Is Femininity Weak in Macbeth?

### 1st part of essay ### William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1603. The play was set in Scotland, 1040. At the time, society was patriarchal and men gained advancement by killing others. In contrast, women were usually gentle mothers who nurtured their children. However, the play Macbeth does not follow this blueprint as Lady Macbeth is the domineering partner and ultimately she leads to their demise.

In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth implies that it is her husband that has weaknesses and that she has the strength to mend them. This may be evident in “that I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round”. This inclines me to think that Lady Macbeth regards herself mentally stronger that Macbeth. Also, she appears to believe that she can pass her strength onto her husband and make him as equally strong as her. The language suggests that Lady Macbeth and her husband have role-reversed and she has acquired the cruelty and power associated with the fierce warrior, Macbeth.

Macbeth refers to his wife as “my dearest partner of greatness” in Act 1 Scene 5. This suggests that Macbeth considers his wife and him equal in authority. The word “greatness” leads me to believe that their co-operation and respect has led them to greatness and Macbeth sees his wife as a major part of his success. On the contrary, Macduff and his wife’s relationship is a lot more conventional as Lady Macduff is used as his commodity rather than a partner in Macduff’s success. This could suggest that femininity is traditionally viewed as weak but in the case of Macbeth and his wife it appear to be a much more modern, equal relationship.

Furthermore, in Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth suggest...

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... ‘gentle lady’ stereotype. However, her faint is very dramatized “Help me, hence ho” and it could be possible that it is feigned to take pressure of her husband. In general, it could be said that Lady Macbeth takes advantage of her femininity and uses it and her frail image to manipulate the situation to suit her purposes.

In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth ‘bullies’ her husband by doubting his masculinity and provoking a response. She called Macbeth “afeard” and a “coward”. I am inclined to think that Lady Macbeth chose these words as Macbeth values his courage and fierce nature as it has positioned him highly in society. It is possible that Macbeth’s greatest vulnerability is his love for Lady Macbeth and that enables her to exploit his love for power. This shows her femininity as a strength as she can use it to influence Macbeth and show him as the weak spouse.