Gender Roles In Macbeth

Colors can be deceiving. Lady Macbeth transforms from red to white as she goes from taking control of Macbeth and her own masculinity, to feeling remorseful and being less aggressive in her state of being. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, color imagery is used to highlight the transformation in Lady Macbeth’s character and gender role. Towards the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth orders Macbeth around to kill Duncan and prevent others from seeings the horrid crime that they committed. By the end of the play, Lady Macbeth tries to become pure and change her colors by washing away her dirty deeds. Her gender role transforms from being very masculine to not as much, as she reflects on the devastation that she has caused to many different …show more content…
when one surpasses gender roles to fulfill their motives, they can be successful.
In “Sleep No More”, Lady Macbeth mocks the masculinity of Macbeth and becomes more aggressive through color imagery in order to kill Duncan and switch her gender role. As Lady Macbeth takes control and orders Macbeth around gaining a masculine position, she asserts her power over him. Lady Macbeth mocked Macbeth as she yelled at him to, “Go get some water / And wash this filthy witness from your hand” (2.2. 60-61), to prevent others from knowing about their dirty deed. Lady Macbeth points out the messiness and lack of confidence in Macbeth because he had the “filthy witness” of blood on his hand, putting his confidence and masculinity in carrying out a plan into question. Lady Macbeth then goes on to highlight the problems with Macbeth’s intentions, taking control and becoming successful in forcing Macbeth to cover up the murder of Duncan. Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to understand that, “My hands are of your color, but I shame / To wear a heart so white.” (2.2. 82-83), illuminating the cowardliness of Macbeth and the growing aggression of Lady Macbeth. Lady