Gender Roles In Macbeth

The Reversal of Gender Roles

Gender roles defined in the dictionary as the pattern or masculine or feminine behavior of an individual that is defined by a particular culture and a child’s upbringing (Dictionary.com). Throughout cultural and social stereotypes, males are projected as the stronger gender, while females are projected as the weaker gender. Men are thought to be more significant than a women since they were usually the financial providers for their families. Women, on the other hand, were believed be jobless, helpless, and not able to think for themselves. From those days to present day, women are breaking cultural and social stereotypes from the older eras and striving to be deemed equal to men. William Shakespeare attempts to

The switch in roles exemplifies inverted gender and social roles during their era. After Macbeth discovers the Witches’ prophecy, he tells his wife, Lady Macbeth about it. She reacts differently than one would expect a woman to act. She begins to mock Macbeth and ridicule his masculinity. By the conveyance of her speech, Lady Macbeth emphasizes that she is in charge and that Macbeth needs to follow her in order to achieve anything, as she states, “Yet do I fear thy nature;/ It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness/To catch nearest way” (1.5.16-18). Shakespeare employs the rhetorical device of a metaphor to describe Lady Macbeth’s view on Macbeth’s personality. Her comparison between him and the milk of human kindness infers that Macbeth is kind and compassionate. Lady Macbeth believes due to Macbeth’s nature, he will not have the determination to go along with the plan and its consequence. The way in which Lady Macbeth speaks is ironic seeing as Lady Macbeth is a woman and she is calling Macbeth a coward and criticizing his role as a man. In cultural stereotypes, men were known to have control over the women by making all the decisions for the household without any different perspectives. Lady Macbeth seems to embody these male-like characteristics. On the other hand, Shakespeare depicts Macbeth as a feminine male

She decides that it is best to frame the murder on Duncan’s servants by smearing Duncan’s blood on them while they are intoxicated with alcohol. The metaphor “the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil” represents people fearing things that cannot hurt them. Lady Macbeth once again ridicules her husband for his current state of paralysis out of fear. Lady Macbeth needs to be strong and definite in order to embed confidence in Macbeth mind in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Switching from Lady Macbeth to Macbeth is an immense change in character since Macbeth feels shocked while remorseful for the action he performed. After Macbeth comes back from Duncan’s room, he is stricken with grief to the point of minor paralysis. His speech retains his weak and feminine tone of voice, but conveys a more conscience driven response, which he states, “What hands are here! Ha, they pluck out mine eyes./ Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand?” (2.2.76-79). Shakespeare employs the rhetorical device of an allusion to the play of Oedipus the King. Oedipus, the main character of the alluding play, plucks out his eyes, in guilt, because a terrible prophecy came through. Macbeth alludes to Oedipus, the main character, by stating that his hands pluck out his own eyes. This represents Macbeth taking responsibility for committing the murder of the king through his ambition and scheming wife. He feels