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.
Gender roles have impacted the lives of men and women for centuries. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth attempt to defy societal expectations, but eventually they both succumb to the traditional gender roles assigned to them. The witches are the only ones who never conform to societal standards and are free to act without consequences. Although Shakespeare initially questions the traditional gender roles of his time, it is evident that only the witches, who are gender neutral, are truly free to ignore societal expectations, as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's attempt to do so leads to their ultimate demise.
In the Beginning, over 400 years ago, William Shakespeare the Greatest writer in the English Language published a tragic play regarding the protagonist Macbeth who was greatly influenced and manipulated by others around him, including greed for power. His darkest desire was to become King of Scotland, so he killed enough people to make him lose his mind and himself. In William Shakespeare's time, men were seen as strong, reliable, and courageous. Through Macbeth, he demonstrates how gender roles are switched between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Every step of the way, his wife Lady Macbeth was there as a reliable source, constantly provoking him to commit disloyal actions, which resulted in the downfall of both main characters and to their misfortune
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.
Shakespeare clearly establishes gender roles and the importance of them in Macbeth. He shows the differences between the male gender role and the female gender role, and he also implies that there are certain activities that should only be done by one sex and it would be disastrous if the opposite sex to interfere. (Liston) Lady Macbeth purposefully goes against this law when she calls on spirits to “unsex” her and fill her “from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty." (Shakespeare).
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Shakespeare goes against traditional feminist theories by giving his female characters many characteristics that are both masculine and feminine. In traditional ideas, females are seen as “inferior” to men and only have the purpose of listening to their husbands and taking care of their families. Shakespeare’s female characters within the story of Macbeth, however, do not follow these ideas.
It’s no surprise, that Shakespeare’s Macbeth was clearly constructed as a rebellion against femininity roles of the time. During the Elizabethan era, women were raised to believe they were inferior to men since men obtained desired masculine qualities such as strength, and loyalty, whereas women were viewed as figures of hospitality (1; 6; 28-31). Obviously, not being tempted by the luxury of subservient women, William Shakespeare rebuked this twisted belief, applying that women deserve more respect than their kitchen tables.
Men were supposed to act as strong fighters, while women were locked in the domestic sphere. These gender roles are prominent in the character developments of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At first, Macbeth is a strong, heroic solider that shows unbounded courage in battle and loyalty to his king. As the play progresses, he becomes cold, ruthless, and miserable. Lady Macbeth takes on a “manly” role, which is surprising because of how patriarchal the society is.
Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare about a man and the ever-changing conflict surrounding his life. In the context of the story, women were looked upon in a lesser way than men to say the least. The expectation of womanhood was to be in a supporting role to their counterparts. Macbeth challenges this notion to create interesting dynamics between the two sexual roles. Nontraditional roles of masculinity double as feministic influence and guidance through the characters Lady Macbeth, the Weird Sisters, and Hecate.
In Shakespearian time, people believed that, because women are the weaker sex, they are inferior to men. However, in Shakespeare's play “Macbeth” women were a portrayal of influential power that marks a significant change in Macbeth’s thoughts and actions. Why did Shakespeare give women, in his play, the power that drives the other sex to insanity, and feminizes a man by saying I fear thy [Macbeth’s] nature; It is too full of the milk of human kindness”? The roles of women in Shakespearean times were very limited.
In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses the subversion of gender roles to reinforce Elizabethan notions of female and male behavior through the characters of Lady Macbeth, the three witches, and Macbeth. The ideal woman in Shakespearean times was submissive and docile. She is expected to be a mother and hostess, and little else. However, Lady Macbeth is the exact opposite of this notion. She constantly challenges and manipulates her husband to feed her ever-growing ambition.
It is clear that men and women have two different cultures in Shakespeare’s time, and the relationship between the two was hierarchical. Throughout Shakespeare’s play, it is obvious that the feminine emotions are far less desirable than the masculine. When Lady Macbeth plots to kill Duncan in order for Macbeth to become king, she is aware that he must suppress his natural “love, compassion, pity, [and] remorse” in order to kill Duncan, and she will need to ignore the same emotions, “which she clearly thinks of as feminine” (180). Macbeth, of course, eventually gives in to the gender definitions of his wife and society and kills Duncan. “He is on his way literally and figuratively to becoming the kind of man his wife has urged” (183).
Shakespeare is often referred to as a man before his time, or even called a feminist. He revered amongst many audience members for his use of the woman in his plays. Others disagree, saying Ole Willy Shakes is a misogynist who hated women. Neither of the extremes is completely accurate, and neither have claims that could be taken very far. Shakespeare lives somewhere between being a feminist and being a misogynist, he uses female character radically; for his time at least.
Attempting to find the cause of Macbeth’s descent into insanity, many have blamed certain characters and circumstances for Macbeth’s downfall. However, using motifs such as gender roles and the supernatural, Shakespeare shows that the cause of Macbeth’s loss of humanity and downfall was Lady Macbeth’s failure to conform to gender roles. Lady Macbeth resists the gender
The women in Macbeth are presented by Shakespeare to be powerful and ambitious which was unlike the typical views during Jacobean times. The playwright portrays Lady Macbeth and the witches to be highly influential to male characters in the play, which again contrasts the contemporary views to that time. Their ambition and power are demonstrated through the perversion of nature. This highlights the evil and immoral side, they possess. Shakespeare, however, presented Lady Macbeth and the witches to be manipulative and cunning, rather than violent like Macbeth was during the play.
