Theme Of Manhood In Macbeth

Steven Nosti

Mrs. Manatos

English III

14 January 2013

“Macbeth: Issues of Masculinity”

Throughout the play Macbeth the male characters are constantly told to “act like a man” or “feel it as a man.” It seems as if, through this play, Shakespeare is trying to convey a central message of how men should act. So therefore the question is, “How is the idea of manhood developed throughout the play Macbeth and what does Shakespeare think being a man means?” In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare’s interesting definition of manhood and the evolution of it can be seen in how Malcolm, a young boy, is told to mature and grow up to be a noble king, in how the Macbeth is told by his wife to “be a man” and kill Duncan, and lastly in how Macduff, the man of his household, has to revenge his slaughtered family in order to have peace.

To start off with, Malcolm, who is young boy, is faced with the death of his father and being called a traitor of the realm. First, imagine how Malcolm feels. He knows that someone has killed his father, and that there is nothing in this world that could bring his father back to him. Also Malcolm is not stupid, he knows that the person who killed his father is mostly likely going to try and kill him next. Next, imagine how Malcolm feels having to run from the country which he has called home since he was a babe—the country that was supposed to be his when he grew up. Now in this moment Malcolm has to make a choice. “Will I weep over my father’s death or will I rise up, be a man, and take back the throne?” Luckily for Malcolm the choice was easy, considering he had a wise man like Macduff on his side. As known to all who have read Macbeth, Malcolm chooses to be man and take back his father’s kingdom. However, he still ha...

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...t best thing is to avenge his slaughtered family. This is the final quality that a man must possess according to Shakespeare.

In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare’s interesting definition of manhood and the evolution of it can be seen in how Malcolm, a young boy, is told to mature and grow up to be a noble king, in how the Macbeth is told by his wife to “be a man” and kill Duncan, and lastly in how Macduff, the man of his household, has to revenge his slaughtered family in order to have peace. Therefore, putting these together one can understand what it truly means to be a man. To be a man one must take the steps from boyhood to manhood. Once he is a man, he has to be tough and unbending. He must stick to his word—even if it’s something tough to do. And lastly, a man must protect his family—and if he cannot he must avenge them. That is the true meaning of being a man.