The Contraception Of Women In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

During the Elizabethan era, society expected women to be subservient and dependent on men; hence, it was unthinkable for women to be anything else. In many ways, the witches and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth share similar circumstances since they contradict contemporary views at that time. Throughout the play, the women employ manipulating techniques to control Macbeth’s decisions regarding his future as King. However, the women experience vastly different fruits of their labour: the witches gain satisfaction from the chaos they create, and Lady Macbeth commits suicide because of her immense guilt. Since the witches are fictitious characters with unrealistic achievements, Macbeth explores the idea that the odds of success for women

This forecast sparks Macbeth’s ambition which takes over his conscience as he tries to achieve greatness at any cost. Despite having a healthy relationship with King Duncan, the witches provoke Macbeth to murder the King so he can take over the reins. Hence, they are one of the two parties responsible for Macbeth’s cunning actions. The other party, Lady Macbeth, pressures Macbeth to murder King Duncan by forcing him to think he is not “manly” enough. For example, just as Macbeth hesitates about committing the crime, Lady Macbeth asks him, “What beast was’t then / That made you break this enterprise to me? / When durst do it, then you were a man” (1.7.48-49). Lady Macbeth asks Macbeth what “beast” he was in the past when he had agreed to follow her plan to kill the king. She claims that Macbeth was more of a man than he is now by equating masculinity with a vicious “beast.” As a result, her remarks begin to manipulate Macbeth into thinking that killing the king will make him more “manly.” By questioning his “manhood,” Lady Macbeth increasingly coerces Macbeth into committing the crime. Ironically, murdering the king does the opposite of what Lady Macbeth projected for Macbeth since he experiences nervous breakdowns soon thereafter. Clearly, the witches and Lady Macbeth all share manipulating character traits that dominate Macbeth’s life. Contrary to societal views at the time, the

The witches stay consistent with their evil and dark attitude, and the audience does not witness them change. For instance, the witches cast a spell together, chanting, “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble” (4.1.10-11). Their chant alludes to the fact that Macbeth would face twice the trouble due to his earlier attempts to get the throne. Hence, they continue to warn Macbeth of his rise and fall and looming danger, even though they gain nothing from it. In other words, the witches are like puppet masters who control Macbeth’s actions to perform evil deeds that they may find amusing. Clearly, the witches are witches who stay the