Gender Roles In Macbeth

“You should be women / And yet your beards forbid me to interpret / That you are so.” (1.3) Banquo says this while conversing and meeting with the witches for the first time. This line is one of the first foreshadowing events of ways that gender role acceptance is going to be portrayed throughout the play. These men, and specifically Banquo in that moment, are disgusted by the witches manly and haggard appearance. In this scene, the witches possess beards upon their faces. Shakespeare possibly uses this to symbolize a typical manly figure, which a man during this era held all the power in their hands, to signify the unusual power these witches were going to hold over the entirety of these characters futures. In Macbeth, the story encourages

A reader is subconsciously using gender criticisms throughout the play to determine the influences of gender over how Shakespeare’s literature pieces are read and written. Traditional women during the 11th century in Scotland, women were not seen as powerful figures in society and were not allowed to hold any power. Women were expected to be a mother and/or a mother like figure as well as be polite, fair, and noble hostesses of guests incoming into the home. Men were expected to be courageous. For example, Old Siward was very concerned with how Young Siward died in battle. Whether his wounds were on his front suggesting he died like a man or his wounds were perforated on his back, suggesting he died a coward running away. It was more important to Old Siward that his son died a man, rather than it was his very own son that died. Men were also not allowed show any signs of falter or weakness in their emotions. It was very important to all the characters that men acted like “men” and women acted like “women”. Another example would be when Malcolm tells Macduff to “dispute it like a man” (4.3) when going into battle with Macbeth. Society and people of high standing were unashamed when congratulating when men acted like “men” and women acted like “women”. Duncan was very proud of the way Macbeth had fought in battle. Macbeth fought

In the beginning a reader can see that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are somewhat fairly equal in control in their relationship. Almost instantly though Lady Macbeth slowly starts to reign in her power over Macbeth. When Duncan is coming to visit the home Lady Macbeth speaks to Macbeth, “...He that’s coming / Must be provided for; and you shall put / This night’s great business into my dispatch (her management), / Which shall to all our nights and days come / Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom (bring absolute royal power),” (1.5) Some may argue that she was guided by her ambition throughout the play versus her actions being a direct result of her gender. She was very