Eric's adoption of this nihilism is a direct rejection of his father's expectations of him, and the oppressive rules of etiquette that prevailed in Edwardian society. ...The Inspector rails against this nihilism, and speaks using religious imagery to remind the Birlings of their moral obligations to the poor. …arguably, the inspector acts as an ubermensch in persuading the Birlings to take on elements of his own values regarding responsibility. …the inspector’s use of religious imagery is not used as a threat of hell, rather is a clear warning of the suffering and pain that is to come in WWI and WWII. ...Darwin’s theory of evolution had scared Victorian society. Hyde’s animalistic features clearly link to this theory. …Hyde is reckless and challenged society’s values at that time- he risks everything but for his own satisfaction rather than for the good of society. … Utterson show signs of being a superhuman by trying to solve the mystery of Jekyll and Hyde. …Jekyll attempts to become an ubermensch by risking all to change the way humans are constructed but he is unsuccessful. His repeated references to religion (especially ‘hell’ and ‘the devil’) are used as an excuse for his own failure.
Jacques Derrida Key ideas: Language is a system of signs; words only have meaning because of the contrast between these signs. In other words, a concept can only be understood in relation to its opposite e.g. man/woman, white/black. Within these binary opposites there is hierarchy with one being seen as more important. A deconstructive reading of a text will try to expose the way these oppositions work and undermine the binary notion of meaning. Key vocabulary binary pair commonality conflict contrast deconstruction hierarchy juxtaposition notion opposite ‘Macbeth An Inspector Calls Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde A deconstructive reading would highlight that… …Shakespeare presents Macbeth and Banquo as a binary pair in order to generate conflict. Their commonality is evident from the outset; both are promised a future linked to the royal line however Banquo opts to take a moral route whilst Macbeth demonstrates a distinct drive to elevate his hierarchical position… ...within An Inspector Calls we are offered a set of dichotomy with the young set against the old: Eric and Sheila embrace socialist beliefs, whereas their parents and Gerald retain their capitalist beliefs. In this way, Priestly could be suggesting to his audience that for some, change will be impossible, but that the young, will be able to change the world. …Priestley generates conflict through the binary opposition of capitalist and socialist views in the play. He uses the characters of Birling and the Inspector to display this conflict, as they struggle for power. …The inspector seeks to overthrow the established hierarchy, where capitalists have more power in society. ...Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act as a binary pair- they emphasise and amplify the different attitude embodied by each character. ...Dr. Jekyll conceals Mr. Hyde. This juxtaposition of the good Jekyll and the baleful appearance of Mr. Hyde emphasises the secret nature of society at that time and the duality of man. …The binary opposition of Jekyll/Hyde and Utterson is used by Stevenson to generate conflict. Though Utterson would seem to emerge victorious through surviving and finding out the truth, the fact that Hyde commits suicide could suggest that he ‘has the last word’ and has a higher place in the hierarchy.
John Locke Key ideas: Locke argued strongly against the idea that people were born sinful or that some people are innately evil. Instead, he suggested human beings are born with an ‘empty mind’ or tabula rasa which is then shaped by our experiences. He believed that the way children are brought up has a powerful impact on the adults they become. Key vocabulary immoral innate nature nurture tabula rasa upbringing ‘Macbeth’ ‘An Inspector Calls’ ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The philosopher John Locke theorised that nurture has a more significant influence on human behaviour that inherent nature. Therefore, it could be argued… …the fact that Macbeth has to be persuaded by his wife to commit Duncan’s murder suggests he was not inherently evil, his wife’s manipulation, challenging his masculinity and pride, served to push him towards committing an act he immediately regretted… ...Sheila and Eric's egotistical outlook can be directly attributed to their upbringing, and the role models their parents offered. However, when The Inspector provides them with an alternative, they are capable of change, and unlike their parents resolve to be better people. Therefore, they shed their old values, proving that their poor behaviour is not innate to them as people. ...when Dr. Jekyll gives his full account, he alludes to the seeds of his evil being sown at a young age; therefore, not being innate. He became annoyed by people perceiving him as ‘light hearted’. Jekyll decides to ‘conceal’ all of his ‘pleasures’. There are numerous references to his past actions and the consequences of these throughout the novel. …Jekyll speaks of evil a small part of man (hence Hyde’s size) and that there are many qualities that make man whole. It is the repression of Jekyll’s desire that leads to Hyde. Jekyll was thus not born sinful but shaped by his experiences. …Hyde is a product of Jekyll’s upbringing and the oppressive society around him- Jekyll was not born with these evil aspects.