The Tragedy of Macbeth

"The Tragedy of Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in 1604, portrays women in a variety of strengths. In Elizabethan society, women were considered the ‘weaker sex’ but in many of his plays Shakespeare appears to question this patriarchal society. Shakespeare wrote ‘ Macbeth’ intending to flatter King James I, the ruler in this era. James I had very strong opinions regarding women and, particularly, witches. He saw Women as inferior and expected them to be housewives and mothers. Shakespeare portrays the witches as evil, worthless and completely mad. This fits into the view of witches in Shakespeare’s time that they were poor, elderly women who didn’t fit into society. Macbeth was also written to persuade King James I to reopen the Globe theatre and was the first play performed there when it did re-open. Shakespeare’s portrayal of women in Macbeth would have shocked Elizabethan audiences as it contradicts beliefs of women’s’ place in society.

In Act 1, Scene 1, the audience is introduced to the three witches. They play a major in the story and appear to be strong. In Shakespea...