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Gender Roles In Macbeth

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Through Macbeth, Shakespeare conveys that the need to conform to gender roles can cause people to go against their moral code. Several times in the play, manhood is called to upon justify evil acts. The expectation of men to be ruthless and unmerciful in this society caused Macbeth to participate in acts he wouldn’t usually agree to because of morality. In the play, Macbeth receives a prophecy that tells him he will one day be the Thane of Cawdor and then the king. When the former comes true, Macbeth shares the prophecy with his wife, Lady Macbeth. She then tries to persuade him to kill the king after Macbeth refuses to do so because it goes against his morals, by enticing him with the notion that he is not acting manly, she says: “When you durst do it, then you were a man;” (1.7.56). …show more content…

Lady Macbeth says these things in a condescending tone which conveys her disdain for her husband’s reluctance to complete the murder and her belief that a man should be stronger than a women. After Macbeth hears this he goes along with the murder plot tentatively. Lady Macbeth’s words reveal that manliness in this society is seen as being strong enough to unmercifully kill someone and Macbeth’s reaction shows that the need to be seen as masculine is so intense that he will do anything, even kill his cousin and king whom he was fiercely loyal to, in order to achieve it. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s need to meet Lady Macbeth’s and societies view of masculinity increases. Until he pushes those ideas onto other men. While trying to persuade the men to murder Banquo he says “Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves are clept/ All by the name of

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