Exploration Of Gender Roles In Shakespeare's Macbeth '

Literary Essay: Macbeth What does it truly mean to be a woman? In the 11th century Scotland, a woman must either be an elegant lady, a loving wife, or even a damsel in distress when crises arise. By being all three of these women at once, Lady Macbeth becomes the focus of the exploration of female gender roles in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. She shows that no matter how strong or “masculine” a woman is outwardly, words will always be her only weapon and her dominance in her household cannot be shown in the society, and that trying to break out of gender stereotypes will only lead to one’s ultimate failure and downfall. This can be seen explicitly through her interaction with the men in the play and her final death. As Lady Macbeth makes her debut …show more content…
However, when women try to break out of their gender stereotypes, they end up failing completely. In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth gives a powerful speech on wanting to rid herself of her womanly parts to become more strong and cruel. She uses phrases such as “unsex me here” (1.5.l 40) and “fill me… [with] direst cruelty” and “make thick my blood” (1.5.ll 41-42), showing that she not only wants to stop being a woman physically, but also wants to become more masculine at heart. She even goes to the extremes of saying that she wants her breastmilk to be turned to “gall” (1.5.ll 46-47). At this point, it is made clear that Lady Macbeth is determined to break out of her stereotype as a weak woman. Another example of her attempt at being stronger and more cruel is when she tells Macbeth that “a little water clears [them] of this deed” (2.2.l 67) after he murders Duncan. It may seem as if she is truly more manly than Macbeth at the moment. However, later on in Act 5 Scene 1, Lady Macbeth starts to lose her mind over the immense guilt she has been carrying. She starts talking to herself, asking “will [my] hands ne’er be clean?” (5.1.l 39) and claiming that “all the perfume of Arabia will not sweeten [her] little hand.” (5.1.ll 44-45) This contrasts greatly with what she previously said light-heartedly after Duncan’s murder, showing how she is actually unable to handle the consequences of her own actions and that she is still only a woman at heart. To ass to her madness, she uses many repetition of words in her speech, especially repeating the words “come” for four times and “to bed” up to five times before going to sleep (5.1.ll 58-60). Lastly, her insanity comes to an end as she ends her own life in Act 5 Scene 5 (5.5.l 16). Although the details of her death were not given, it is clear that her guilt has finally consumed her and that she could not handle