Macbeth
In Shakespeare's era, women possessed few political and private rights. Renaissance women were expected to remain silent, avoid political discussions, and stick to the duties of their husbands' households. Men were considered higher morally, intellectually, and physically, and women were subjugated to the will of men. Men were also considered more ambitious, firm, decisive, lucid, and refined than women of the time. In Macbeth, this world of male-dominance is both displayed and challenged through the characters of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Macduff, and Lady Macduff-the text introduces two opposite realities which lead to the question of what it means to be a man. In the beginning of the play, before Duncan's murder, Macbeth is portrayed as a very masculine character-at least by the soldiers from the battlefield. Duncan refers to him as a "valiant cousin" and "worthy gentleman" (1.2.24) who, according to the Captain, "with his brandished steel/Which smoked with bloody execution,/Like Valour's minion carved out his passage..." (1.2.17-19). Macbeth's manliness cannot be questioned on the battlefield; Duncan and his men have no reason to suspect Macbeth of anything. Macbeth's marriage to Lady Macbeth is a unique one, because of
For the most part, the characters in Macbeth do not fit the clear-cut gender roles that fit Shakespeare's world. Instead, the characters each displayed traits of the opposite sex. Lady Macbeth's and the witches' masculinity conquered that of Macbeth's, which led to the murder of Duncan and ultimately the fall of Macbeth himself. Macduff and Lady Macduff's marriage, however, is quite the opposite. Lady Macduff assumes her political and private womanly duties of the time just as Lady Macbeth liberates herself of them. The epitome of a woman of her time, Lady Macduff is a truly domestic woman with two children whom she loves dearly. It is ironic that she was murdered in her own home, because she probably did not venture out of it into the political world, or any other. Her loyalty to her husband is undeniable; honest and pure, in control of her own destiny, she stands for love and for him. When compared to Macbeth, Macduff displays more of the male-oriented qualities of the time. While Macbeth succumbs to the pressures of his wife and the weird sisters, Macduff stands up for himself like a man. Upon hearing the news of his murdered wife and children, Macduff is grief stricken. Malcolm encourages
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Approximate Word count = 819
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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