Gender Roles in Macbeth Essay -- GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

Gender Roles in Macbeth Although written gigantic ago, Shakespeares The Tragedy of Macbeth still has themes relevant for contemporary society. Murderous ambition, semipolitical intrigue, crafty social alliances, the disintegration of marriage these could be witlines from any cursory news program. It comes as no surprise, then, that we also find a strong number of moments in the play where gender seems to be an issue. More specifically, we force say that Shakespeares dramatic investigation into proper uses of power consists, in part, of a rigorous critique of the disparities between the respective roles assigned to men and women. Shakespeare seems curiously delighted in the deterrent example and ethical implications of such discrepancies. In the interest of space and time, I will focus here on simply a few brief moments from act one. However, I encourage you to differentiate the further development of these points as the drama unfolds in subsequent scenes. In the very fir st scene of Macbeth we learn what Duncan and his people value in manly identity. When the sergeant staggers in to report what he has seen of Macbeth in battle, we are given an image of a thane who is steeped in gore For stout Macbeth (well he deserves that name),Disdaining Fortune, with his brandishd steel,Which smokd with bloody execution,Like Valours minion carvd out his passage,Till he facd the striverWhich neer shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,Till he unseamd him from the nave to thchops,And fixd his head upon our battlements. (1.2.16-23) The kings response to this account is especially telling O valiant cousin, praiseworthy gentleman (1.2.16-24) demonstrates as much appreciation for the manner in which Macbeth overcame h... ...41). By plays end, we are confronted with her madness, the result of an excruciating tension between her identity as a woman and the desire to accommodate a misconceived and fatally erroneous masculinity. Although I do not intend here to resolv e the headway of gender in Macbeth (actually, I hope to provoke further thoughts on interpretation), I do wish to note that Shakespeare has forcefully bound the heathenish problem of violence to the promulgation and validation of the roles a community assigns by sex. Read the play attend a performance consider the moral and ethical implications bound up in the plot of a manque king who sheds true manhood even as he fulfills the masculine ideal. Works CitedShakespeare, William. Macbeth. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York Longman, 1999.