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Gender Roles In Macbeth

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Gender roles have impacted the lives of men and women for centuries. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth attempt to defy societal expectations, but eventually they both succumb to the traditional gender roles assigned to them. The witches are the only ones who never conform to societal standards and are free to act without consequences. Although Shakespeare initially questions the traditional gender roles of his time, it is evident that only the witches, who are gender neutral, are truly free to ignore societal expectations, as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's attempt to do so leads to their ultimate demise. Although Macbeth challenges gender roles in the beginning, he eventually conforms to societal standards of what a man …show more content…

Macbeth says, "I am settled, and bend up / each corporal agent to this terrible feat" (1.7.79–80). Macbeth decides he is going to kill Duncan because he wants to prove his masculinity by killing Duncan. Macbeth falls back into his gender conformity because, as the play goes on, he becomes less gullible, no longer listens to his wife, and becomes the dominant partner in the relationship. She sparks confidence in him. It is only after he becomes more confident that he is able to act independently of her. When Macbeth kills Duncan, he is portrayed as vulnerable and guilty. He challenges gender roles because men are supposed to be portrayed as strong and self-assured. He cries about his actions and how he will forever be stained by the crime. As the play goes on, he becomes less hesitant and more assertive and aggressive. "The very firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand... The castle of …show more content…

The witches do not fit the stereotypical image of what a woman looks like. They possess female and male physical characteristics. Right before Banquo and Macebth receive the prophecy, he says, "You should be women, / And yet your beards forbid me to interpret" (1.3.46-47). Banquo only suspects that the witches are women because, although they have some physical traits of women, they also have physical traits of men, such as beards. They are not forced to conform to either gender's conformities, and by doing so, the witches are able to look and dress however they please in a way that makes them happy and comfortable. Since the witches do not conform to either gender, they do not have to suffer the consequences of either gender. The witches function independently of human culture and power. They are not constrained by social norms or the laws that control how people behave. After the sailor's wife doesn’t give the witches any chestnuts, the witch says, "Here I have a pilot’s thumb, / Wrecked as homeward he did come" (1.3.28–29). The witches kill the sailor just for revenge. The witches are completely independent from society. That means they do not have to deal with the rules or standards of society. This is why the witches are able to just kill a sailor with no consequence. This gives them the freedom to act outside the norms of society

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