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Elizabethan Gender Roles In Macbeth

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Macbeth, seamlessly explores themes that reflect the concerns and values of both the Elizabethan and Jacobean Era, in the play written by Shakespeare. Within the play, two prominent themes emerge, ambition without morality and the subversion of gender roles. During the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras societal values were grounded and remained traditional however, Shakespare rebelled against these norms and challenged them in the play Macbeth. He does this through delving into the consequences from the power of unrestrained ambition, as characters such including the Macbeths who seek insatiable power. By examining these themes, Macbeth serves as a mirror reflecting the cultural, social, and political contexts of both the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras.

Continuously aiming at the concerns of his audience, Shakespeare subverts …show more content…

Of the many quotes one of which is said by Lady Macbeth, “Come you spirits”. That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here”, it proficiently challenges the values of its time.Through the use of imperative language, Lady Macbeth rejects traditional normality, requesting to be stripped from her womanhood and be imbued with a ruthless nature. Lady Macbeth provokes femininity and sways away from any weakness associated with being a female by freeing herself from principals of the Elizabethan era and calling upon action from supernatural forces to unsex her. Other techniques which can be seen in this quote include repetition from the recurring use of the word “come” emphasising her urgency and

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