Men are perceived by society as the brave ones; the ones who do what must be done in times of need. Throughout Shakespeare's ‘Macbeth’, valiant actions are made in the notion that it's the manly thing to do . Consequently, Macbeth murders king Duncan as he deems it a necessary crime he must do as a man in order to fulfill his ambitions.
During the Elizabethan era, anything that was brave, courageous, or took ambition was deemed a manly act. If you were a female, doing something that took strength would be seen as nonviable. For example, Lady Macbeth wishes to be a man in order to commit a dark deed which took courage and strength. Lady Macbeth’s unorthodox request is evident in act 1 scene 5 as she vividly states “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty.” Lady Macbeth clearly demonstrates her feelings thoughts on what it takes to commit an act of such nature as she calls on spirits to turn her into a man. This also shows that women on the other hand were not capable of doing deeds such as murder as they were too soft.
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Although the perspective of women in the Elizabethan era was much different from the perspective of manhood, it was also similar in a sense that manhood and womanhood both played an essential role during their era. The thought of men being the ones to do things such as commit murder and be ambitious is still prevalent today. In our society we view women as people who are soft and not quite as ambitious as the opposite sex. The notion that women are incapable of committing murder is obscure as they are physically capable of doing harm to any human body as well as being able to have ambition such as