Ophelia and Lady Macbeth are two female characters in Shakespeare’s
Four Tragedies. Despite their different personalities, “love” is a common theme
for them. They live under a patriarchal society, constantly oppressed, bound,
and to be mad. Ophelia’s madness manifested itself in singing with crying,
while Lady Macbeth whispered in sleepwalking. They are crazy, but sober. By
the means of madness, they bravely speak out, externalizing long-suppressed
emotions in the subconscious into consciousness in order to realize their selfworth.
This paper uses Freudian psychoanalysis to explore the psychology
of mad Ophelia and Lady Macbeth, and to speak up for women trapped in a
patriarchal society.