Macbeth and Masculine Feminity
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is considered as the most misogynistic work of the English author because of how it equates murder with manhood and how a woman can go as far as wishing herself to be man in order to achieve power. The tragedy saw the transformation of Macbeth from being a loyal servant of the king to a ruthless tyrant. His morality dwindles as the novel unfolds and it was replaced by a preoccupation to preserve his power through violent means. While Macbeth possesses masculine attributes such as his prowess in battles, his aggression and brutality later in the film were induced by female characters—his wife Lady Macbeth and the three witches who prophesied his ascent to the throne and the heirs of his friend Banquo being future kings of Scotland. The character of Lady Macbeth is an antithesis to the character of his husband and even to the prevailing gender norms of the time the novel was written. The strength and dynamics of the female characters in the novel ironically serve as the source of masculine fervor in the film.
Before discussing the main point of the article, there is a need to define first masculinity and feminity. According to Hoftstede, masculinity, as a societal orientation, exists in a society where gender roles are clearly defined and distinct (58). For instance, men are expected to be assertive, firm and rational. Women, on the other hand, are supposed to be caring and compassionate. On the other hand, Hofstede maintains that feminity exists in a society where gender roles overlap such that both men and women are expected to value and promote high quality of life and social order (63).
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth during the Elizabethan era in England. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, art and literature flourished in England (Pope 11). Despite these advances, gender norms are defined and the leadership of the queen was also assessed in terms of criteria hitherto associated with masculine leaders such as firmness of leadership and strength of character (Ballinger 112). It can be inferred than other than the queen, English women at the time of Shakespeare ought to be compassionate, caring and submissive to the well-being of her husband and her family. This societal condition serves as a backdrop to Macbeth to show how the work is an antithesis of its time. Shakespeare, consciously or unconsciously, introduced the blurring of gender roles such that even women who are not yet in power are shown to also be capable of demonstrating masculine characters and this is personified by Lady Macbeth.
While the novel revolves primarily on how Lady Macbeth and her masculine tendency induced her husband to commit heinous crimes, it should be stressed that Macbeth already personified masculinity even before the inducement. He was a fierce warrior and a loyal servant to the king. He fought the traitorous Macdonwald to protect Scotland and was appointed the thane of Cawdor, a position previously held by Macdonwald, as a reward. During the feudal-age Europe, loyalty to the throne is one of the yardsticks of good citizenship. Servants and knights are willing to risk their lives to the king and knighthood was an aspiration to most children and parents (Moodie 23).
As a reflection of the masculinity of the society, only men can serve as knights and as a consequence, only men can be appointed to positions of power as a reward for their service (Pollard 145), similar to the appointment of Macbeth for his triumph against Macdonwald. Therefore, there is nexus between loyal service to the throne and political power. Women, on the other hand, can have upward social mobility but cannot wield political power except queens and empresses who by accident or treachery were installed to the throne. Their upward social mobility is facilitated by the ascension of their husband to power (Abate 61). In Macbeth, the loyal service of Macbeth and his appointment as the thane of Cawdor enabled Lady Macbeth to improve her social status.
Apart from his loyalty and fierceness in his battle, the morality and rationality of Macbeth are other indications of his masculinity. In 15th century England, only men can participate in public discourse and because of this, only males are expected to be rational. In fact, the perceived irrationality of women is the reason why their participation in public life should be limited as the same can be divisive or repugnant to the stability of society (Gray 189). While women can express their opinion from time to time, the final decision largely lies in men. In the novel, the rationality of Macbeth can be seen in his reluctance to accede to the suggestion of Lady Macbeth that they murder King Duncan so that he takes the throne. Macbeth is concerned of the consequences of the proposal. This shows his ability to weigh things before making a decision. However, as a first affront to the prevailing gender dynamics of her time, Shakespeare shows Macbeth as eventually conceding to the will of his wife and proceeded with the killing of his king after he was maligned and his manhood questioned by his wife.
Through the character of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare suggests that gender roles and behavior cannot really be distinct and defined. Upon hearing the prophecy of the witches that her husband will become king, Lady Macbeth immediately planned for the murder of the monarch. In the novel, she is characterized as firm, calculating and ambitious—characteristics which are opposed to how women should behave during her time (Gray 190). When she realized that Macbeth is half-hearted about killing the king, Lady Macbeth expressed her frustration that she is born a woman. She said: “unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty!” (Act 1, Scenes 5). “Unsex” suggests her desire to be born again as a man or to be transformed into a man. From this line, it is apparent that gender is determinative in power struggle such that women can really have access to power if they transform into men or are capable of acting like a man, as exemplified by Empress Catherine the Great of Russia (Jaques 21). Since it is impossible for Lady Macbeth to change her gender, she wanted to have her plan and aspiration realized by her husband. She could not take the throne but she can still avail the prestige and privileges that accompanies it if her husband becomes the king. The reluctance of Macbeth and the gravity of her desires for power make Lady Macbeth heavily frustrated with the perceived lack of manhood of her husband.
Another illustration of Lady Macbeth acting as the antithesis to the prevailing gender norms of her time is her criticism of her husband as acting not so manly. She noted that while Macbeth has ambitions, she afraid that he will not live up to their plan because he is “full of the milk of human kindness” (Act 1, Scene 5). This is a reversal of gender roles. Society dictates that it is women who are supposed to be compassionate and caring while men ought to be assertive and firm. In this part of the novel, the author shows that it is Lady Macbeth who is full of wickedness and firmness to proceed with the murder. Macbeth, on the other hand, is perceived as compassionate especially considering that the person being targeted for murder is a person whom he thinks highly of as a virtuous man and a king. During the early centuries, it may be unheard of to criticize a man for his lack of manliness and for a man to be secondary to the firmness of a woman (Ballinger 33). It can be argued that this may the way the author shows that women can attain empowerment in the sense that they can break free from societal norms. However, feminist scholars criticized this as misogynistic since women empowerment is perceived as possessing attributes that are traditionally imposed to men such as being calculative and assertive (Hofstede 117). The questioning behavior of Lady Macbeth is an affront to the patriarchal structure of 15th century England.
In addition to her desire to become a man and her criticism of the manhood of her husband, another masculine attribute of Lady Macbeth is her fortified resolve amidst adversaries. In one of the famous lines from the novel, Lady Macbeth said to her husband: “A little water clears us of this deed”. She further said that: “How easy it is then!” (Act 2, Scene 2). In the novel, Macbeth is portrayed as hesitant to commit murder because he regrets plotting murder against King Duncan since the latter is a man of virtues. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth is more ambitious but he needs her husband to realize her desire for power. She tried to console her husband with his regrets by saying that a little water can already eliminate their guilt. It can be said that this may also be an allusion to Pontius Pilate, the governor of the province of Judaea during the reign of Emperor Tiberius, who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and washed his hands as an illustration of his innocence on what Christ is about to suffer (Wright 213). The boldness of this act is equated the privileged position of men and by Lady Macbeth uttering the same in the novel, it is suggestive that gender roles and expectations can really be reversed.
Apart from Lady Macbeth, the three witches also played a big role in the transformation of Macbeth. These women prophesied the ascension to power of Macbeth, without which it is possible that he would not have desired the throne. While Macbeth may also be ambitious, as attested to by his wife, such ambitions could not have propelled Macbeth to pursue the throne by killing King Duncan. However, when he was informed of the prophecy, he became preoccupied and his transformation was realized when he informed his wife of the omen and plotted the murder of the king. It is possible that if not for the prophecy, Macbeth would not have become selfish and ruthless. It can be said that the prophecy of the witches caused him to act violently. This illustrates how women can exert influence on men. Macbeth loses his free will when he succumbed to the perceived genuineness of the prophecy. However, this depiction of the witches as having success in influencing the character transformation of Macbeth can also be said to be gender oppressive. It suggests that one of the few avenues women can attain position of influence is to possess magical powers. Most of the witches recorded in history are women (Doble 22). If not for their unusual appearance (the witches have beards), it is possible that their statement would not have any effect on Macbeth and even on Banquo.
The effect of the prophecy of the witches also eliminates the rationality of Macbeth. When Malcolm and Macduff attached Scotland, Macbeth was confident that he would prevail because the witches told him that “none of woman born / shall harm Macbeth” and “he is safe until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill” (Act 4, Scene 1). The latter prediction was made manifest to him when he saw the army from England carrying bough to hide their true number. Despite this, he persisted knowing that “none of woman born” can harm or kill him. In this part of the novel, Macbeth also loses his rationality. It is possible for him to be hurt especially since they are outnumbered by the men of Malcolm and Macduff who are mostly from the soldiers of King Edward of England. His lack of rationality is also illustrated by his literal interpretation of the prophecy. It is possible that Macbeth interpreted the prophecy to mean that no mortal will be able to harm or kill him since all mortals are born of a woman. He failed to consider the possibility that it is possible for someone to be born directly from the womb of a mother, similar to the modern process of caesarean session. Because of this misapprehension, he became complacent until Macduff revealed to him that he was not born of a woman but was picked directly from his mother’s womb. Because of this, he was able to kill Macbeth and the prophecy also ended up being true. If not for the appearance of the witches which render credible their prophecy, Macbeth would not have lost his rationality and it is possible that he would have survived the attack and kill Malcolm and Macduff instead to preserve the throne.
` Thus far, the analysis has focused on the ability of women to exert influence on men, possess attributes that have long been associated with men and masculinity and serve as an antithesis to the prevailing gender norms and conventions of their time. It is also worth mentioning that Macbeth is also a victim of societal conventions especially masculinity. He was humiliated by his wife in numerous occasions when he shows hesitance and lack of resolve such as when he first expressed that he will no longer proceed with the plan to murder the king. However, because of the inducement of his wife, he went against his will and morality. Despite the inducement, it can also be argued that Macbeth could have also resisted and upheld his free will. However, the inducement of his wife was supplemented by the societal pressure to live up to gender roles and to show that men are superior to women. If he does not accede to the plan of Lady Macbeth, it would show that the latter is superior to him emotionally and intellectually.
The experience of Macbeth illustrates how societal pressure can be a powerful tool to transform a person especially considering the fact that identity formation and maintenance is often based on the approval of others (Bearden-White 14). In the case of Macbeth, it could have been a severe humiliation if others discovered that he was being manipulated by his wife and despite the plan, he still is unable to endure the gravity of the plan.
Macbeth is one of the most critically acclaimed pieces in history but it is perceived as the most misogynistic of the works of William Shakespeare. In this novel, the English writer disrupted the prevailing gender norms of his time by showing a reversal of roles and expectations. Lady Macbeth is manipulative and is firmer than her husband. Her desire for former is also stronger and this propelled her to humiliate her husband when the latter is showing hesitation with their plan to kill King Duncan. The influence of the witches also attests to the possibility of reversal of gender roles. However, while the novel shows that women are capable of going outside the restraint of their roles, gender empowerment is still perceived in a masculine way.
Works Cited
Abate, Corinne S., ed. Privacy, Domesticity, and Women in Early Modern England. Routledge, 2017.
Ballinger, Anette. Dead Woman Walking: Executed Women in England and Wales, 1900-55. Routledge, 2019.
Bearden-White, Roy. Reading the Self: Print Technologies, Authorship, And Identity Formation In The Eighteenth-Century Marketplace. Lulu. com, 2017.
Doble, Jessica. “Two Sides of the Same Coin: Witches, Class, Gender, and Modernity in Jeannette Winterson’s The Daylight Gate.” All Around Monstrous: Monster Media in Their Historical Contexts (2019): 1.
Gray, Catharine. “Early Modern Women’s Writing: Domesticity, Privacy, and the Public Sphere in England and the Dutch Republic by Martine Van Elk.” Early Modern Women 14.1 (2019): 188-191.
Hofstede, Geert, ed. Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures. Vol. 3. Sage Publications, 1998.
Jaques, Susan. The Empress of Art: Catherine the Great and the Transformation of Russia. Pegasus Books, 2016.
Moodie, Cameron. “Pillars of Knighthood: The Evolution of English Knights, 1066-1685.” (2019).
Pollard, Anthony J. “English Chivalry and the Decline of Strenuous Knighthood in the Later Fifteenth Century.” Prowess, Piety, and Public Order in Medieval Society. Brill, 2017. 140-158.
Pope, Charles N. How to Read Shakespeare Like a Royal. DomainOfMan. com, 2019.
Wright, Arthur M. “What is truth? The complicated characterization of Pontius Pilate in the Fourth Gospel.” Review & Expositor 114.2 (2017): 211-219.
