Similarities Between Macbeth And James Barry

Leadership presents itself in funny ways. It is not always at the hand of a king that the unwavering bravery of leadership is seen. Sometimes the most powerful leaders are not leading people, but instead leading by example. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a perfect example of this. Macbeth, though brave, was not a good leader by any standards but his own. The Macbeths might not have have been the best leaders, but a man by the name of James Barry and his friends certainly were. So how do these two relate? Well, Lady Macbeth and Dr. James Barry both share a common characteristic of leadership, masculinity, but less seen in their time is the rejection of their sex and time appropriate gender roles that they both so strongly express. This is what makes …show more content…
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have one of the most secretive, plotted, and calculated relationships recorded. The entire Macbeth play revolves around how well the Macbeths can keep a secret and deceive their company. Ultimately, without knowing it, Lady Macbeth fails at concealing what she and Macbeth have done. This happens in the famous sleepwalking scene, where her internalized guilt and worry shines through, revealing her murderous secret to the doctor and castle worker. As for the rest of the play, she wears a mask thicker than tar. Her deceptiveness is shown early on in the play, when in Act I, Scene 5, Macbeth tells her of the prophecy, and Lady Macbeth tells him to not worry, to leave it to her. Shortly after, Macbeth leaves and Duncan enters. Instead of telling Duncan what he wants to know, Lady Macbeth leads him around in circles without flaw. This leads Duncan to have to ask multiple times where Macbeth is: “Where’s the Thane of Cawdor?” and “Give me your hand. [Taking her hand.] Conduct me to mine host,” he finally gives up, and takes her hand, forcing his point across, so Lady MacBeth must give in (1.6.25, 36-7). James expressed his masculinity more strongly through secrets and deception than Lady Macbeth. He used harsh masculinity as a barrier to keep people away from him. Even in social organizations, where bonding is almost key for success, Barry found ways to avoid it, as seen here: “She avoided the camaraderie of the army men,” even today, military members are referenced as brothers and sisters, Barry wanted no part of this (James Barry Biography). He also avoided the social aspect of military life by avoiding group homes: “Dr. Barry thus avoided living in the barracks and moved into his own bungalow with his servant and his dog,” he lived with very few people, the exception being his servant John and his various dogs all named Psyche, who were his constant companions