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William Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores the role of femininity and masculinity in Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s desire for power by analyzing the extent to which the societal view of feminine compassion and kindred love threaten power. The feminine identity expressed throughout the play must be understood within the historical context of the play - in the 1600s, women had a very restricted role in society. As the burden of financial responsibility was placed upon men, a woman’s societal position was reduced to that of a mother.
Alice Brabcová best describes the key quality of a woman in the time period as her “ability to run the household efficiently” (Brabcová). Altogether, women were seen as the weaker gender, expected to be submissive towards men and portraying everchanging dispositions; in contrast, men were viewed as dominant over women and demonstrative of emotional stability. The characters initially appear to recognize said social construct of femininity as a vulnerability, thus seeking to separate themselves from femininity in order to achieve their ambitions.
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In doing so, however, Shakespeare reveals the flaws of extreme masculinity, such as in Macbeth’s downfall resulting from his excessive ambition. Rather than creating a greater divide of femininity as weakness and masculinity as power, he inspects gender norms, where both masculine and feminine attributes are influential in the characters’ actions relative to their intentions. Ultimately, the plot fluctuates between ambition and compassion, kindred love and power, tears the established barrier dividing the two.
The characters assess their different traits and attitudes within a constant clash between masculinity expressed through ambition, power, and ruthlessness, and familial love, compassion, and kindness associated with femininity.
For instance, Lady Macbeth claims that Macbeth’s weakness is that his nature “is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness”. The motif of children and infants, frequently represented through the idea of “milk” acts as recurring imagery representative of feminine virtues such as purity and tenderness. Furthermore, as the plot progresses, Lady Macbeth summons evil spirits to “come to my woman’s breasts, and take my milk for gall”. The call of Lady Macbeth upon demonic spirits to take away her reproductive ability to produce milk demonstrates the deep desire she feels in order to expel all notions of femininity from her being. Additionally, Sandra Gilbert explains how, “Lady Macbeth is now no longer a conventional ‘lady’: because she has refused to behave as dutifully as her society suggests she should, she seems to become an inhuman creature, a dark parody of femaleness whose blood is too ‘thick’ and clotted for menstrual fertility and whose maternal milk is bitter, dangerous, galling” . The given examination of Lady Macbeth’s detachment from her innate feminine nature highlights the debilitating shortcomings women were subjected to as a result of masculine glorification. By presenting the attributes of affection and solicitude as maternal instincts, Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manliness by attributing such femininity to his character.
Shakespeare furthers the discussion of discord between masculine and feminine ideals through the male perspective of Macduff. As the Thane of Fife, Macduff, discovers the gruesome murder of his family ensued by Macbeth, he retreats into a state of emotional instability, causing him to exclaim that he “could play the woman with mine eyes” (Macbeth 4.3.237). Such an overt expression of emotion is interpreted as a feminine facet, portraying women as frail and emotionally disturbed. Malcolm urges Macduff to “dispute it like a man” which further adds to the belief that taking physical action and fighting for one's honor are attitudes belonging to that of a true man (Macbeth 4.3.225). The lack of appropriate masculine traits would immobilize Macduff from fighting against Macbeth, thus demonstrating an overreliance on feminine traits resulting in an ill-fated demise. If Macduff had indeed “play[ed] the woman” and engulfed himself to grief, he would have failed to achieve his desire to destroy Macbeth, suggesting that feminine traits are equivalent to weakness and must be rejected if one hopes to succeed. As a result, the characters are left to deal with the strife between love and power, feminine and 'masculine' emotional influences within their inner psyche, pursuing to restrict the vulnerabilities that arise from both sides.
Since the relinquishment of womanhood must be achieved to attain true power, characters seek to free themselves from their feminine identity. Lady Macbeth is the most explicit example of such, as she sequentially lets go of her womanly conditions, attempting to replace them with robust, masculine stances instead. For instance, as Macbeth admits that he doubts whether killing Duncan is necessary, Lady Macbeth berates him, asserting:
“I have given suck, and know; How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me; I would, while it was smiling in my face; Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums; And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn as you; Have done this.” (Macbeth 1.7.55-59)
Lady Macbeth deliberately opens by portraying a virtuous, comforting description, using once again the imagery of a pure child, so that her brutal destruction of the babe highlights the absolute terror of the act through the juxtaposition with the introductory maternal description. To achieve this effect, Shakespeare uses the verbs “pluck’d” and “dash’d” as violent and graphic descriptors, quickly shattering the tenderness of the image described immediately before. Through such diction, Lady Macbeth is demonstrating how her own masculinity is superior to that of Macbeth, who lacks the courage to murder Duncan; meanwhile, she harrowingly depicts committing infanticide with her own child “smiling in my face” (Macbeth 1.7.57). In such vile manipulation, she denies her femininity and replaces it with the ruthlessness that she demands from Macbeth, therefore ridiculing him as not manly enough. Another example of Lady Macbeth’s rejection of femininity occurs as she realizes the necessity of Duncan’s murder in Macbeth’s path to success; she again conjures evil beings to “unsex me here; And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full; Of direst cruelty” (Macbeth 1.5.30-39). Lady Macbeth forgoes her femininity with the intent to be made more like a man. Despite the societal glorification of masculine qualities, such as courage and ambition, Lady Macbeth rather refers to them as “direst cruelty,” expressing the dangers and negative results of masculine traits when taken to an extreme by commanding to be filled “from the crown to the toe top-full” with it.
In fact, Shakespeare doesn’t simply highlight the imputations and dangers of both gender influences, so rather, he introduces the reliance each gender must have on the other. Derek Cohen furthers the idea of gender subversion in relation to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, claiming:
“The equation of manliness with violence, a truism in the criticism of Macbeth, has a curious double edge. It is from Lady Macbeth that Macbeth himself takes his images of manliness. His fears and scruples, his anxious dependence on his wife's opinions bespeak a sensitive ‘femaleness’ in his own nature which is visibly belied by her brutality. We are left in gender limbo” (Samuel)
Hence, Macbeth’s actions, preceding his seize of power, are a direct result of his wife’s ruthless portrayal of a true man. However, the reconciliation between gender roles can be seen when reexamining the interaction in which Malcolm tells Macduff to “dispute it like a man” (Macbeth 4.3.225). Macduff’s response that he “must also feel it as a man,” is instinctively viewed as feminine, as he is refusing to handle the situation in a valiant, proactive manner because he must first address the loss of his family (Macbeth 4.3.228). Through such acknowledgment, he is testifying that feeling and emotional distress are not exclusively feminine traits, but prevalent in men as well. Thus, Shakespeare utilizes Macduff to deny the distinct feminine and masculine identities portrayed throughout the play, therefore breaking the divide between what is perceived as masculine and feminine. Although Macduff ultimately decides to avenge the wrongdoings of Macbeth, complying with the dauntless attitude expected of him by Malcolm, he first takes the time to lament the death of his family; both familial love and manly courage are present in his actions, demonstrating the idea that masculinity and femininity can exist harmoniously.
The comprehensive representation of femininity and masculinity, in terms of familial love and ambition, initially suggests that the feminine capacity of devotion and meekness prevent characters from achieving power, thus requiring them to dismiss their feminine inclinations and to seek to become more manly. However, the shortcomings of depending solely on masculinity to achieve significant power become evident through Lady Macbeth’s inability to manage such power and Macbeth's obtained power rendered trivial due to his lack of familial ties. The multi-faceted character development presents the interchangeability of both gender roles in the characters' actions during distinct moments, according to their motives and objectives, leading to the necessity of a precise balance between femininity and masculinity and between familial love and power. Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare shatters the clear divide between feminine intuition and masculine superiority, to suggest a complex codependency between masculinity and femininity in which the two natures require one another for peace.
Works Cited
Macbeth’s Downfall As Result From His Excessive Ambition. (2024, Feb 16). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/macbeth-s-downfall-as-result-from-his-excessive-ambition-essay
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