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Masculinity In The Character Of Lady Macbeth

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In present-day society, it seems that men tend to be more domineering and manipulative than women. However, if women developed more masculine-like qualities, society would be different. In Shakespeare 's tragic play Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth, is a symbolic character who starts as a domineering and ambitious woman manipulates her husband to kill King Duncan. However, she develops different characteristics towards the end of the play, and slowly transitioned from a malevolent woman to a character who displays feminine-like attributes. She shows contrasting features during the play such as femininity and masculinity; ruthlessness and guilt; and influence and ignorance. Lady Macbeth is a powerful character who brings great conflict to the play. Even though her dominance seems like her main characteristic for her masculinity, her ambition to become queen is also compelling. It is obvious in the play that she manipulates Macbeth and finds devious techniques to reach her goal. She quotes: And chastise with the valour of my tongue. (1.5, 28-33) When she says this, she implies that she is going to manipulate him so he can take action to earn his title as King. The speech establishes Lady Macbeth’s dominance, which is an essential quality for a man in a normal relationship, but in this case the situation has switched. Lady Macbeth also thinks Macbeth is too loyal, and has great fear over the consequences of getting caught after killing King Duncan. Therefore, she finds

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