Lady Macbeth: Women's Role In Society

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Lady Macbeth Essay
In society, women are expected to be the weak and scrawny portion of the household, while the men are expected to be strong and the suppliers of the relationship. William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, has assessed this stereotype of society by following the tragic journey of a man and his wife and their vie for power. Why are men viewed as the superior and more powerful role in society? Is it acceptable for women to overpower the men and take on this role themselves? Or should they yield to what society has pushed upon them and follow their given role as fragile and delicate partners to their superior husbands? Lady Macbeth's struggle with gender roles, including Lady Macbeth's attempt to fulfill the male roles, leads …show more content…

Nevertheless, Lady Macbeth decides to take matters into her own hands and ignore the provided label she was given as a woman. By making her own decisions that overruled that of her husband’s, she is straying from the social norm, quite slowly, yet effectively. In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth receives a letter that states Macbeth’s newly attained position as the Thane of Cawdor and explains the witches’ prophecy that he will eventually become the King of Scotland sometime in the future. After reading Macbeth's letter, Lady Macbeth specifies her strong and passionate craving to escape from her given feminity and gain a manlier, more dominant role in society. She calls, "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" (I.5.38-41). Lady Macbeth instantly becomes curious as to if Macbeth is truly capable of taking the king’s position, stating that he lacks the mischief and evil attributes required, questioning his masculinity to get what she wants. She tells her thoughts on Macbeth’s political struggles, which can be seen as foreshadowing his collapse towards the end of the book. By doing this, she disrupts social

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