ipl-logo

Examples Of Societal Pressure In Macbeth

993 Words4 Pages

Societal Pressures and how it affects people “Few people can resist doing what is universally expected of them. This invisible pressure is more difficult to stand against than individual tyranny.” ~ Charles Dudley Warner. The most dangerous hidden aspects of society; the invisible pressure that everyone faces as a result of others, and the consequences if they deviate from the normal. William Shakespeare, the man who is regarded as the greatest English writer of all time, showcases and highlights in his play Macbeth the way societal pressures are represented through the general view on masculinity, femininity and how gender roles influence the decisions of Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. Societal pressures cause people to make decisions …show more content…

In Act II Scene II, when Macbeth kills King Duncan, it is to fulfil his duty as a man by pursuing his ambition. However, by killing the king, he has set the precedent that any ambitious man who wishes to become king and can attain that role by killing the current king, must do so otherwise they are not a man. This dangerous paradigm set by Macbeth ties in to much of his paranoia and is the reason for his tyranny; he is afraid other people will kill him to go after the crown so he acts ruthless and stomps out any possible conflicts before they even have a chance to happen. Furthermore, In Act I Scene VII, Macbeth says "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on th' other." (Line XXV) This highlights Macbeth’s ambition to become king as a consequence of the societal views on what it means to be a man and to be masculine; in order to be a real man, at times, they must commit violent acts to satiate their …show more content…

By following the “duty” of his gender role society set for him, he commits atrocious acts (murder) and slowly falls to insanity as he is consumed by the paranoia of being killed for his crown. Macbeth shows the reason for his actions was because his pride and his masculinity were worth more than his conscience; to Macbeth, death is better than sacrificing his pride. Since how masculinity is defined and his role as a man is chosen by society, Macbeth's actions are merely an unfortunate result of the expectations society set for him. Given Macbeth’s situation, any man who viewed their honour and masculinity as first priority would have done the same; to them, letting go of their masculinity is akin to

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Masculinity In Macbeth

    1305 Words  | 6 Pages

    Masculinity as Portrayed by Shakespeare in Macbeth Macbeth, one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays, based on true events in Scottish history, describes the descent into tyranny through which the title character, Macbeth, goes. Throughout this play, Shakespeare promotes the strict gender roles of his society, using the motif of masculinity. By doing so, he implies that to conform to the standards that have always been in place, is far more beneficial than to question these standards in order to support change. Shakespeare depicts Lady Macbeth’s divergence from femininity and strong ambition in a negative light by using metaphors and connotations. She is often assuming traditionally masculine traits, like ambition, to advance in society

    Read More

  • The Responsibility Of Duncan's Ambition In Macbeth

    443 Words  | 2 Pages

    Having a strong desire to rule, Macbeth is extremely ambitious. His ambition outweighs any other quality, making it undesirable. Nothing would stand in the way of Macbeth’s success once he set his mind towards something. Macbeth doesn’t have any reason why should kill King Duncan. As he is talking with himself trying to get one, the only reason to go through with the plan is because of his ambition getting in the way.

    Read More

  • Comparing Masculinity In Pain By Geoffrey Canada And Macbeth By William Shakespeare

    750 Words  | 3 Pages

    Towards the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth criticizes Macbeth for being nervous to kill Duncan by saying, “Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life/And live a coward in thine own esteem (Shakespeare I.vii. 43-49). Lady Macbeth starts to manipulate Macbeth by saying that he is not a man, but rather a coward, which Macbeth takes it to heart and tries to reach her expectation of being a man. Macbeth tries to hide his sensitivity and prove Lady Macbeth wrong by killing Duncan. Moreover, Macbeth tries to prove his masculinity even more during a dinner where he thinks he sees Banquo.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Power In Macbeth

    564 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth labels Macbeth a coward and makes fun of his manhood by claiming he is too kind to do the job. After Macbeth objects, Lady Macbeth exclaims “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (I.vii.49-51). Using these words, Lady Macbeth brings out the competitive and sexist nature in Macbeth. Macbeth refuses to be underestimated and appear weak in front of others. Furthermore, Macbeth’s initial objection suggests his free will.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Masculinity In Macbeth

    1394 Words  | 6 Pages

    Lady Macbeth presents herself as a strong, driven, and ambitious woman who is ready to do what it takes to gain power and influence. This is shown when she instructs Macbeth to “Leave all the rest to me.” (1.5.71) as she takes the leadership of a gruesome action from her husband. Lady Macbeth even feels these masculine-presenting traits enough to question the masculinity of others, which is seen when she tells Macbeth that he was acting like a child by saying “the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures; ‘tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil.” (2.2.53-55) after he expressed his guilt.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Peer Pressure In Macbeth

    388 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gael Garcia-Flores Mr. McDaniel Honors English 2 21 April 2023 The Peered Pressured King The play “Macbeth” by English playwright William Shakespeare Is heavy on the topics of manipulation and peer pressure. The concept Is found all throughout Act 1 of the story.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In Macbeth Essay

    1372 Words  | 6 Pages

    but is then cast aside by her husband at the end. Shakespeare thus presents masculinity in both a positive and negative light. In Act 1, Shakespeare presents Macbeth with admired masculine qualities countered with Lady Macbeth criticising his idiosyncrasies. Lady Macbeth’s definition of a man is disparate to others’.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Femininity In Macbeth And Lord Of The Flies

    917 Words  | 4 Pages

    The traditional portrayal of manhood is often validated by a man's willingness to commit atrocities to assert dominance. With the witches' destined prophecies, Macbeth knew he would have to commit treason for him to become king. When Macbeth begins to doubt his ability to take action, Lady Macbeth outrageously belittles his masculinity: “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (Shakespeare 1.7.49). She knew her action would influence Macbeth to prove himself as a man, that he could accomplish such acts without being seemingly weak. To protect his pride in being a courageous man, Macbeth had no choice but to prove others wrong so that he can feel superior to others.

    Read More

  • External Forces In Macbeth

    967 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lady Macbeth uses the tactic of belittling him about his manhood. Implying that he is not a man unless he does what she asks. She offers him to ease the burden of this crime. Not only does Lady Macbeth and the witches have an impact on Macbeth, he also is the last one to accept his poor choices he will make to lead him to the failure he

    Read More

  • Role Of Masculinity In Macbeth

    434 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this time a man’s masculinity was all that he had and for someone to question it would have almost forced the man to prove himself. In the twenty first century this same idea of being a masculine man still exist. If someone questions a man’s masculinity they most often seek to prove them wrong or prove that they are hyper masculine. In reality Macbeth had no choice to be aggressive because aggression and violence are what identified someone as being a true man, without these traits Macbeth would have been demasculinized. His pride, self-worth, and ambition would not allow that to happen, therefore, to prove himself as a man he killed his friends to meet his own self desires and ended up paying the price for his ambitious

    Read More

  • Hunger For Power In Macbeth

    760 Words  | 4 Pages

    Macbeth’s impatience for power leads to drastic actions. He murders the king in the belief that “this blow might be the be-all and end-all” (1.7.5). This assassination could never “trammel up the consequence” (1.7.2-3), as Macbeth believes, but only leads to more trouble. Although Macbeth seizes the throne, Macbeth had to betray his loyalty to the king whose “virtues will plead like angels” (1.7.18-19), and his morality has paid the price. Macbeth has now lost all sense of what honor is by using such dishonest ways to become king.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Masculinity In Macbeth

    662 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a play concerning the desire for power and the developing insanity that follows. Often Lady Macbeth rejects any raw emotion from Macbeth including reactions that were tied to femininity. Lady Macbeth abuses her power over Macbeth to manipulate him by challenging his masculinity. Any signs of sensitivity or remorse were cast aside and were regenerated with deranged reactions because that was more socially acceptable. The toxic masculinity strongly enforced by social standards and more so by Lady Macbeth results in Macbeth acquiring some demented characteristics.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In Macbeth And Things Fall Apart

    544 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth feels pressure to prove his masculinity to Lady Macbeth, who questions his courage and manhood when he hesitates to murder King Duncan for the throne. This pressure drives Macbeth to kill not only Duncan--but also his closest friends and allies in his pursuit of power. As the play progresses, Macbeth's increasing paranoia and guilt over his actions further entrench his belief that he must maintain his masculinity at all costs. This would ultimately be Macbeth's

    Read More

  • Internal And External Forces In Macbeth

    1241 Words  | 5 Pages

    “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion[killing Duncan]/Whose horrid image doth unify my hair” (I, III, 144-145). This quote indicates that the force of ambition is so strong within Macbeth that even he himself cannot understand why it is making him think of killing Duncan. Likewise, Macbeth’s ambition to become king is further emphasized after Duncan names his son Malcolm as his successor. Here, Macbeth says that he will have to “oerleap,/For in my way it [Malcolm] it lies” (I, III, 55-57).

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth's Personality

    819 Words  | 4 Pages

    She goads Macbeth and convinces him to murder King Duncan. During this period of time Lady Macbeth’s masculine traits are at their peak, as she states “That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,” (Act 1, Scene). This phrase is vital in Lady Macbeth’s character development as it emphasizes the masculinity that she portrays. As contemporary audiences are much more open minded about gender equality, are the dominance of Lady Macbeth in the relationship between her and Macbeth is not surprising.

    Read More

More about Examples Of Societal Pressure In Macbeth

Open Document