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Essay On Female Characters In Macbeth

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Social groups are always represented in a particular way, be it in daily life, advertising, movies or literature. Some representations are accurate and honest, while others reinforce stereotypes and marginalize the particular group. These representations are also in many of William Shakespeares works, for example the play Macbeth. Macbeth is set in the early 1600s during the English Renaissance. This was a time driven by a patriarchal society, Kingdoms run by Kings and defended by men. Women’s role on the other hand was to be a caring, loyal wife and mother. Any woman who did not conform to this role was ostracized and often called unnatural or a witch. In the play the main female characters are Lady Macbeth and the three weird sisters. It seems like the female characters are not significant enough to have their own name, but all 4 women have very powerful and strong roles. They control and manipulate Macbeth, but granted are represented as Witches and unnatural in doing so.

The first female characters …show more content…

She first appears when she receives a letter from Macbeth in Act 1 Scene 5. Her excitement to read the letter suggests Lady Macbeth is a loyal, loving wife who does nothing but await news from her husband. However as she processes the content of the letter, her character begins to change. Lady Macbeth understands what her husband is asking her to do and without any doubt decides to help him kill King Duncan. Yet she fears that Macbeth doesn’t actually have the nature to kill, because it is “too full o ' the milk of human kindness” (I.v.18) The milk refers to breast milk that all mothers provide for their children. This reinforces the stereotype that kindness and weakness are feminine qualities. To overcome these apparently inconvenient qualities, Lady Macbeth plans to “pour [her] spirits in [Macbeth’s] ear; and chastise […] all that impedes [him] from the golden round,” (I.v.27-29) when he

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