Lady Macbeth: Separating Gender from Identity

Lady Macbeth acts contrary to societal expectations of women. She “runs the show” by orchestrating the plan to kill King Duncan and plays with Macbeth’s emotions and ambition. Macbeth dreams about becoming king, however, he starts having doubts and decides to let go of the idea. Lady Macbeth refuses to quit and accuses Macbeth of acting unmanly: “When you durst do it then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man” (1.7.56-8). Lady Macbeth suggests that Macbeth will become even more manly by killing Duncan and elaborates on the possibilities when Macbeth becomes king. She knows how dearly many men, including her husband, hold their masculinity. Lady Macbeth focuses her attention on Macbeth’s reaction to “not being manly enough” to manipulate him into continuing with the plan. Lady Macbeth clearly has the power in the relationship and leads the plan for the rise of Macbeth: “Leave all the rest to me” (1.5.86). She wants power and thrives off it.
In contrast to the women of Beowulf, Lady Macbeth takes on a more substantial role. Women in Beowulf such as Wealhtheow exhibit some resistance to societal norms but do not play a central role in the text like Lady Macbeth. Macbeth refers to Lady Macbeth as “my dearest partner of greatness” (1.5.11). “Partner” indicates more of an equal relationship between them and possibly signals more equality between men and women in comparison to relationships in Beowulf. Additionally, Lady Macbeth works hard to separate herself from her identity as a woman: “Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty” (1.5.47-50). She likely wants society to make judgments based on the merit of her actions, not her gender, and take on traditionally masculine traits. The traditional role of women as mothers clashes with Lady Macbeth’s ambitions. She reinforces her opinion of this idea further through the imagery of ripping a baby away from her chest while breastfeeding, reinforcing her power and desire to control her future. Overall, Lady Macbeth resists societal expectations and focuses on reaching her own goals, regardless of what happens in the process.

Comments

  1. Lexi SchaeferOctober 2, 2017 at 3:48 PM

    I completely agree with your analysis of Lady Macbeth. I think you touch on a few great points. She is power driven and the force behind Macbeth's decisions. I think she knows how to use her position to her advantage. While I agree that Macbeth views Lady Macbeth as his equal by calling her his "partner" instead of wife or spouse, I do not think that Shakespeare intended for them to be viewed as equals. Simply because he would have given Lady Macbeth her own name if he had thought she could stand on her own. I also think incorporating the women of Beowulf show a large contrast in the characters in not only literary works, but also different time periods.

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