Exemplar GCSE English Literature Grade 9 essay on Gender in Macbeth. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Malcolm, Macduff, and the Witches are discussed, using quotations and an in-depth analysis. Key themes such as the supernatural, violence, and gender are explored within additionally.
Starting with this extract, explain how Shakespeare explores attitudes about gender.
Write about:
• how gender is explored in this conversation
• how Shakespeare explores gender in the play as a whole.
Shakespeare explores attitudes about gender by harnessing as well as transgressing
stereotypes that revolve around masculinity and femininity. He creates characters that both
defy the Jacobean Era’s expectations (like Lady Macbeth) but also ones that conform
(Malcolm). By doing this, he challenges society’s assumptions about gender and presents
alternative ideas.
Beginning in the extract, Macbeth returns Lady Macbeth’s attacks on his masculinity by
begging,‘Prithee, peace’. The plea for silence shows that Lady Macbeth’s remarks are
successful and Macbeth cannot take his manhood being questioned. Shakespeare highlights
here that Macbeth sees his manhood as prized, glorified and honourable (whereas Lady
Macbeth clearly perceives it as a target and a point of weakness). We see the honour and
nobility that Macbeth attaches to his gender as he declares that he dares ‘do all that may
become a man’ and ‘who dares to do more is none’ - meaning that he believes anyone who
pursues more power by going against the natural order (and killing the King) is not perhaps
worthy enough to be ‘a man’. Macbeth also represents the stereotypical male in the first act
(in Jacobean society), as he is named ‘noble’, ‘valiant’, ‘worthy’ and ‘brave’. These adjectives
are commonly seen as male attributes and paint Macbeth in a familiar, non-transgressive
light.
However, Lady Macbeth’s view on masculinity - in this conversation - greatly opposes
Macbeth’s. She perceives manhood to be proven through violence and domination - which is
shown as she questions ‘are you a man?’ in response to Macbeth’s refusal to kill Duncan.
Her manipulation of Macbeth’s glorified manhood is shown as she tells him ‘when you durst
do it then you were a man’. The past tense of ‘were’ demonstrates that Lady Macbeth
believes that Macbeth has lost all these attributes of which she deems as manly. Throughout
the play, Shakespeare has characterised her to be transgressive and to contain typically
male traits. An example of this is during Act 2 Scene 2, just after Macbeth has murdered the
King and has brought back the daggers, in a state of guilt and terror. She snaps at him,
‘infirm of purpose/ Give me the daggers’. The imperative of ‘give’ displays assertiveness and
dominance (over Macbeth) - which are frequently seen as masculine attributes. The fact that
she has power over Macbeth also contradicts the social hierarchy during the Jacobean Era,
where women were supposed to be obedient wives beneath their husbands - not the head of
the house. It is not only femininity she transgresses however, but she transcends the
concept of gender as a whole in Act 1 Scene 5, during her soliloquy. She pleads with the
‘spirits’ to ‘unsex’ her, as she needs to be unbound from all expectations so that she can be
free to contain both masculine and feminine traits, and do what is required. This implies that
she perceives her femininity to be a weakness. Shakespeare has deliberately crafted this
moment to draw shock from his audience, as this goes against the social hierarchy and
female duty that would have been heavily ingrained in them, and emphasises the
carelessness of which Lady Macbeth regards social expectations. In the end of the play,
Lady Macbeth dies from suicide. This could be Shakespeare demonstrating what may
happen to women that do not conform.
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