ipl-logo

Examples Of Masculinity In Macbeth

543 Words3 Pages

Even back in Elizabethan times, men were expected to have certain characteristics, abilities and not feel certain emotions. All men, especially royalty, are expected to be risk takers, regardless of the outcome. In many places and situations even today, men are expected to be capable of certain actions, and suppressing and managing certain emotions such as fear and guilt. Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth”, demonstrates the idea that masculinity is linked to violence, aggression, courage and such traits, and attempting to prove this to others can lead to our downfall. Initially, Macbeth is a self righteous man, who is trusted by all, even Duncan, king of Scotland. He is a successful and loyal soldier, who is made Thane Of Cawdor by king Duncan, as a reward for service in battle. He is presented as a stereotypical and ideal hero who is loved for his personality and his …show more content…

Upon finding out, Lady Macbeth, wife of Macbeth, insists that Macbeth kills Duncan, making him king, fulfilling the third prophecy. Being “too full o’ the milk of human kindness”(1.5.16), and not wanting to take the shortest and easiest path to power, Macbeth refuses. Enraged, Lady Macbeth calls him a coward, and questions his masculinity, to the point where Macbeth feels he has the murder in order to prove himself and his masculinity. Lady Macbeth even at one point asks the spirits above to take away all her feminine qualities, making her manly, something Macbeth isn’t, and give her the ability to kill Duncan herself without guilt or fear. This shows how even women, especially royalty, had certain views that presented masculinity. Lady Macbeth believes that being kind, loyal and worried about the outcome of actions are all acts that are questionable in terms of one’s masculinity. She very cunningly uses masculinity to manipulate him and get her

Show More
Related
750 Words | 3 Pages

Susan Griffin once said, “Masculinity is a terrible problem, as we construct and shape it.” Men in today’s society cannot show emotion and cannot act the way they want for society has built up an expectation for men to follow. Society makes men its puppets and plays them the way it wants. Men often feel pressured because of highly set expectation of society and this is expressed in the article “Pain,” by Geoffrey Canada and the play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare. “Pain” is about a young football player who had injured himself while playing football, while Macbeth is about a man who lusts for power.

Read More
1300 Words | 6 Pages

In Macbeth and The Mask You Live In, the characteristics of masculinity begins with the questioning or threatening of their manhood, which then leads to successive violence, and lastly, the desperate behavior that occurs when ashamed. In Macbeth, and The Mask You Live In, Shakespeare investigates the connection between a man’s questioning and

Read More
1162 Words | 5 Pages

People often have an opinion of how a man should be or act, they have a perceived image of what is to be a man. These themes of masculinity are present within Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Macbeth and Holden Caulfield, both struggle with their masculinity and “being a man”.

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

In the play Macbeth, by Shakespeare, Shakespeare criticizes the violence and cruelty that is present in masculinity even though masculinity was seen as a strong and respected trait in men. In the beginning of Macbeth Shakespeare views masculinity as a trait of a warrior and a protector. This is shown during the war between Scotland, the Norwegian King, and Scottish rebels. A servant brings a report to Duncan and tells him that they (Scotland) are winning the war and Macbeth is a big part of their success.

Read More
568 Words | 3 Pages

This all stems from his manipulative temptress of a wife - lady macbeth. Lady macbeth can be seen as a hyper masculine character who puts her own needs above anyone else's. The masculinity in Lady Macbeth derives from her not only coming up with the idea to kill the king but also just how willing she is to plot the small details. “you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe topful / Of direst cruelty”.

Read More
415 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have different definitions of masculinity. Macbeth sees masculinity as bravery, having control, doing the right thing and having good morals. At the beginning of the story Macbeth has all of these traits, leading him to believe that he is a good and masculine man. Lady Macbeth thinks otherwise. She sees masculinity as boldness, rage, power, and lack of remorse or guilt.

Read More
1015 Words | 5 Pages

If you cry, you are weak. If you start to tease the child, you teach yourself that it is all right to devalue others. These are the problems that create stereotypes of masculinity and this can be shown in the play Macbeth and today. In Macbeth, William Shakespeare suggests that even though men and society have progressed in one's idea of a man during the 1600’s, society has not really progressed because society's modern stereotypes of masculinity as it relates to violence, emotions, and attitudes towards women. Shakespeare suggests that society has progressed and regressed based on one's stereotypes of masculinity relating to violence.

Read More
740 Words | 3 Pages

Men are supposed to be brave and courageous- they reside in “the male realm of power and politics with, in the eyes of the true-blooded men to whom that world properly belongs ” (Long [54]-64). Similarly, women are shown to be a weakness throughout the play. Lady Macbeth herself even calls upon the spirits to “unsex me here”, to remove her feminine qualities so that she may be filled with the cruelty of man (1.5.40). The characters that ultimately survive until the end are shown as being removed from women in some shape or form, as Michael Long states, “The young saviour, Malcolm, is not only a man but a man ‘yet/Unknown to woman’; the avenging warrior, Macduff, is not only a man but a man not ‘of woman born’” (Long [54]-64).

Read More
638 Words | 3 Pages

When Macbeth initially confides in his wife, Lady Macbeth, about his thoughts of murdering King Duncan, she calls upon the aid of “spirits that tend on mortal thoughts” to “unsex [her]” so she may be filled with “direst cruelty” to prepare for the crime (Shakespeare 1.5.47-50). Lady Macbeth’s desire to have her gender taken away from her suggests that she believes her femininity is a weakness that prevents her from involving herself in murder and that she must become more masculine in order to become strong enough to do it. Later, on the night before Macbeth and Lady Macbeth put their plan to murder King Duncan into action, Macbeth’s good sense begins to return and he begins to have second thoughts about killing the kind ruler. However, Lady Macbeth chastises him, asking “what beast” had the courage to “break this enterprise to [her]”, and that “to be more than what you were” would make him “so much more the man” (Shakespeare 1.7.53-55, 57-58). Macbeth is successfully provoked into proceeding with the plan by having his pride and masculinity attacked.

Read More
1514 Words | 7 Pages

This study will focus on the way in which Shakespeare crafts his play and uses dramatic devices in his portrayal of Lady Macbeth in order to confront the gender stereotypes of the time, femininity and the natural order of society. During the early 17th century there was a substantial fear that if women were liberated from their domestic, maternal roles, the historically patriarchal society would unravel. With prevailing challenges of gender such as “When you durst do it, then you were a man” Shakespeare uses the character of Lady Macbeth to transgress the natural limits concomitant with her sex. In order to be able to answer the research question, it is vital to concretely establish the contemporary gender roles and the context of the play.

Read More
1372 Words | 6 Pages

Through the course of ‘Macbeth’, masculinity is presented as a driving force to Macbeth’s crimes, making it a vital theme. In this essay, focus will be on masculinity’s presentation through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In the beginning, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as “valiant”: a prized masculine quality and the key to respect in their society. However, this trait becomes warped along the play. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth has power comparable to man’s

Read More
808 Words | 4 Pages

He tells Lady Macbeth that he won’t do it, and she manages to manipulate him by holding the concept of masculinity over his head. Macbeth is unsure still, but goes through with it. Macbeth seems to be the most human and the most sensitive when his wife is questioning his manliness. After the murder, however, an abrupt change occurs within Macbeth. Proving his masculinity, his ego towers over his wife’s, not afraid to kill.

Read More
434 Words | 2 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, the protagonist desperately tries to live up to the image of a man that his society portrays. The search for his manhood leads him to violent acts that inevitably get him killed. In this tragedy, male and female roles are constantly discussed and defined. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth equate masculinity to violence and aggression. They both believe that in order to be a real man, then a man must perform violent acts when necessary.

Read More
1040 Words | 5 Pages

“A female mind threatens Lady Macbeth wanting the power more than Macbeth did. The killings overtook Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, it leads both of them into allusions through the story. Masculinity is the possession of the qualities traditionally associated with men. Lady Macbeth constantly questions Macbeth’s manhood through the story. The witches gave Macbeth many prophecies, such as “none of woman born/

Read More
1959 Words | 8 Pages

“Come, you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts,/unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/ Of dire cruelty” (1.5.41-44). Lady Macbeth is the personification of male dominance, ruthlessness and violence. She hopes that she could take control of all action. She yearns to be a man and her implication is that she is more masculine than Macbeth. Her drive and violent nature is more akin to men and their masculinity.

Read More

More about Examples Of Masculinity In Macbeth

Open Document