How Is Lady Macbeth A Misconception Of Power In Unsex

Lady Macbeth asks for supernatural help to “unsex” her but through the use of the imperative adverb “here” we learn that this is a demand. This highlights her misconception of power as her speech radiates control despite being the one who is asking for the “spirits” to help her. By asking to be “unsex(ed)” Lady Macbeth acknowledges the limitations of her gender which raises the question of why she would want to deviate from the traditional social norms in the first place? One can come to the conclusion that she fears being displaced from society as during this era a woman’s role was to serve her husband and provide him with children - the inability to do so meant one became disposed of and was often referred to as a “walking mort”. This interpretation suggests that Lady Macbeth fears her husband not deeming her vital to his life any more but through Lady Macbeth’s emasculating words - “when you durst do it then you were a man” - we learn that she actually feels betrayed by Macbeth and feels that her inability to bear a child is his fault, what angers her even more is the fact that she knows that he would never be held accountable for this as it was always seen as a woman's duty to bear children.