Preview

Macbeth

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1251 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Macbeth
In the entertainment world, portraying women as evil forces is very popular. By doing so it adds entertainment value to the film and or novel. After reading the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare it has become evident that women are portrayed as dangerous forces that emasculate and ruin men. Lady Macbeth questions the manhood of Macbeth, convinces and manipulates him into doing things, and her actions lead to Macbeth’s eventual death, proving the point that she is the most evil female force in the whole play. Firstly, Lady Macbeth questions the manhood of Macbeth while also putting him down. For example Lady Macbeth questions the manhood of Macbeth during the time when Macbeth starts to be questionable about going through with the plan of killing king Duncan. Her strong words towards him would be taken to heart by any man if he were to receive them. This becomes obvious when she says, “When you dorst do it, then you were a man, and, to be more than what you were you would be so much more than the man” (I, vii, 54-56). Lady Macbeth is simply saying and questioning Macbeth of even being a man because he is starting to question and get nervous about going through with their plan to kill king Duncan. Another example that shows this would be that Lady Macbeth literally calls Macbeth a woman to his face. She calls him out, luckily for him however it is not in front of his fellow noblemen. Still she calls him a

woman and even says how shameful it is. Lady Macbeth says “A woman’s story at a winter’s fire, authorized by her grandma, shame itself” (III, iv, 78-79)! Lady Macbeth calling him a woman and telling him how shameful it is does nothing but put him into a deeper hole than he is already in and makes him feel even worse. Lastly, just after Macbeth freaks out about Banquo’s ghost, she tells everyone that is in attendance at their dinner not to worry because he is usually like this. However as soon as she goes to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Masculinity and manhood is a running theme Macbeth. Throughout the play, Shakespeare challenges the traditional gender roles during that time period by having the female counterparts act superior among the men. Generally, men had the power and control over the women; however Macbeth reverses the traditional power division through Lady Macbeth and the witches although it maintains distinction by solidifying the powers men possess. Women during this time were submissive, uneducated, and had no say in society. However, Lady Macbeth’s actions are far from how women typically acted.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through the play of Macbeth, a lot of the women have influences on Macbeth that is evident. The way Macbeth's actions follow these women’s influences make the reader question Macbeth’s true state of mind.…

    • 252 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Bring Forth men-children only! For thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males."(I, vii, 73-75) Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most frightening and strong female characters. She is ambitious, lusts for power and will stop at nothing for it; she is truly evil. This is evident when she asks evil spirits to come unsex her, when she tries to manipulate Macbeth into committing a most sinful crime, and that she is actively part of the crime also.…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lady Macbeth Quotes

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages

    She challenges the natural order of things. "Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood; stop up the passage to remorse." Is a quote made by Lady Macbeth describing her wanting to get rid of her kind feelings of femininity and fill her up with cruelty that of a man so that she can commit the murder herself. Macbeth once implies that his wife Lady Macbeth is a masculine soul inhabiting a female body. Femininity it self is seen to a degree as a source of evil and violence, but they rely more on deception and manipulation. Because of this stereotypical portrayal of women it is argued that Macbeth is a misogynistic play. Furthermore Shakespeare plays on the idea of the natural state of woman and men and of that of nature. These symbols help to reinforce the theme of nature and…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Although unlike this herself, Lady Macbeth associates womanhood with kindness, weakness, and susceptibility to remorse. She fears that Macbeth exhibits these womanly qualities. After receiving Macbeth’s letter she says of him,…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Stereotypes In Macbeth

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages

    When she receives a letter from Macbeth that says he is willing to kill King Duncan, she talks to the spirits in her mind and says: “Unsex me here/ and fill me from the crown to the toe/ top full of direst cruelty!” (1.5.46-49). In fact she wants the spirits to strip her of her feminine traits, make her strong, and let her commit a crime without regretting it in the future. With all of these dark thoughts that she has in her mind, she still tries to act nice and compassionate in the public, so that nobody can realize what plans they have. Macbeth also wants her to act this way and he thinks that “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” (1.7.92). He tells Lady Macbeth that the face should hide what the “false heart” has inside, because he is aware of Lady Macbeth’s personality and he points it out by telling her: “Bring forth men-children only/ for thy undaunted mettle should compose” (1.7.80-81) which shows that he believes Lady Macbeth does not have a proper action as a woman and she only should have “men-children”, meaning boys. Her effort towards having the qualities of the opposite gender helps her to do what a woman would not usually do; it helps her to plan a murder and be the reason of…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Character: Macbeth’s impulsive character is demonstrated here. Macbeth is saying that he will no longer be reflective and contemplative regarding his actions but will act immediately.…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    macbeth

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    I think that it is very possible that Macbeth has PTSD otherwise known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Throughout the story, Macbeth seems to show symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is an emotional illness that usually develops as a result of a terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise highly unsafe experience.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth

    • 3010 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Quatrain 3: YET, happily i think on thee. Scorn to change to change with kings, doesn’t even want to be a king because he would have to lose the person he loves.…

    • 3010 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lady Macbeth is a central figure in Shakespeare’s play “ The Tragedy of Macbeth.” She is a controversial character of deep mystery and great ambition. In the essay, “Lady Macbeth: Infirm of Purpose” Joan Larsen Klein analyzes what was the role of woman during the Shakespearian times and how Lady Macbeth portrays or defies it. I think that Klein thesis is illustrated when she notes, “ Lady Macbeth, despite her attempt to unsex herself, is never able to separate herself completely from womankind-unlike her husband, who becomes less and worse that a man” (169) Klein’s main argument is that although Lady Macbeth wants to become the stereotypical male, aggressive, ruthless and cruel, which, according to her, will enable her to be stronger enough to assassinate King Duncan, she is incapable to strip away those female traits such as kindness, innocence and weakness. Overall, Klein uses several examples to defend her position that women are held inferior and less responsible than men, whether they follow the demands of their husbands or seek their own fate.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare uses gender roles to drive the plot in Macbeth; Lady Macbeth uses her sexuality to convince Macbeth to killing Duncan by questioning his masculinity. “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man.” Lady Macbeth is shown as an strong willed character willing to have “plucked my nipple from [her child’s] boneless gums. And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this” to later being shown as possessed by nightmares of guilt. As Janet Adelman writes, "In the figures of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the witches, the play gives us images of a masculinity and a femininity that are terribly disturbed." This is true in the way that Lady Macbeth subverts social norms at the time, patriarchal society encourages Lady Macbeth to invest herself in the role of mother, her transgressive behaviour is seen as selfish and abnormal, contrary to patriarchy’s belief that women’s desire to have and protect children is a part of role in society.…

    • 631 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lady Macbeth Research Paper

    • 2798 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Watching her husband hesitate to go through with the plan, Lady Macbeth reacts by suggesting that he is not masculine enough. Apart from challenging his masculinity, she also questions his love for her. She then proceeds to asking him a series of rhetorical questions as an attempt to manipulate his actions. She asks whether he was drunk earlier on when he was entirely supportive of the plan (Shakespeare 863). She calls him a coward for not daring to do that which he said he would. Macbeth replies that he is only doing what is appropriate. Lady Macbeth retorts that he was more of a man when he was willing to kill the king. “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man” (Shakespeare 864). She then makes a savage remark that she would rather dash out her baby’s brains than to break her word, had she sworn anything the way Macbeth did. Near the end of the scene, Macbeth alludes do his wife’s masculinity by making a comment that she should only have male children, for her “undaunted mettle” (Shakespeare 857) would pass on to…

    • 2798 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Macbeth

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In our wordle we used a white background that represents Lady Macbeths appearance and how society views Lady Macbeth as a woman, innocent as a white dove. We make the words a dark theme along witht the color red for it represents lady Macbeths true nature and the contrast in the colors represent how her character breaks the female sterotypes. The first trait i identified she had is megalomania. The quote I chose for her megalomania personality is: “And fill me from head to toe, top full of direst cruely” (1.5.45-46) This quote shows how Lady Macbeth is willing to give up the gentleness of humankind to achieve to achieve power to make her dream sound more dramatic in terms of de she said desires. She said “ take my milk for gall” (1.5.51) Women’s milk symbolises her feminine personality by saying this , Lady macbet wants the spirits to strip her feminine personality so that she can achieve her desire. These two quotes indicate Lady macbeth’s greed for power even if she has to lose herself to gain more .…

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Upon Lady Macbeth 's first appearance in the play she is very affectionate towards her husband. She reads her letter of endearment from her husband and is the symbol of innocence. The second her husband arrives at their home, however, Lady Macbeth jumps on her and tells him what to do. As the conversation continues Lady Macbeth literally tells her husband that he is not a man. The exact words she uses are:…

    • 1276 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare shows in the play a connection between masculinity and violence, as well as ambition. Lady Macbeth goads Macbeth on to treason by saying, "when you durst do it, then you are a man" (1.7.48). Even more explicit is her early soliloquy: "Come, you spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty!" The "here" plainly refers to her genitals, although few modern actresses can bring themselves to make that obvious. The women of the play manipulate Macbeth into doing their bidding. The witches awaken Macbeth's ambitions, and then Lady Macbeth drives Macbeth to kill…

    • 1347 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics