Masculinity In The Elizabethan Era
Gender roles set a standard for how every person is supposed to behave according to their sex. These expectations are based on stereotypical traits and there are often consequences for not following the norms. Shakespeare’s Macbeth gives evidence of how men and women were perceived during the Elizabethan era and what would happen if they did not conform to those roles. Most of the characters’ actions in the play are influenced by how strict the expectations are. Society’s definitions of masculinity and femininity force the characters to conform to certain behaviors based on their gender, which leads some to reject or criticize their given role.
Women in Macbeth are perceived as weak and in constant need of protection. Lady Macbeth is not as …show more content…
Being violent helps to assert dominance and gain power. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth was described by his wife as being “too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness.” (Shakespeare i. v. 17). He was too kind and unfit to really do what it would take to become king. After Lady Macbeth’s convincing, he finally decides to kill Duncan and embrace his masculinity through violent actions. “Macbeth becomes cold, remorseless, and emotionally dead, a caricature of the violent warrior-king” (Klett 1). He has developed this new sense of manhood and quickly learns to play the part by asserting dominance in any way …show more content…
In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, he makes it clear that men are supposed to be violent and powerful in order to be masculine while women have to be passive and weak. The concept of masculinity being embraced through violence leads characters, like Macbeth, to make irrational decisions which can hurt other people. Because women are perceived as sensitive and weak, there isn’t much they can do, which is why people like Lady Macbeth try to challenge these roles. She ultimately fails because she disturbs the natural order and needs to be punished for doing so. The strict definitions of what it means to be either a man or a woman in Macbeth help to show why some characters felt it was necessary to perform certain actions in order to reject or conform to their
Women in Macbeth are perceived as weak and in constant need of protection. Lady Macbeth is not as …show more content…
Being violent helps to assert dominance and gain power. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth was described by his wife as being “too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness.” (Shakespeare i. v. 17). He was too kind and unfit to really do what it would take to become king. After Lady Macbeth’s convincing, he finally decides to kill Duncan and embrace his masculinity through violent actions. “Macbeth becomes cold, remorseless, and emotionally dead, a caricature of the violent warrior-king” (Klett 1). He has developed this new sense of manhood and quickly learns to play the part by asserting dominance in any way …show more content…
In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, he makes it clear that men are supposed to be violent and powerful in order to be masculine while women have to be passive and weak. The concept of masculinity being embraced through violence leads characters, like Macbeth, to make irrational decisions which can hurt other people. Because women are perceived as sensitive and weak, there isn’t much they can do, which is why people like Lady Macbeth try to challenge these roles. She ultimately fails because she disturbs the natural order and needs to be punished for doing so. The strict definitions of what it means to be either a man or a woman in Macbeth help to show why some characters felt it was necessary to perform certain actions in order to reject or conform to their