Examples Of Masculinity In Macbeth

My poem, Mournful Macbeth, tackles the topic of toxic masculinity that exists in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Macbeth’s ferocious masculinity is such an integral part of his character that the very mention of its lacking sends him spiralling, as shown through the five stages of grief Macbeth confronts in Mournful Macbeth. It focuses explicitly on Macbeth’s inner turmoil following Lady Macbeth’s questioning of his masculinity when she asks, “Are you a man?” (Macbeth 3.4.70). I chose lyric poetry because it provided an opportunity to explore the emotions of Macbeth in a deeply personal way. The iambic pentameter metre advances the personality by heeding Shakespeare's— and thus Macbeth’s— metre and obeying a regular speaking pattern that helps the

He taps into the sexism so often prominent within toxic masculinity as he unleashes his anger and frustration with his remorse, and thus futility, at Lady Macbeth. The phrase “lily-livered”, meaning weak and cowardly, was one commonly used during Shakespeare’s era, so I used it to help my writing emulate what a realistic depiction of Macbeth’s thoughts would be. By calling the notoriously ruthless Lady Macbeth a coward, it is clear that Macbeth is simply projecting his own insecurities onto her in a way that is so typically toxically masculine. This sexism is furthered by the use of the word “wretched”, which stems from the word “wretch”. This word, while defined to apply to either sex, is traditionally used to refer to a worthless female. Macbeth’s threatening of Lady Macbeth’s life just for her validation of his masculinity is yet another example of toxic masculinity as a theme of the poem. He seems to ridicule her with the word “dismal” as he insinuates her inattentiveness and stupidity by not recognising his savageness when he says, “Must she be next on my chopping block,/ For my brute in her dismal head to clock?”

This stage comes once Macbeth realises he cannot escape his humane nature, shrouding him with a cloak of helplessness and shame. He looks down upon himself with an air of disgust following his description of his soul when using the word “piteous” (26). Macbeth starts to notice the differences between him and his cruel wife and recognises that these differences “push [them] further apart” (28). This stanza focuses more on imagery and inciting emotions within the reader because, unlike denial, anger, and bargaining, depression is not an emotion that can be expressed through words alone. It describes the physical pain and “tender[ness]” that follows such a state of mind (23). Macbeth’s self-loathing and powerlessness are abundantly clear in this stanza through the weak language and pathetic