Unlike the Renaissance idea for men and women, Shakespeare challenges the idea of gender roles by portraying reversed positions for the characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in his play. Lady Macbeth defines a new age of women empowerment, breaking the Renaissance patriarchal hierarchy. Suddenly, after the death of Duncan, the roles are reversed, and Lady Macbeth is portrayed as the weaker character. We are introduced to Macbeth before he even appears on stage as this valiant, brave, and noble soldier on the battlefield but, behind closed doors, is a man who is brought to his knees by the powers of manipulation, and persuasion by the women of the play. It is from his wife, Lady Macbeth, that Macbeth gets this image of manliness. Macbeth is
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Lady Macbeth's cultural value generally included the sense that she is monstrous-she not only has crossed the boundaries of appropriate behavior for a wife and subject, she has called on demonic forces to help her achieve her goals (Thomas). Shakespeare did not take away her femininity, yet gave her consistency and ambition. We first see this switch in gender roles when Lady Macbeth proclaims her feelings towards having a baby. She would have “pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash'd the brains out” (I,vii,58). This shows how Lady Macbeth removes herself from her femininity. As a man, Lady Macbeth believes she could commit any act of horror to accommodate her needs. Still, she relies on Macbeth to commit the deed, proving to be still the weak female when it comes to the actual deed. She thinks of killing Duncan herself when she has the daggers in her hands, but holds back, saying, "Had he not resembled, My father as he slept, I had done 't"(II.ii.12-13). This indicates she had some sort of connection with her father that is trying to pull her to her femininity. Lady Macbeth thinks of herself as a woman who is greater than women and not only does she make herself “big” by her statements and acts, but Macbeth speaks of her as the great
Lady Macbeth's cultural value generally included the sense that she is monstrous-she not only has crossed the boundaries of appropriate behavior for a wife and subject, she has called on demonic forces to help her achieve her goals (Thomas). Shakespeare did not take away her femininity, yet gave her consistency and ambition. We first see this switch in gender roles when Lady Macbeth proclaims her feelings towards having a baby. She would have “pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash'd the brains out” (I,vii,58). This shows how Lady Macbeth removes herself from her femininity. As a man, Lady Macbeth believes she could commit any act of horror to accommodate her needs. Still, she relies on Macbeth to commit the deed, proving to be still the weak female when it comes to the actual deed. She thinks of killing Duncan herself when she has the daggers in her hands, but holds back, saying, "Had he not resembled, My father as he slept, I had done 't"(II.ii.12-13). This indicates she had some sort of connection with her father that is trying to pull her to her femininity. Lady Macbeth thinks of herself as a woman who is greater than women and not only does she make herself “big” by her statements and acts, but Macbeth speaks of her as the great