Agency

A character’s ability to make choices and act on them, rather than simply being controlled by others.

The ability to make choices and influence events, rather than simply being controlled by others.

When Duncan's murder is discovered in Act 2 Scene 3, Macduff addresses Lady Macbeth as “O gentle lady,” and assumes that hearing the news would be unbearable for a woman. This creates dramatic irony: the audience knows that she helped organise the murder. His protective response reveals how conventional expectations can conceal a woman's agency.

A character’s capacity to make choices and act, rather than merely being controlled by others.

A character's capacity to make choices and influence events rather than simply being controlled by others.

The ability to make choices and act on them, even within limits imposed by other people.

The ability to make choices and act independently.

The capacity to make choices and act independently. Estella’s decisions raise questions about how far upbringing restricts personal freedom.

A character’s ability to make choices and act, rather than only having events imposed upon them.

The ability to make independent decisions and act on them.

The power to make choices and influence what happens in one’s life.

The ability to make and act on one’s own choices. Jane seeks this within marriage, not only outside it.

The capacity to make choices and act for oneself rather than being controlled by another person.

The capacity to make choices and act independently, rather than being entirely controlled by others.

A character’s ability to make choices and act according to their own wishes.

The ability to make choices and act independently, even when social expectations or other people limit that freedom.

The ability to make choices and act independently, even when circumstances limit the available options.

The workers wanted their average weekly pay raised from twenty-two shillings and sixpence to twenty-five shillings. She was one of the strike’s leaders. Her willingness to speak up shows agency: she attempts to improve her circumstances rather than simply accept them.

The ability to make independent choices and act on them, even when circumstances limit those choices.

The ability to make meaningful choices and act on them, rather than simply being controlled by others.

The ability to make choices and act for oneself rather than being controlled by others.

The ability to make choices and act on them, even when circumstances restrict those choices.

A character’s ability to make choices and act, rather than simply having decisions imposed on them.

In a love-poetry tradition often centred on a male speaker praising a woman, Juliet’s answering voice gives her agency.

The ability to make choices and act independently. Desdemona exercises agency in choosing her husband, but increasingly loses the power to influence what happens to her.

The ability to make choices and act independently, rather than merely being controlled by others.

The ability to make choices and act on them, rather than merely being controlled by others.

The ability to make choices and act independently rather than simply being controlled by others.

The ability to make decisions and act rather than simply being controlled by other people or events.

A person's ability to make choices and act on them rather than simply follow others' wishes.

The ability to make and act on one’s own choices. Jane seeks a marriage that preserves her agency rather than giving a husband complete control over her.

Definition

How each exam board covers it

AQA GCSE English Literature · 8702

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Edexcel GCSE English Literature · 1ET0

OCR GCSE English Literature · J352

Eduqas GCSE English Literature · C720