Gender Roles in Macbeth

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Macbeth
Lead/ General Statement
Shakespeare’s play revolves around the themes of greed, violence, and cruelty as well as
the role of gender and power. The play focuses on the importance of masculinity for power and
authority. Lady Macbeth sometimes exhibits more masculinity than Macbeth and reprimands
Macbeth for showing weakness and associates him with womanliness. The character of Lady
Macbeth shifts between the values of masculinity and femininity to meet her objectives and
influence her husband. The play disturbs the traditional gender roles dictated within a typical
patriarchal society.
Summary
Macbeth, the Scottish general, and his wife, Lady Macbeth are the two main characters of
the play. Macbeth carries strong ambitions to be the King and Lady Macbeth is aware of his
secret desires. Lady Macbeth has a deciding influence on her husband and manipulates him into
committing those heinous crimes. Although Macbeth is a brave soldier and a powerful man, he
becomes selfish and unreasonable under the influences of his wife. Lady Macbeth manipulates
Macbeth because of his masculinity and his lust for power. Even those she is a female; she
exhibits the traits of masculinity to show her determination and assertiveness.
Plan of Development
Based on the research and further reading on Shakespeare’s play Macbeth and related
research, it is evident that gender plays an important role in Macbeth. The play extends the

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possibilities of what it means to be a man or woman in a patriarchal society. Macbeth wants
more power and control as he is a man and desires to be the King. Lady Macbeth is aware of her
husband’s desires and reminds him to be a man and not show any weakness as a woman. In a
way she herself has to take on masculine traits and values to assert herself. She is aware of her
power over her husband and thus pushes her husband to commit murder and trigger a series of
events.
Thesis
The gender roles in Macbeth are shaped by overwhelming ambitions, and neither is
capable of reaching their ambition without relying on the other. Patriarchal society forces Lady
Macbeth to adjust the traits of masculinity and femininity based on the situation.
3 Arguments
Macbeth’s characters and their relationships together create such a disturbing
abomination of gender. While Lady Macbeth succeeds in achieving her aims within the
patriarchal society, she is looked upon as the main culprit while Macbeth comes out as a victim
and a hero (Uddin and Sultana 68). As Lady Macbeth embodies many masculine values, the
play challenges the assumptions about femininity and the role of gender within a patriarchal
society.
1) Lady Macbeth is associated with witchcraft, and this is a typical role awarded to
women in patriarchy and how an association with witches can cause the downfall of human
beings (Uddin and Sultana 68). However, it should be noted that Lady Macbeth motivated her
husband to carry out those evil tasks not just because of her own desires but also for her
husband’s aims. Lady Macbeth's success is hinted because of her associations with demonic
forces and powers of the notorious three witches (Thomas 81). She is good at manipulating