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Conformity In Macbeth

548 Words3 Pages

John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth president of the United States of America, had to make many difficult decisions regarding nuclear tests and the quickly spreading communism that had taken route after World War II. It is inevitable that citizens did not always completely agree with Kennedy’s choices, but he understood that he could not conform with society’s wishes all the time because “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth” (John F. Kennedy). It is natural for people to mold to society’s demands and superficially meet the standards set by society. The pressure that society puts on people often engenders internal struggles to decide whether or not to conform with society or break the mold. In the play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, Macbeth changes throughout the play. Initially he portrays the socially accepted image of a man, but turns out to be a extremely power-hungry. The battle between conforming to society and being yourself is a very tough battle especially for Macbeth when he shows that he isn’t even as manly as his wife through not having a strong …show more content…

When the witches tell Macbeth their prophecy about him, he becomes greedy for those positions and their power. He agrees with Lady Macbeth saying that a “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” (Shakespeare I. VII. 45) After King Duncan is murdered, the two act like they are in shock when the King is discovered to be murdered. Macbeth goes along with cruel plans to get his long awaited power. He hides his true identity when Lady Macbeth and him talk about killing King Duncan. Macbeth is keeping up with the deception of King Duncan and getting himself to hide the truth of himself from the King. The society we live in doesn’t encourage what Macbeth’s true intentions

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In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare blurs the line between the typical masculine and feminine roles of the time period in which it was written. Early on in the play, Macbeth shows resistance to Lady Macbeth’s murderous intentions. He demonstrates characteristics that were more true to women of the time period, appearing guilty and weak in comparison to Lady Macbeth. She shows dominance and power, which is what the reader would typically associate with a man of the time period. As the story goes on these characters essentially swap places.

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