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Traditional Gender Roles In Macbeth Essay

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William Shakespeare's play Macbeth is a play that explores the capabilities of human darkness through Macbeth’s battle with his ambition, power, and the consequences of unchecked desire. Three witches embody a central theme throughout the play, through their narrative which is purposefully meant to be seen as a symbol of supernatural forces capable of manipulating fate. However, the witches act as a subversive element to challenge the traditional gender roles and power structures of the society the play is set in. The witches personify a challenge to the traditional gender roles in Macbeth, through their subversive presence and actions, which serves to critique the patriarchal power structures inherit in the kingdom and highlights the destabilizing …show more content…

The witches’ subversion of traditional gender roles is notes almost immediately by Banquo who describes them as “So withered and so wild in their attire…not like th' inhabitants o' th' Earth… should be women, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret That” (Macbeth 1.3.40-48). Banquo is meet with the witches and is unable to ascertain their gender, stripping his ability to interact based on gendered characteristic of others. Furthermore, they defy the societal expectation of women as submissive and nurturing beings by using supernatural abilities to predict Macbeth and Banquo’s fate, showing their power and manipulativeness that control the men’s fate. They exert their power through informing Macbeth and Banquo of their future, to rule as king or have children that will rule thereafter. Their influence over these male characters serve to challenge the patriarchal power structure which powers the throne the witches promised to Macbeth and Banquo’s children. Further influence is seen in Macbeth's shellshocked reaction and discomfort at encountering the witches, soon followed by his uncontrollable obsession to fulfill their

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In the book Macbeth the Woman are being portrayed as these manipulative and scheme characters who are the “villain” in the play however the powerful woman in the play macbeth are seen as a threat to society but in reality there scheming and being manipulative just like the men but they are woman with power therefore there seen as the villain, together with the fact in Lady Macbeth monologue “Come you evil spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,” This quote is a prime example of the sexist subjects in the play Macbeth, how Lady macbeth would have to become a man to do a action like murder because a women could “never” do such a crime. The condemnation of powerful women in today's society is very much alike to how Lady Macbeth and the three witches are portrayed in this play. How women are powerful however they still get judged and get reminded that if they do a powerful action they would only really get respect if they were a

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And the women are not seen as powerful beings. However, his representation of genders turn into complete opposites. In the Elizabethan age women are supposed to have feminine appearances, and are to be innocent, but in the play the three witches have beards and are ruthless creatures. And Macbeth was fearful of his power position after he murdered Duncan. Additionally, in the play Lady Macbeth planned the murder of Duncan for Macbeth, and attacked

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Well Lady Macbeth, who is dead set on having absolute power, disagrees with that. She convinces Macbeth to kill, to cover up the murders, and tries to convince him that these murders will get them to the top. Lady Macbeth calls upon the witches and states, “unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty” (Macbeth Act 1 Scene 5 lines 31 and 31). This shows that while in the pursuit of power, Lady Macbeth wanted it so much that she asked the witches to “unsex” her and make her more like man. But along with that you see the theme of gender roles are uncertain which ties into Lady Macbeth leading Macbeth in this pursuit of power, also giving him the ambition that she wants him to

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