In the final scene of Act One, Shakespeare shows how Macbeth has doubts and hesitations about killing Duncan. He knows that killing a King is wrong, “…this blow Might be the be-all and end-all…”, and that it goes against the great chain being, disrupting the natural order of nature. However, MB himself says he has nothing but “vaulting ambition”, fueling his crave. Also referred as one of the seven deadly sins. At this point Lady Macbeth enters; she immediately detects her husband’s self-doubt. She opens with a rhetorical question, “was the hope drunk, wherein you dressed yourself”. This demeaning attitude was not at all expected of women in the Jacobean Era. The patriarchal society of the time would have viewed this scene with great disgust and repulsion. …show more content…
Lady Macbeth adds a clear distinction between masculinity and femininity. In contrast, to her own self-proclaimed manliness, she pours great scorn upon her husband’s lack of courage, she calls him “green”, “a coward”, and that he resembled the proverbial “cat”, who wanted fish but did not want to get its paws wet. The commanding language that Lady Macbeth uses would have shocked the Jacobean audience. It shows how Lady Macbeth possesses obdurate strength and masculine firmness giving her ascendancy over her husband's faltering doubts. This confidence and command in Lady Macbeth’s tone were not expected of women in the Jacobean Era, women were instead expected to be calm and nurturing, which is the complete opposite of Lady