Eve and Margo as Victims Anonymous 12th Grade

Mankiewicz’s All About Eve uses the theatre as a medium in which the female protagonists, Eve and Margo, are victimized at the hands of varying internal and external factors. The film clearly portrays Margo as a casualty of lies and scheming, as she is swindled and exploited by Eve’s guise of meekness. Moreover, the female leads are forced into a helpless and passive role at the mercy of the male gaze, which is personified by figures such as Bill Sampson and Addison DeWitt. The power dynamic between males and females is typified in this film as it suggests there is an underlying patriarchal expectation that women should fulfil traditional roles as housewives, rather than pursuing another career. In light of these expectations, the protagonists fall victim to the theatre, which forces Margo to sacrifice her life for her career, and also fuels Eve’s ploys to seduce in order to establish herself in this cutthroat industry. Finally, Mankiewicz challenges the viewers to see Eve as a victim, first as a woman and an actress, but more so, that she is a victim of herself and her unrelenting ambition, as it ultimately leads to her downfall.

Margo, who takes Eve under her wing out of sympathy, is betrayed by the ingénue, whose scheming...