William Shakespeare’s Macbeth charts the rise and fall of a contemplative and zealous Scottish official, Macbeth. This tragedy tells the tale of a warrior who receives a prophecy that he will one day become the king of Scotland. Consumed by paranoia and directed by his overly ambitious wife, Macbeth became convinced to believe that regicide was the only key to seizing the throne. Initially, Macbeth demonstrated masculine qualities such as bravery and heroism, but as the play proceeds, he begins to reveal feminine attributes that deviates him from the standard male role in society. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, gradually loses her restraint on the bonds of orthodox values. The nontraditional roles that are played among the male and female individuals play an important theme in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth gives the impression of playing the dominant individual among her relationship with her husband. When she reads Macbeth’s letter in Act III, she reprimands her husband for being too soft and kind. She claims that Macbeth is “too full o' th' milk of human kindness” and reaches a conclusion that she must be the one to push her husband toward his prophecy: “Hie thee …show more content…
When Banquo and Macbeth encounter the Three Witches for the first time, Banquo was not able to distinguish the gender of the witches, not only because of their facial features, but also their attire and behavior. He remarks to the group, “You should be women/ And yet your beards forbid me to interpret/ That you are so” (I.III. ). This just shows the high prejudice values that society had during the medieval times. When Hecate is introduced in Act V, she brings upon a new meaning to feminine characteristics. It is revealed that despite the course of action that Macbeth and his wife has chosen for themselves, it was ultimately all controlled by the hands of Hecate, a female
In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth gives the impression of playing the dominant individual among her relationship with her husband. When she reads Macbeth’s letter in Act III, she reprimands her husband for being too soft and kind. She claims that Macbeth is “too full o' th' milk of human kindness” and reaches a conclusion that she must be the one to push her husband toward his prophecy: “Hie thee …show more content…
When Banquo and Macbeth encounter the Three Witches for the first time, Banquo was not able to distinguish the gender of the witches, not only because of their facial features, but also their attire and behavior. He remarks to the group, “You should be women/ And yet your beards forbid me to interpret/ That you are so” (I.III. ). This just shows the high prejudice values that society had during the medieval times. When Hecate is introduced in Act V, she brings upon a new meaning to feminine characteristics. It is revealed that despite the course of action that Macbeth and his wife has chosen for themselves, it was ultimately all controlled by the hands of Hecate, a female