Macbeth by William Shakespeare is his shortest tragedy; however, it is also one of the most iconic. Macbeth’s dramatic downfall can be attributed to many things A popular theory is that Lady Macbeth pushes her husband to kill Duncan, which begins a downward spiral that results in the murders of those closest to Macbeth. Yet, the subtext of Macbeth indicates Lady Macbeth is not the catalyst for Macbeth’s downfall; a misogynistic society mixes with Macbeth’s façade of innocence to create a tyrant. To blame her for his actions would be ignorant to Macbeth’s true nature, and would completely ignore the mental stress forced upon Lady Macbeth by an oppressive society.
It is believed that Macbeth takes place in the eleventh century, a time period …show more content…
However, Lady Macbeth is anything but these things. She consistently holds her ground, she and Macbeth have no children, and she has plenty of ambition to succeed outside of the home. This brings forth many problems for Lady Macbeth, as it separates her from her peers, and casts her in a negative light. People who experience bullying and other forms of social exclusion can suffer from a variety of mental illnesses, in Lady Macbeth’s case she develops a severe case of gender dysphoria. She is ostracized for her natural traits based on her gender, thus associating her gender, and femininity in general, with weakness and the compromising of her own character. Gender dysphoria, a state common among transgendered individuals, takes hold; it goes far enough that all Lady Macbeth wants is a higher power to “unsex [her] here” (1.5.44). A state of dysphoria can drill a void in one’s life, as it does with Lady Macbeth. She works to fill her void with the power given to her by her high social standing. As her dysphoria grows, her desperation to fill the void grows as well, forcing her to seek out the kingship. She believes that if she obtains the crown she will finally be happy, …show more content…
The man everyone sees is not the man who orders his best friend and his son to be killed, the man who orders the slaughter of a woman and her child, and the man who kills a child on the battlefield. Those closest to Macbeth are blind to the monster underneath. Banquo attempts to uncover the malice, furthermore, his own wife does not sense the tyrant beneath her fingertips. Lady Macbeth tells her husband that in order to hide their murderous intentions from Duncan he must pretend to be “an innocent [unassuming] flower, [all the while being] the serpent under it” (1.5.72-73). Ironically, she does not realise that Macbeth perfected this practice long ago, so much so that he even has himself fooled. In fact, after Macbeth is named Thane of Cawdor, he thinks back to the witches’ prophecy, and his first thought is to kill Duncan in order to become the King of Scotland. However, at first he is taken aback at the idea that such a horrendous act came so naturally to his mind. Macbeth is confused because “If good, why [does he] yield to that suggestion” (1.3.144). This surprise can be understood further when Lady Macbeth is mulling over the idea of the possibility of Macbeth killing Duncan, but to her understanding he lacks the “illness [that] should attend” their ambitions of being King and Queen (1.5.19). Apparently, not a single person who knows Macbeth,
It is believed that Macbeth takes place in the eleventh century, a time period …show more content…
However, Lady Macbeth is anything but these things. She consistently holds her ground, she and Macbeth have no children, and she has plenty of ambition to succeed outside of the home. This brings forth many problems for Lady Macbeth, as it separates her from her peers, and casts her in a negative light. People who experience bullying and other forms of social exclusion can suffer from a variety of mental illnesses, in Lady Macbeth’s case she develops a severe case of gender dysphoria. She is ostracized for her natural traits based on her gender, thus associating her gender, and femininity in general, with weakness and the compromising of her own character. Gender dysphoria, a state common among transgendered individuals, takes hold; it goes far enough that all Lady Macbeth wants is a higher power to “unsex [her] here” (1.5.44). A state of dysphoria can drill a void in one’s life, as it does with Lady Macbeth. She works to fill her void with the power given to her by her high social standing. As her dysphoria grows, her desperation to fill the void grows as well, forcing her to seek out the kingship. She believes that if she obtains the crown she will finally be happy, …show more content…
The man everyone sees is not the man who orders his best friend and his son to be killed, the man who orders the slaughter of a woman and her child, and the man who kills a child on the battlefield. Those closest to Macbeth are blind to the monster underneath. Banquo attempts to uncover the malice, furthermore, his own wife does not sense the tyrant beneath her fingertips. Lady Macbeth tells her husband that in order to hide their murderous intentions from Duncan he must pretend to be “an innocent [unassuming] flower, [all the while being] the serpent under it” (1.5.72-73). Ironically, she does not realise that Macbeth perfected this practice long ago, so much so that he even has himself fooled. In fact, after Macbeth is named Thane of Cawdor, he thinks back to the witches’ prophecy, and his first thought is to kill Duncan in order to become the King of Scotland. However, at first he is taken aback at the idea that such a horrendous act came so naturally to his mind. Macbeth is confused because “If good, why [does he] yield to that suggestion” (1.3.144). This surprise can be understood further when Lady Macbeth is mulling over the idea of the possibility of Macbeth killing Duncan, but to her understanding he lacks the “illness [that] should attend” their ambitions of being King and Queen (1.5.19). Apparently, not a single person who knows Macbeth,