Examples Of Masculinity In Macbeth

Macbeth uses his manhood to portray his solider like qualities, but Lady Macbeth’s masculinity manipulates Macbeth’s actions, however, in the end it is Macbeth who uses his masculinity to do heinous actions.

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, he uses the theme of manhood to create motives for characters to act like a man. This is seen in many occurrences in Macbeth where characters try to act like men for certain reasons. Characters that apply this action are Macbeth, the first murderer, Macduff, and Young Siward. These actions are seen throughout the play, and play a key role in the development of the performance.

In this day and age people define masculinity as a strong person with no fear and having all the power, destroying everyone who comes in the way of gaining power or taking their power away. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the author develops the definition of being masculine as a strong person and also by manipulating others. To start with, in Macbeth, all the characters act masculine, but the strongest character that acts is Lady Macbeth because she is a person that manipulates her husband in many ways. Lady Macbeth embodies the ideals of masculinity because she manipulates her husband to kill the king , she is ambitious, and she thinks that she is a man.

Over time, there’s been obsession over whom is the most dominant man in all of Scotland and whom can be the best king of Cawdor. There’s sacrifices made and many deaths. It’s a tragic book with people whom carry a lot of pride in what they believe in. William Shakespeare from the play, Macbeth, in 1606, expresses how there’s a lot of integrity and hatred that everyone will have to go through in order to grow into a better a better person and role model for others. Masculinity shows pride. When you’re male, you would instantly have more power and control then if you were female. Some people, like Lady Macbeth, wish to be a gender they’re not in order to have the dominance they want so they’re treated with respect. You can appear to be someone you’re not. Lady Macbeth is the wife of Macbeth who is a powerful commander in the Scottish Army. Lady Macbeth wishes to have the masculinity a man has so that she could overthrow Macbeth and take his place. She won’t be able to succeed that goal if she is a woman. Because of that, Lady Macbeth decides to “work with” Macbeth to kill the king of Cawdor, who is Duncan. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth will kill Duncan after the battle in the defeat of the Scottish traitor. Lady Macbeth's need for masculinity will lead her to having the success of becoming the King of Scotland. She will overthrow Duncan and take his place as king. Lady macbeth is the tragedy in this play, and will do anything it takes to overthrow the King. Lady Macbeth is willing

Manipulation, the act of controlling something or someone, is prevalent in all societies and drives the plot of Macbeth. Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, is about a loyal soldier who commits horrible atrocities to become king, only to be defeated in the end. Throughout the play, male characters are influenced into doing awful acts, which they would not normally have thought to do, after having their manliness questioned. They strive to match the stereotype of an aggressive and dominant man. In Macbeth, Shakespeare reveals that men are manipulated into accomplishing violent deeds in an attempt to live up to the definition of masculinity through his portrayal of male character.

In Macbeth and The Mask You Live In, both Shakespeare and Newsom use the motif of masculinity to demonstrate the masks that men wear and its relation to violence.

Blood stains his hands, Macbeth races into battle slaughtering every Norwegian in sight, selflessly risking his own life for the people of his country. Macbeth demonstrates these traits as he is a male in power; he must stop at nothing to prove his masculinity and serve his country. Furthermore, the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare is guided by how people perceive stereotypical masculinity, and how you must act as a male. Therefore, in Macbeth common masculine traits such as violence and selflessness is used to manipulate in order to feed one’s ambition to gain ultimate power.

Masculinity is often portrayed as dominant, violent and fearless, while femininity is often associated with gentleness, obedience and domesticity. This is not always the case however, as shown in the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Instead, the play shows Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as the “dead butcher and his fiend-like queen”, and these characters agree with this view to a certain extent. While Lady Macbeth is initially portrayed as “fiend-like”, she becomes less devilish since the murder of Duncan. However, Macbeth is transformed by his wife from a loyal warrior to a “dead butcher”.

5. What is the connection of your word to one of the topics or themes of the play? The word man has many uses throughout the play, however, the most impactful is its use to qualify “how” to be a man. In Macbeth, there is a recurring theme of masculinity being equated to aggression and violence.

“A man does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles, dangers, and pressures - and that is the basis of all human morality.” (John F. Kennedy 1956) The values of manhood have evolved over time. They have shaped the common man that women may (or may not) love today. Manhood used to be defined as a man who held a lot of power and could provide for his family, but now we see men much different. Although you do not have to rule a kingdom to be a man, men are expected to show no emotion and to show control among their significant other. Good men have qualities like ambition and selflessness. Macbeth somewhat shows my views throughout the book, but also refutes them in some ways such as killing Banquo so his sons will not be heirs to the throne.

In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, the reader can identify many themes that correspond to the actions of the play, but one them stands out the most and this them would be masculine vs feminine.

Furthermore, the excessive pride exhibited by Macbeth at the end of the play highlights the psychological annihilation caused by toxic masculinity; leading to his eventual death. He conforms to the traits viewed as traditionally male since he becomes violent and excessively prideful of his masculinity and strength, and, consequently, reaches his demise. The unwavering pride that he possesses is evident when he refuses to acknowledge Malcom’s right to the throne of Scotland and states, “I will not yield, / to kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet” (5.8, 81). The use of the words “I will not yield” exemplify Macbeth’s need for dominance because subordination correlates with being weak. Also, the act of kneeling and kissing the ground

An Impetus for Devastation Various women can be essentially accounted the progenitors of the mass bedlam and miasma of iniquity that befalls the land of Scotland through the examination of their exploitation of the main protagonist, Macbeth, and how they equate manhood with dire cruelty and/or violence. This portrayal is vividly depicted throughout the entire play by both major and minor evil female characters who all serve to instigate a wave of interminable bloodshed. The play Macbeth in particular—composed by the unprecedented, preeminent English playwright William Shakespeare himself in approximately 1606—is a grisly tragedy that revolves around one man’s onerous battle with self-defeating ambition, which eventually leads him to his own

The definition of Masculinity is having qualities traditionally ascribed to men, as strength and boldness. In William Shakespeare’s play, “Macbeth” gender and power play a strong role between the title character and his wife, Lady Macbeth. Using these two characters, Shakespeare explores the definition of masculinity and how various characters, particularly Macbeth’s lack of masculinity in the opening of the play and Lady Macbeth’s strong role early in the play. In the play, “Macbeth” it is easily spotted how Lady Macbeth was the driving force and the one who had the masculinity in the relationship. Meanwhile, towards the end of the story those roles completely swap. Macbeth then makes his own decisions without consulting it to Lady Macbeth.

Beginning as early as the 700s, a written record was kept to preserve the stories told by previous generations so that they may not be lost. As the tradition continued, many authors, mostly male, added to the growing plethora of literature and a central ideal began to develop. From an unknown author’s Beowulf, to Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Sonnet number 29, authors took turns chiseling at that ideal with their diction until one general shape began to develop. As a whole, men are obsessed with their image, something that these authors were not immune to.