In the time of Shakespeare, women were not meant to be seen as violent. It is Lady Macbeth that is the one that actually plans the murder of Duncan, and gives motivation to Macbeth to carry out the actual act. She does not believe that she can be female and plan a murder at the same time though. What is a good quality for a man is the exact opposite for a woman. Lady Macbeth knows this, and says in Act 1 Scene 5 -‘unsex me here.’ She wants to be stripped of all her female characteristics and qualities, so that she can be as brutal as a man. She expresses this point even more when she takes a nurturing image like breastfeeding and turns it in to an evil thing like poison – ‘And take my milk for gall’, also in Act 1 Scene 5. If she is not looked upon as female, then she can continue to plan the murder as a man would do.
In act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth asks her husband ‘was the hope drunk?’, what she is implying by saying this is that the thought of murder came into Macbeth’s head while drunk, and therefore the alcohol gave him the confidence he first possessed. Once he became sober he has lost his confidence, which is shown when he no longer wants any participation in anything related to the murder. He is now ‘pale and green’ like a hangover. Lady Macbeth thinks that her husband is a coward –‘And live a coward in thine own esteem.’ She manipulates Macbeth by putting the idea into his head that he isn’t what a ‘real man’ should be. So as she mocks him here he is being overtaken by her and is feeling he has to prove something to show her that he is a man so he tells her that ‘ I dare do all that may become a man, who dares do more, is none’. Here he is implying that anyone who tries to be more brave and daring than him is not a man, because he is not being real and no-one can be as much of a man as he is. To complete the whole impact of making Macbeth feel guilty and convincing him of the importance of Duncan’s murder and his promise to this she finishes by saying that she would kill her own child if she has promised to do it – “I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this.”
In act 2, scene 2, when Macbeth returns from killing Duncan, he brings the daggers with him ,when he was meant to leave them in the room with the guards, and then is too scared to take them back – “I’ll go no more: I am afraid to think what I have done: Look on’t again, I dare not.” Therefore Lady Macbeth shouts to her husband ‘Infirm of purpose!’ His purpose is to be brutal and he is not living up to this purpose. A real man would have the courage to take the daggers back. ‘Give me the daggers’- Macbeth cannot do the deed himself, so she must take control and do it herself. When Macbeth was telling his wife about what happened when he was in Duncan’s room one of the guards scared him by saying gods blessing as Macbeth could not say anything back – “One cried God Bless us, and Amen the other, as they had seen me with these hangman’s hands”. To Shakespeare’s audience, fresh from the excitement of the execution of the plotters in the Powder Treason, this image would be full of vivid and ghastly significance. It was the hangman’s business to tear the vitals out of his victim before hacking him into pieces.
An indication of how women should not be allowed to hear of such awful things is given in Act 2, Scene 3. When Macduff comes with the news of Duncan’s murder, he says to Lady Macbeth “Tis not for you to hear what I speak; The repetition in a woman’s ear, would murder as it fell.” He is saying that if he reported the news to her, it would almost be as bad as the act itself. A woman shouldn’t even be allowed to hear about things that are as bad as this.
In act 3, scene 4, Lady Macbeth tries the ‘Are you a man’ approach on her husband again. When actually asked “Are you a man?” Macbeth reply is “Ay, bold one, that dare look on that which may appall the devil.” Here, Macbeth is trying to prove that he is actually a man, and by daring to look at Banquo’s ghost, he is a man, as the vision of the ghost is so horrible that would even offend the most evil of creatures, the devil. At dinner, when he is seeing the ghost, Lady Macbeth tells him that he is not actually seeing it, but it is merely an image of his fear in his mind – “This is the very painting of your fear”. She tells him that Banquo is an image, like the image that he saw of the daggers that led him to Duncan-“This is the air drawn dagger which you said led you to Duncan.”
When Macduff flees to England, leaving his wife and children behind, his wife, Lady Macduff, describes him as a coward. The image that is given is one of a man who will stay and fight to protect his family. She contrasts him to a wren, a small bird. She says “For the poor wren, diminutive of birds, will fight, her young ones in her nest, against the owl.” The wren is one of the smallest and weakest of birds, yet it will defend itself against a far greater force, the owl. This shows Macduff as a coward, because Macbeth is not that much of a greater power than him, yet he runs away at the first sign of danger. He wants the ‘natural touch’. ”All is the fear, and nothing is the love.” His fear is greater than his love for the family. In the times of Shakespeare, a man would not have been seen to do this, as he would be classed as a coward. It was nto thought of for a man to be fearful. Only for a woman this would be seen as normal behavior in the society. “So runs against all reason”. Even though everything points to him staying and taking the consequences like a man, he runs away.
When Malcolm tries to bring Macduff back to Scotland, and fight for the position of King, Macduff is suspicious that Macbeth has sent Malcolm in order to ‘lure’ him into a trap. Because of this he tries to pretend that he would not be a good king, and that Macbeth would be better. He knows that if Malcolm has been sent by Macbeth, then he will try to persuade him to come with him, even though he thinks he will be a bad leader. If Malcolm is however generous in what he says, then he will re-consider his proposal to Macduff. Macduff tells Malcolm that should he become King of Scotland, then he would be an unfit leader, as his lust for women would interfere with his leadership. ”In my voluptuoness;n your wives, your daughters, your matrons and your maids, could not fill up to cistern my lust; and my desire all continent impediments would o’er bear, that did oppose my will.” Macduff actually tells him that macbeth is the better person for the position asking “better Macbeth than such an one to reign.” In reply to this, Malcolm tells Macduff that there are enough women ‘to spare’ for him. “We have willing dames enough; there cannot be that vulture ion you to devour so many.” The attitude towards female gender is given here, that women can be seen and treated as ‘objects’. Even though women are seen as objects, Macduff still must have some true feelings for them. He shows this when he says “I cannot remember when such things were. That were most precious to me. This is after he has been told that they have been brutally murdered.
The aggressive male attitude is shown again when Macduff accepts, Malcolm’s offer to challenge Macbeth. “ Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself.” Upon this acceptance, Malcolm says to Macduff” this tune goes manly.” Now that Macduff is fighting. He is seen as a man by Malcolm. The act of Macduff is seen as ‘that of a man’.
When Ross approaches Siward with the news of his son’s death, Siward asks him “Had he his hurts before?” Ross replies “Ay, on the front. “When Siward this news his reaction lacks compassion. “Why then, God’s soldier be he; had I as many sons as I have hairs, I would not wish them to a fairer death. And so his death is knolled.” Siward believes that if his sons injuries are on his front, then he died facing his enemy, like a man would do. “God’s soldier.” If his injuries had been on his back, then this would have meant that he died running away from his enemy, like a coward. His lack of compassion can be explained by this. Being a true man was a very important quality, and something to be proud of. His son had been proven a true man by his frontal injuries, so his sorrows were not as great, as he knew he has raised a true person. “God’s soldier be he.” Young Siward had the true qualities of a man unlike Macbeth.
Throughout this play, the message sent across to the reader is that men are more powerful and dominant over women. When we look at the play as a whole, the most powerful and dangerous people are the witches. The question can be asked, why are the witches female? They are described as the “weird sisters” and the “midnight hags.” We can say however, that even though they are sisters, they have male features – “you should be women, but your beards forbid me to believe it.” This again can be seen as a situation where a woman cannot be seen as normal if she acts like a man. Because witches are dangerous and powerful, they cannot possibly be seen as ‘real’ women, and their beards allow this.
Our overall impressions of the play are that men are seen as higher power, and are more dominant than women. The female gender is looked down on, and the attitudes are, that if a woman is to be a true woman, she must not possess anything that is seen as a quality for a man.
By Diana Rough
11L1
