ipl-logo

Examples Of Societal Pressure In Macbeth

993 Words4 Pages

Societal Pressures and how it affects people
“Few people can resist doing what is universally expected of them. This invisible pressure is more difficult to stand against than individual tyranny.” ~ Charles Dudley Warner. The most dangerous hidden aspects of society; the invisible pressure that everyone faces as a result of others, and the consequences if they deviate from the normal. William Shakespeare, the man who is regarded as the greatest English writer of all time, showcases and highlights in his play Macbeth the way societal pressures are represented through the general view on masculinity, femininity and how gender roles influence the decisions of Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. Societal pressures cause people to make decisions …show more content…

In Act II Scene II, when Macbeth kills King Duncan, it is to fulfil his duty as a man by pursuing his ambition. However, by killing the king, he has set the precedent that any ambitious man who wishes to become king and can attain that role by killing the current king, must do so otherwise they are not a man. This dangerous paradigm set by Macbeth ties in to much of his paranoia and is the reason for his tyranny; he is afraid other people will kill him to go after the crown so he acts ruthless and stomps out any possible conflicts before they even have a chance to happen. Furthermore, In Act I Scene VII, Macbeth says "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on th' other." (Line XXV) This highlights Macbeth’s ambition to become king as a consequence of the societal views on what it means to be a man and to be masculine; in order to be a real man, at times, they must commit violent acts to satiate their …show more content…

By following the “duty” of his gender role society set for him, he commits atrocious acts (murder) and slowly falls to insanity as he is consumed by the paranoia of being killed for his crown. Macbeth shows the reason for his actions was because his pride and his masculinity were worth more than his conscience; to Macbeth, death is better than sacrificing his pride. Since how masculinity is defined and his role as a man is chosen by society, Macbeth's actions are merely an unfortunate result of the expectations society set for him. Given Macbeth’s situation, any man who viewed their honour and masculinity as first priority would have done the same; to them, letting go of their masculinity is akin to

Show More
Related

Comparing Masculinity In Pain By Geoffrey Canada And Macbeth By William Shakespeare

750 Words | 3 Pages

Even though Macbeth sees his best friend’s ghost, he tries to hold in the emotions he is feeling during that situation to prove Lady Macbeth that he is masculine. He is forced to act a different way with his wife and his peers, for he needs to maintain the image of him being masculine. Therefore, Macbeth and Canada have to act a different way around their peers for their actions reflects how masculine they are in society’s

Read More

The Responsibility Of Duncan's Ambition In Macbeth

443 Words | 2 Pages

Having a strong desire to rule, Macbeth is extremely ambitious. His ambition outweighs any other quality, making it undesirable. Nothing would stand in the way of Macbeth’s success once he set his mind towards something. Macbeth doesn’t have any reason why should kill King Duncan. As he is talking with himself trying to get one, the only reason to go through with the plan is because of his ambition getting in the way.

Read More

Examples Of Masculinity In Macbeth

662 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a play concerning the desire for power and the developing insanity that follows. Often Lady Macbeth rejects any raw emotion from Macbeth including reactions that were tied to femininity. Lady Macbeth abuses her power over Macbeth to manipulate him by challenging his masculinity. Any signs of sensitivity or remorse were cast aside and were regenerated with deranged reactions because that was more socially acceptable. The toxic masculinity strongly enforced by social standards and more so by Lady Macbeth results in Macbeth acquiring some demented characteristics.

Read More

Examples Of Power In Macbeth

564 Words | 3 Pages

In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth labels Macbeth a coward and makes fun of his manhood by claiming he is too kind to do the job. After Macbeth objects, Lady Macbeth exclaims “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (I.vii.49-51). Using these words, Lady Macbeth brings out the competitive and sexist nature in Macbeth. Macbeth refuses to be underestimated and appear weak in front of others. Furthermore, Macbeth’s initial objection suggests his free will.

Read More

Examples Of Masculinity In Macbeth

1305 Words | 6 Pages

Masculinity as Portrayed by Shakespeare in Macbeth Macbeth, one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays, based on true events in Scottish history, describes the descent into tyranny through which the title character, Macbeth, goes. Throughout this play, Shakespeare promotes the strict gender roles of his society, using the motif of masculinity. By doing so, he implies that to conform to the standards that have always been in place, is far more beneficial than to question these standards in order to support change. Shakespeare depicts Lady Macbeth’s divergence from femininity and strong ambition in a negative light by using metaphors and connotations. She is often assuming traditionally masculine traits, like ambition, to advance in society

Read More

Examples Of Masculinity In Macbeth

1394 Words | 6 Pages

In society, the presence of toxic masculinity is apparent, regardless of the efforts to reverse it. This idea of masculinity is embedded in society and can be traced back centuries. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the idea of toxic masculinity is prevalent in the roles of both female and male characters. Written in a time with extremely traditional societal standards, Macbeth demonstrates viewpoints of women belonging as submissive and quiet housewives and that men must be strong, assertive, and aggressive. With these societal standards of women, it becomes expected for women to be caring, passive, and obedient.

Read More

The Role Of Femininity In Macbeth And Lord Of The Flies

917 Words | 4 Pages

The traditional portrayal of manhood is often validated by a man's willingness to commit atrocities to assert dominance. With the witches' destined prophecies, Macbeth knew he would have to commit treason for him to become king. When Macbeth begins to doubt his ability to take action, Lady Macbeth outrageously belittles his masculinity: “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (Shakespeare 1.7.49). She knew her action would influence Macbeth to prove himself as a man, that he could accomplish such acts without being seemingly weak. To protect his pride in being a courageous man, Macbeth had no choice but to prove others wrong so that he can feel superior to others.

Read More

Gender And Gender Stereotypes In Shakespeare's Macbeth

1514 Words | 7 Pages

Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, focuses on the tumultuous events that surround a regicide. Despite being the shortest of Shakespeare’s plays, in his critical study of the play A. C. Bradley concludes that due to its vehement nature the audience is left with an impression “not of brevity but of speed” . The principal female character of Lady Macbeth is arguably one of his most contentious. Consumed with intense passion, ambition and greed she challenges the subservient role of the traditional Elizabethan woman. She has disturbed, horrified and intrigued both contemporary and modern audiences alike through her powerful diction.

Read More

Masculinity In Macbeth

834 Words | 4 Pages

In the beginning Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth was a ruthless and masculine woman. She showed the audience that, mentally and emotionally, she was stronger than Macbeth. Although as the story started to continue the audience began to see that she was becoming mentally insane. Throughout the story there was also evidence of shakespeare showing the more masculinity you had the more cuel you became.

Read More

Robert Kimbrough's Macbeth: The Prisoner Of Gender

1152 Words | 5 Pages

In “Macbeth: The Prisoner of Gender,” Robert Kimbrough explores the topic of manliness in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. Kimbrough begins by examining how masculinity and femininity came about in the first place, stating that the origin can best come from the “Judeo-Christian version of God the Creator” (179). The differences between males and females created a hierarchy in Shakespeare’s time, where males were on the top and females were on the bottom. Kimbrough states that the differences betweens the two genders are “matters of the mind,” and believes “Shakespeare sensed that so long as one remains exclusively female or exclusively male, that person will be ... denied human growth" (179). These “matters of the mind” are what Shakespeare tackles

Read More

Masculinity In Macbeth Essay

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

External Forces In Macbeth

967 Words | 4 Pages

Lady Macbeth uses the tactic of belittling him about his manhood. Implying that he is not a man unless he does what she asks. She offers him to ease the burden of this crime. Not only does Lady Macbeth and the witches have an impact on Macbeth, he also is the last one to accept his poor choices he will make to lead him to the failure he

Read More

Role Of Masculinity In Macbeth

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

Hunger For Power In Macbeth

760 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth’s impatience for power leads to drastic actions. He murders the king in the belief that “this blow might be the be-all and end-all” (1.7.5). This assassination could never “trammel up the consequence” (1.7.2-3), as Macbeth believes, but only leads to more trouble. Although Macbeth seizes the throne, Macbeth had to betray his loyalty to the king whose “virtues will plead like angels” (1.7.18-19), and his morality has paid the price. Macbeth has now lost all sense of what honor is by using such dishonest ways to become king.

Read More

Internal And External Forces In Macbeth

1241 Words | 5 Pages

“If good, why do I yield to that suggestion[killing Duncan]/Whose horrid image doth unify my hair” (I, III, 144-145). This quote indicates that the force of ambition is so strong within Macbeth that even he himself cannot understand why it is making him think of killing Duncan. Likewise, Macbeth’s ambition to become king is further emphasized after Duncan names his son Malcolm as his successor. Here, Macbeth says that he will have to “oerleap,/For in my way it [Malcolm] it lies” (I, III, 55-57).

Read More

More about Examples Of Societal Pressure In Macbeth

Related Topics

Open Document