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Reversal In Macbeth

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Gender-Role Reversal in Macbeth During the time period in which Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, the frail, tender, and submissive stereotype of women was in full force. Yet, in Macbeth, Shakespeare writes women to be powerful, intelligent, and dominant; Macbeth was full of gender-role reversals. Lady Macbeth showed many examples of this althroughout this five act play. For example, she often questioned her husband’s authority and manlihood, which, at that time, was practically forbidden for any female to do. Along with that, she requests to be “unsexed” so she wouldn’t be assosiated with the frail stereotype females had. Furthermore, she even mentioned that she would “dash the brains out” of her own child, showing that she isn’t tender at all, unlike the common woman of her time. Altogether, Lady Macbeth is a prime example some of the gender-role reversals in Macbeth due to her obdurate personality, wicked mindset, authoritve behavior, and selfish motives. Lady Macbeth thinks she has convinced Macbeth to kill Duncan, however, Macbeth ponders: To our own lips. He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself. (I, vii, 10-15) In translation: “first of all, I …show more content…

Most women of that time wanted to serve their husbands, have a family, and live peacefully. Lady Macbeth wasn’t the stereotypical woman. She wasn’t frail or powerless. She was an extremely wicked woman. She wanted to be seen as masculine, unremorseful, and evil, therefor requesting to be “unsexed” in order to become invincible to human compassion. Stereotypically, women didn’t wish to be considered less of a woman and more of a witch, yet Lady Macbeth did. Furthing emphasizing Lady Macbeth’s obvious reverse of gender

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