Lady Macbeth Femininity Quotes

Words: 1275
Pages: 6
Open Document
In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth takes on the role of a tragic hero through his embodiment of several common tragic traits. His wife, Lady Macbeth, brings about her husband’s downfall by encouraging destructive behavior that only magnifies Macbeth’s tragic flaws of pride and greed. Her desire for power prompts her interest in controlling Macbeth’s actions. From this, it results in an inadequate adjustment of their relationship. This triggers different characteristics and emotions from each character. Macbeth embodies the concept of a tragic hero due to Lady Macbeth’s manipulation of him specifically in regards to her questioning of Macbeth’s manhood, use of guilt to push Macbeth to act, and flaunting of femininity in …show more content…
Through this Lady Macbeth becomes a villain; she is ambitious about Macbeth getting over the fact that he assassinates Duncan. “Lady Macbeth’s ‘evil’ is… an ideologically inscriber notion that is often linked in our literary tradition to strong female characters who seek power, who reject filial loyalty as prior to self- loyalty, and who pursue desire in all its forms- romantic, adulterate, authoritarian, and even violent” (Hutcheon 22). Lady Macbeth portrays a character of a villain which results in her strong need for power. She seeks to be more of a man and wants Macbeth to commit the crime. She can be romantic with Macbeth but also can be violent. Her manliness is a desire for the actions to be …show more content…
“...To be ‘manly’ is to be aggressive, daring, bold, resolute, and strong, especially in the face of death, whether giving or receiving. To be ‘womanly’ is to be gentle, fearful, pitying, wavering, and soft, a condition often signified by tears. That machismo was a positive cultural virtue in Shakespeare’s day is what gives point to Lady Macbeth’s strikes against her husband” (Kimbrough 177). Macbeth fits into the category of “womanly”. He is fearing of the consequences of the murder and is wavering over how to perpetrate the crime without receiving punishment. He is soft in the sense that he does not accomplish the crime that instant. He ponders over the scene and thinks deep into the situation and reflects on if he should finish the deed. Lady Macbeth is daring to engage the crime; she is aggressive of the situation and knows how to take care of it. She immediately gives it back to Macbeth and pushes for him to be like
Show More

Related Documents: Lady Macbeth Femininity Quotes

Gender Roles In The Medieval Period

setting of Macbeth, is no exception. The dynamic of the relationships between opposite sexes, specifically Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, allows the audience to experience traits and actions that would be unfathomable during that time period, thus emphasizing the juxtaposition that is apparent in their relationship, even as it evolves. Subservient. Oppressed. Women in the Medieval Period were assumed to embody these traits and live in their husband’s shadow. As a noblewoman, Lady Macbeth was more involved…

Words 266 - Pages 2

Powerful Women In Shakespeare's Literature

supportive, motherly and gracious. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth continuously show how unconventional and odd she is comparing to all the women in Shakespeare's other writings. Unlike her husband, she lacks all humanity. For instance, Lady Macbeth persistently criticizes her husband for his cowardness and lack of courage. When Macbeth lost his courage of killing the king, she said: “ Was the hope drunk, wherein you dressed yourself”(1.7.39-41). Lady Macbeth started to question Macbeth’s manhood by claiming…

Words 544 - Pages 3

Gender And Power In Macbeth

Relationship between Gender and Power in Macbeth In Macbeth, William Shakespeare focuses on the association of gender and power. This idea is the subject of many themes throughout the play, making it an important component in the tragedy. While men use power as a force to impart their will, women use it to manipulate, and this sometimes leads to their own detriment as in the case of Lady Macbeth. Throughout the play, Shakespeare shows how masculinity and femininity are forms of power in this time period…

Words 660 - Pages 3

Essay about Macbeth: United Kingdom and Lady Macbeth Test

as it did that once, but that does not stop them from persistently trying to fulfill their craving; they need it. Lady Macbeth’s insatiable need for power causes constant uproar throughout the play of Macbeth through lies, injustice, and death. Abraham Lincoln once said “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”. Lady Macbeth test’s her husband’s loyalty and character once she perceives he is likely to receive the crown and all the power which comes along with it…

Words 827 - Pages 4

Lady Macbeth Quotes Analysis

the years Macbeth has been read, there has been only one explanation for Lady Macbeth's death - suicide. Macbeth is a notoriously ambiguous and murky play. The ambiguous nature of Macbeth allows the reader's own imagination and interpretation to explain parts of the plot. Due to Macbeth's ever increasing bloodlust and the regression of Lady Macbeth from the orchestrator of evil deeds to a liability, it is clear that Macbeth ordered Lady Macbeth's death. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Lady…

Words 996 - Pages 4

Gender Roles In Macbeth

In Macbeth the theme of gender and power is presented very forcefully. Gender and power relate to the character Lady Macbeth the most in the play. Lady Macbeth wishes to get rid of her feminine qualities and replace them with masculine ones, the audience learns in the first act that she has high expectations for masculinity. Lady Macbeth states that if Macbeth were to commit high treason he would be more of a man, Lady Macbeth has a huge impact on Macbeth's actions. The gender roles in the play are…

Words 969 - Pages 4