Feminism and Macbeth

Feminism is a movement that is seeking to promote equality for all people regardless of sex and hopes to destroy the stereotypes that are placed onto people according to their genders. In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, we can see many things that promote these feminist ideas.

Lady Macbeth seems to be the main character that promotes many of the feminist characteristics. She is a strong main character that is unlike any of the other women that we have previously read about. Lady Macbeth is a strong character that stands up to her husband which is unlike the female characters that we have seen that tend to be there simply to serve their husbands. Relating back to the idea of feminism, Lady Macbeth shows that women do not have to be submissive to men because they are not anything less than them and she has a right to stand up to him. Another way that Lady Macbeth promotes feminism is by her interest in violence. As we saw in Beowulf, violence and any matters relating to it were discussed strictly by the men. However in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is not afraid to discuss the act of murder and show her interest in acts of violence. She is battling against the stereotype that all women are sensitive so they cannot be violent. Lastly, Lady Macbeth goes against the stereotype that women have to be mothers, especially during the time this play takes place. All of the women we've read about up to this point were mothers and their lives consisted of taking care of their children. Lady Macbeth on the other hand, is not a mother but she does not let this make her any less of a woman.

In conclusion, the character of Lady Macbeth is a symbol of feminism. She is a female character that shows that it is okay for women to go against the stereotypes that are placed upon them.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 12, 2017 at 9:30 AM

    Chelsea, I agree that Lady Macbeth defies many of the stereotypes of women and Lady Macbeth goes against the societal expectation that she will act as a “lady of society” like Lady Macduff. She displays traditionally masculine traits with her desire for power and manipulation of Macbeth to convince him to kill Duncan. However, a shift occurs after Duncan's death where Lady Macbeth displays more feminine traits by questioning her part in the killings and shows signs of potential remorse. This transition likely reflects how people of this time would conclude that women who display masculine tendencies will eventually breakdown and regret their actions, shifting back to more "feminine" behavior. The role of Lady Macbeth represents potential for women to expand their position but through a more constrained manner.

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