Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. She begins the play having already started to plot Duncan’s murder, and is clearly stronger, more ruthless, and more ambitious than her husband. However, through the play we see a constant inner conflict between the power she hungers for and the perceived weakness of her gender. This theme of the relationship between gender and power is central to Lady Macbeth’s character: her husband implies that she is a masculine soul inhabiting a female body, which seems to link masculinity to ambition and violence. Shakespeare, however, seems to use her to undercut Macbeth’s idea that “undaunted mettle should compose / Nothing but males”. It is also portrayed that she uses …show more content…
An early example of her showing weakness, whilst previously calling Macbeth a coward for not wanting to proceed with Duncan’s murder, when it comes to the time she backs out claiming, If Duncan hadn’t reminded me of my father when I saw him sleeping, I would have killed him myself.’ Although she immediately regains control trying to calm Macbeth as he begins to pace, we see a glimpse of her feminine weakness. Later on as Macbeth relishes in his powers as king, lady m internalises her guilt shown through the sleepwalking and infamous ‘out damned spot’ scene where she attempts to scrub away the guilt. Despite the power it is that man that becomes strong and the woman that is weak suggesting that it is her gender that causes her ultimate downfall. Lady Macbeth, being a woman is unable to escape her feminine ways and nurturing nature, therefore forcing her to live through her guilt despite the lack of thought she gave the consequences of the murders earlier except from being caught. It is not ridiculous to say that her feminine side comes out; she is created for child rearing with motherly instincts and certain hormones that make women different. She doesn’t have as much testosterone as men making her less aggressive. A patriarchal portrayal would further this and suggest that because Lady Macbeth’s bodily make up makes her weaker than Macbeth and that biologically men are stronger, it is logical for men to place higher socially. They are more suited for the pressures of ruling and taking charge of a group. However, after the guilt becomes too much for Lady Macbeth and it is suggested she committed suicide, Macbeth also begins his descent. The audience realizes how completely his wife’s passing and the ruin of his power have undone Macbeth. His speech insists that there is no meaning or