Examples Of Manhood In Macbeth

During this time period in which Macbeth was written, men hold all of the power. Whether it is in family, church or war, they are expected to carry out this strong, manly persona. In the play, Shakespeare depicts this manhood across the entire play but not necessarily in Macbeth. This image of manliness, as shown by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, does not have to come from within a man, but from someone who is capable of getting the job done when no one else is there or willing to, whether it be man or woman. I believe, that in this play, Lady Macbeth expresses the manliness in times that her husband lacks that quality. She steps up to the plate and delivers a strong and brave facade. Though her efforts to stand in place of her husband are sometimes shot down, Lady Macbeth is the face of breaking gender roles in this play. The concept of manliness in this play, paves the way for the doings of the Macbeths. Because of this unique form of manhood, being shown by a female, Lady Macbeth is able to nitpick her husband, unlike any other woman during this time. In this specific scene of the play, Macbeth is reflecting on his thoughts on killing Duncan. …show more content…
Macduff enters the Macbeth estate and finds something we he had not hoped to see, Duncan dead. Macbeth and his wife of course know about this and they put on the perfect act. Lady Macbeth enters the scene very fragile as would any woman and when she begins to ask what is going on in her household, Macduff shoots down her efforts by stating: “O gentle lady/‘Tis not for you to hear what I can speak/The repetition in a woman’s ear/Would murder as it fell.” (67) Here, Macduff is telling Lady Macbeth that if she were hear what is going, it may figuratively kill her. Little does Macduff know, she isn’t your average woman. He says this quote, in knowledge that no woman is tough enough to endure this type of