Macbeth: Gender Roles In The Elizabethan Era

In the Elizabethan Era, gender set both restrictions and standards that people had to ‘supposedly’ follow. Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ has its characters free of such constraints, letting them defy what it means to be a man or woman. The theme of gender roles and ideals of masculinity in the play ‘Macbeth’ are crucial to the plot advancement and development of characters. This can be observed in the gender roles within Lady Macbeth, the gender roles within Macbeth, and how the gender roles impact the plot and character growth.

Firstly, despite being a woman, Lady Macbeth strongly portrays both masculine and feminine characteristics. When introduced, Lady Macbeth is reading the letter that her husband had sent for her. Though it was mentioned …show more content…
At first, Macbeth is made out to be a very solid character/person; a man of greatness with almost Godlike powers on the battlefield. However, it is seen in Lady Macbeth’s response to his letter that he is only cruel on the battlefield, that he is actually a kind and good man. In order to get him to comply with her plan to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth takes advantage of Macbeth’s poor mental state (from lack of sleep) and questions his manliness by asking “(quote about questioning his manliness)” forcing him to participate. This gives us the theme of ‘Appearance vs Reality’ and ‘Role Reversal’, with Lady Macbeth being the more dominant one in the relationship; calling the shots and Macbeth being submissive, acting as what can be described as her pawn. This also develops Macbeth’s character and the plot because it shows that though he may be strong on the battlefield, he may not be so mentally, and it will affect his decision-making further down the line. Gender roles can also be found within Macbeth in the power he acquires when becoming king and how it changes his previous submissiveness. When Macbeth assumed the throne, he gained a surge of power and confidence. This can be seen when he meets the witches for the second time “(Act4, Scene 1, pg3, 50-62)”. In Macbeth’s initial encounter with the witches, he …show more content…
Macbeth’s lack of mental strength (uncharacteristic of men in the Elizabethan era and seen more often in women) early in the play as seen in the quote: “(quote about how Macbeth kills sleep)” was key to foreshadowing his unstableness as a king. This, along with the role reversal played by Lady Macbeth of her becoming the lead figure in their marriage, aided in the advancement of the plot. If Lady Macbeth did not impose her strong will on the ‘weaker willed’ Macbeth, the King would not have been killed and therefore the story would cease. Later on, Lady Macbeth’s masculine traits begin to fade as she starts to feel guilty and worry; she is returning to the woman that she once was. This can be recognized as the gender roles coming full circle because when Macbeth fights his final battle against Macduff, he says “(I am not surrendering)” , showing that he still is the same man (at heart) that he was at the beginning of the play. This provokes pathos in the audience and finalizes Macbeth’s character because it gives the audience the idea that he never really wanted to be in this situation (as king) and was only so due to pressure from his wife and the witches. The gender roles and role-reversal performed by Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are fundamental for play, without them many important events would not have