GENDER

• MACBETH “When you durst do it then you were a man”


  -hesitates to kill duncan- torn between ambition and+sense of morwlity

  -LM says this to manipulate him, attacking his sense of masculinity, suggest true manhood is defined by courage/action/willing to seize power

  -LM redefines what a “man” is- she thinks its about ambition+ ruthlessness

  -Suggests masculinity is proven through violence

  -LM takes on more masculine roles (dominant, manipulative) Macbeth is more hesitance/ uncertain- traits associated with femininity

  -Tying his identity+ self worth to act of killing duncan- pushes him deeper into moral descent which destroys him

  -Shows social expectations of masculinity becomes a source of internal conflict

  -Macbeths need to prove himself “a man” becomes dirving force in his downfall

  -Kills to prove strength but loses control over his morality/peace / sanity
• LADY MACBETH “Come you spirts” Unsex me” “Fill me from the crown to the toe top-full.. of direst curelty”


  -“unsex” rejects traditional, ideas of femininity (gentleness, material instincts) so she can carry out violent acts

  -believes that to gain power+ influence, she must abandon her womanhood and take on masucline traits (aggression, ruthlessness)

  -reflects how gender roles are rigid+ limiting in world of macbeth, + how lady macbeth seeks to break free of them to persue ambition

  -Exposes how ambition is coded as masculine, + how lady macbeth sees gender identity as something that can be reshaped to gain power

  -foreshadows her psychological collapse later in play- may cast off her femininity but not without consequence
• WITCHES “you should be women.. And yet your beards forbid me to interpret”


  -Banquo is confused by witches appearance- seem like women but masculine traits (beards(, gender= ambiguous

  -Challenges elizabethan gender norms, which defined clear role+ appearances for men+ women

  -The witches’ blurring of gender boundaries contributes to their unnatural + threatening presence in play- they defy the order of nature, just like the chaos they inspire in macbeth

  -Witches androgyny symbolises their power to disrupt natural order, including strict gender roles or time

  -Like LM they show how gender+ power are tightly connected + how stepping outside these roles= dangerous
• MACDUFF “I shall do so.. but i must also feel it as a man”


  -Malcolm urges him to take revenge like a man saying “Dispute it like a man”

  -Macduff replies with this line, asserting that true manhood includes emotional depth, not just physical strength/ vengeance

  -Challenges idea that masculinity means suppressing emotion, suggesting instead that grief, love and feeling are part of being a man

  -Quote redefines masculinty in contrast to toxic version displayed by macbeth who equates manhood with violence

  -Macduff becomes a moral counterpoint, showing that honourable masculinity involves both action + emotion- strength + compassion
• MALCOLM “dispute it like a man”


  -urges macduff to take revenge for murder of his family, suggesting that to be a man is to act decisively + violently

  -reflects the traditional patriarchal view of masculinity in play- strength, stoicism + action

  -sets up contrast with macduff response “but i must also feel it as a man” which challenges + expands this definition

  -line shows how masculinity is associated with action+ honour

  -his leadership, though noble, still operates within expectations of conventional male roles, where emotional restraint is valorised
• DUNCAN “Our honoured hostess!” “the love that follows us sometimes is our trouble “


  -refers to LM as a gracious hostess, highlighting her role within traditional gender expectations- as a welcoming, nurturing woman

  -Ironically, shes already plotting his murder, subverting these gender roles

  -His words reflect his belief in the natural order, where woman are gentle + hospitable a belief that LM consciously rejects

  -his trust in traditional gender roles blinds him to the danger hes in.

  -He sees LM as a kind figure, not a ruthless coconspirator

  -Shows adherence to gender norms can create vulnerability especially in a world where others maipulate/reject those roles