Macbeth is a Scottish tale and tragedy about a husband-and-wife, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who are hungry for power doing any and everything to achieve it. This tragedy is set around the 11th century in Scotland during the medieval times. The play writer William Shakespeare uses the theme of masculinity to teach about the complexity of the characters in this play. Shakespeare ties idea of manliness in Macbeth with strength, power, physical courage, and force of will. Characters throughout the play use the idea of masculinity to push one another into action, manipulating the idea of masculinity, to help themselves in some fashion. Shakespeare shows Macbeths lack of manhood, lady Macbeths overpowering manliness, and how these rolls switch as their relationship changes. Throughout the story the theme masculinity helps to get a better in depth view of the characters and their motives.
Macbeth begins with a firm grasp on his views of masculinity. He shows that he embraces morals and strength when he states, "I dare do all that may
…show more content…
One of her first lines is “come, you spirits that tend on moral thoughts, unsex me here” (Act 1, Scene 5). She is here stating that she wishes she were more masculine enabling her to kill the king Duncan herself. If the spirits unsex her, she won't be disturbed by a woman's sympathy or remorse. She will be a cruel killer, like a man. However, she does show a sliver of femininity when she enters Duncan’s sleeping chamber and cannot kill Duncan because he looks like her father. As Lady Macbeth goes on throughout the play she shows her masculinity, an example is after Banquos death when she tells those dining to leave that Macbeth is very sick. The dominating boldness of Lady Macbeth to prove herself an equal in the world of men brings about an unyielding inner strength that builds up and overflows onto her influence over other people, predominantly her husband,