Femininity In Macbeth Essay
1. The portrayals of masculinity and femininity in Shakespeare’s Macbeth challenge stereotypes of men and women because Lady Macbeth breaks many stereotypes about women. Lady Macbeth is the one who encourages Macbeth to murder Duncan so he will be the King and so that Banquo’s children won’t be on the throne. Lady Macbeth says, “What beast was’t, then, that made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” (I, vii, 55-58). In this quote, Lady Macbeth is telling her husband how to act while threatening his masculinity, claiming that if he does not go through with the murder, he is a coward. Lady Macbeth is the mastermind behind Duncan’s murder …show more content…
The portrayals of masculinity and femininity in Scotland PA challenge stereotypes of men and women because Pat is the one who convinces Joe to kill Duncan because of the drive thru idea. Pat is the crazy one as she is the one who doesn’t feel that guilty about the murder of Duncan and keeps covering up for Joe who seems more saddened and affected by his own actions. Just like in the novel, Pat is the mastermind behind it.
3. Notions of masculinity and femininity have improved since the writing of Macbeth in that with the movements about equality such as feminism, it’s inclusive of everyone. The conversation is being talked more about how men shouldn’t feel embarrassed to show emotion and how women have the same capabilities as men do and how double standards are bad and shouldn’t be enforced. Also, a lot of men have gotten better about notions of masculinity and femininity.
4. Notions of masculinity and femininity have remained constant when it comes to culture and tradition. In many cultures, there are very specific ideas about what is masculine and feminine. And in these cultures, when these standards are not met, individuals can be humiliated and excluded. For instance, in the Mexican culture there are certain expectations for women such as cooking well and cleaning and for men they have to be tough and the ones who
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Masculinity In Macbeth Essay
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Masculinity In Macbeth
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787 Words | 4 PagesIt’s no surprise, that Shakespeare’s Macbeth was clearly constructed as a rebellion against femininity roles of the time. During the Elizabethan era, women were raised to believe they were inferior to men since men obtained desired masculine qualities such as strength, and loyalty, whereas women were viewed as figures of hospitality (1; 6; 28-31). Obviously, not being tempted by the luxury of subservient women, William Shakespeare rebuked this twisted belief, applying that women deserve more respect than their kitchen tables.
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1959 Words | 8 Pages“Come, you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts,/unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/ Of dire cruelty” (1.5.41-44). Lady Macbeth is the personification of male dominance, ruthlessness and violence. She hopes that she could take control of all action. She yearns to be a man and her implication is that she is more masculine than Macbeth. Her drive and violent nature is more akin to men and their masculinity.
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851 Words | 4 PagesThe women in Macbeth are presented by Shakespeare to be powerful and ambitious which was unlike the typical views during Jacobean times. The playwright portrays Lady Macbeth and the witches to be highly influential to male characters in the play, which again contrasts the contemporary views to that time. Their ambition and power are demonstrated through the perversion of nature. This highlights the evil and immoral side, they possess. Shakespeare, however, presented Lady Macbeth and the witches to be manipulative and cunning, rather than violent like Macbeth was during the play.
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Robert Kimbrough's Macbeth: The Prisoner Of Gender
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