Gender Roles in Macbeth Essay Example

Gender roles swing like a pendulum, as one gender never stops at the peaks of their power. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship swings similarly to a pendulum as they do not allow one another to hold all the power which leads to the pendulum shifting the other way. The evolution of manhood through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s eyes throughout the play holds a crucial role upon each other. Lady Macbeth’s twisted concept of manhood causes a shift in Macbeth’s perspective on manhood which ultimately leads to Macbeth’s downfall and Lady Macbeth’s suicide. 

Initially, Macbeth feels hesitant about killing Duncan which causes him to question his manhood and wish to hide from violent thoughts and actions. When Duncan announces his plans for Malcolm to succeed him as king, Macbeth realizes these plans will interfere with the witches' predictions. Macbeth convinces himself that he can only become king by killing Duncan and secretly says to himself, “Stars, hide your fires;/ Let not light see my black and deep desires” (I.iv.57-58). Macbeth does not want “light” to “see” his evil “desires” of killing Duncan so he can become king. He also does not want to accept the evil within him because he knows he holds “black and deep desire[s]” to kill Duncan. As the play progresses he continues to contemplate the plan of killing Duncan and says to himself, “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.13-16). Macbeth questions the idea of murdering Duncan and realizes he wants to kill him for selfish reasons: assuming the throne. Macbeth knows his actions will go against the Chain of Being, as Macbeth is Duncan’s “kinsman and his subject,” and murdering the king as a subject goes against all aspects of the social hierarchy God assigned Earth. Macbeth knows a disruption upon the Chain of Being will disrupt society and because of this he questions the murder. After Macbeth kills Duncan, he feels extreme regret and says, “Had I but died an hour before this chance,/ I had lived a blessed time; for from this chance,/ There’s nothing serious in mortality” (II.iii.107-109). Macbeth states “there’s nothing serious in mortality” and feels he has “nothing” to live for now that the king lays dead. Macbeth says to the noblemen around him that he would have rather died himself than experience this horrible occasion. Macbeth’s initial perspective holds a hesitant initial perspective on manhood, and it only takes a few comments from Lady Macbeth to change his perspective on manhood for the worse.

Lady Macbeth believes Macbeth does not have what it takes to kill Duncan so she uses manipulation as the driving force behind Macbeth to influence him to kill Duncan. After Lady Macbeth reads the letter Macbeth wrote to her about the witches’ predictions, she fears Macbeth lacks the ruthlessness he needs to kill Duncan and fulfill the witches’ second apparition. As she stands alone she says herself, “Yet do I fear thy nature;/ It is too full o' the milk of human kindness/ To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great;/ Art not without ambition, but without/ The illness should attend it” (I.v.16-20) Lady Macbeth believes Macbeth is “too full o’ the milk of human kindness,” and he lacks the bravery to kill Duncan because of his kindness. She also feels he lacks the “illness” that should “attend” his “ambition.” By having more evil within his “ambition,” Lady Macbeth believes he will become more merciless and build upon evil inside of him in order to kill Duncan. After Macbeth shares his doubts with Lady Macbeth, she shares her perspective on how he lacks manhood and says to him, “Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,/ And live a coward in thine own esteem,/ Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,'/ Like the poor cat i' the adage?” (I.vii.43-49) Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth's manhood and calls him a “coward in thine own esteem.” She manipulates him by using his fears and insecurities against him and questioning his manhood. After Macbeth kills Duncan he leaves the chamber holding the dagger against Lady Macbeth’s wishes. Macbeth’s inability to follow the plan correctly frustrates Lady Macbeth so she says to him, “Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead/ Are but as pictures: 'tis the eye of childhood/ That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,/ I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal;/ For it must seem their guilt” (II.ii.69-73). When Lady Macbeth notices Macbeth holds the dagger after killing Duncan she states right away, “for it must seem [the guards] guilt.” Lady Macbeth’s lack of hesitation when asking for the daggers and immediate frustration from the mistake illustrates her lack of remorse for the death of the king and illuminates her hunger to fulfill the witches’ apparition. Lady Macbeth’s manipulation of Macbeth and her lack of hesitation about the killing of Duncan catalyzes Macbeth’s change in perspective on manhood.

After killing Duncan and gaining the status as king, Macbeth becomes more brutally impulsive to keep his position as king, which leads to his decline. After killing Duncan, Macbeth fears Banquo’s royalty and realizes he poses more of a threat than Macbeth had originally thought. Macbeth calls two murders to meet with him and says to them, “Ay in my catalogue you go for men,/ As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels,/ curs,/ Soughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves are clept/ All by the name of dogs” (III.i.103-107). Macbeth compares the murderers to multiple breeds, “all by the name of dogs,” implying all dogs have different qualities. He does this to demonstrate how there are many kinds of men and questions if the murderers are the kind of men who have what it takes to kill Banquo. When Macbeth learns Macduff plans to come after him, Macbeth says to Lennox, “​​The castle of Macduff I will surprise;/ Seize upon Fife; give to the edge o' the sword/ His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls/ That trace him in his line. No boasting like a fool; This deed I'll do before this purpose cool” (IV.i.171-175). Macbeth will do anything to continue his reign as king, and his brutality does not stop at killing the main target. He says he wants to kill Macduff's “wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls,” and murder them “before this purpose cool,” meaning before he can question his thoughts. Macbeth’s lack of hesitation proves his change in perspective on manhood and how he has evolved into a more destructive and ruthless man. Eventually, Macbeth and Macduff face each other in battle and Macbeth exclaims, “I will not yield/ To kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet/ And to be baited with the rabble’s curse./ Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane/ And thou opposed, being of no woman born,/ Yet I will try the last” (V.viii.32-37). Macbeth believes Macduff cannot kill him because he fulfills the witches’ second apparition warning and questions Macduff’s manhood by saying, “And thou opposed, being of no woman born.” Despite Macbeth knowing he will die, “Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane,” Macbeth’s bravery reemerges as he challenges fate. Macbeth’s manhood evolves into an unyielding and vicious act, and because of his actions, he “trie[s]” the “last” and faces death.

Lady Macbeth’s perspective on manhood changes greatly after realizing the consequences of her husband’s actions which ultimately leads to her suicide. Lady Macbeth slowly becomes less ruthless as her husband becomes crueler. As Lady Macbeth reflects on murdering Duncan she says to herself, “Nought's had, all's spent,/ Where our desire is got without content:/ 'Tis safer to be that which we destroy/ Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy” (III.ii.6-9). Lady Macbeth begins to regret killing Duncan and says, “dwell in doubtful joy” as she feels more doubt about the situation instead of joy. Her lust for assuming the throne makes her feel “without content” because of the consequences of Macbeth’s harsh actions. MORE ANALYSIS One night when Lady Macbeth has a night terror, she exclaims, “The thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now?--/ What, will these hands ne'er be clean?--No more o'/ that, my lord, no more o' that: you mar all with/ this starting” (V.i.44-47). Unlike in the beginning of the play when Macbeth’s hands were stained with blood, Lady Macbeth dreams aloud and agonizes over her blood-stained hands and worries her hands will never be clean of the damage she has caused. She also utters, “Here's the smell of the blood still: all the/ perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little/ hand. O, O, O!” (V.i.53-55) Although Lady Macbeth is not conscious, she says her dreams aloud and feels distress and responsibility for her impact on Macbeth which led to his ruthless actions. Lady Macbeth finally realizes her manipulative behavior caused Macbeth’s catastrophic actions and in quick escape from her consequences takes her own life. 

The evolution of manhood through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s eyes eventually causes the downfall of both of them. Lady Macbeth’s manipulative behavior changes Macbeth’s perspective on manhood and he becomes relentless which creates great conflict for them. In life, gender roles move like a pendulum. As men gain more power and authority, women often cause the pendulum to shift by resisting the male authority, while when women gain more power, men make the pendulum swing the other way. As gender roles swing like a pendulum, shifting back and forth, not one gender can stop at the peak of their swing.