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  • Essay / Feminism in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

    In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Shakespeare goes against traditional feminist theories by giving his female characters many characteristics that are both masculine and feminine. In traditional ideas, women are considered “inferior” to men and are only meant to listen to their husbands and take care of their family. Shakespeare's female characters in the story of Macbeth, however, do not follow these ideas. Lady Macbeth breaks many traditional feminine ideas and stereotypes through the portrayal of her character in Macbeth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayFirst of all, the character of Lady Macbeth went against the ideas of women of the time by attempting to trick Macbeth into being responsible for Duncan's disappearance. At the time Macbeth was written, women were seen as mimicking their role in society, selfless, and only serving to take care of their families. However, Lady Macbeth does not exactly follow these ideas. Lady Macbeth often questions Macbeth's manhood when he is unsure of what actions he will take next, and in doing so she also gains more masculine qualities. An example of this is shown when Macbeth decides that he no longer wants to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth is angered by this and tells him he is a coward while questioning his manhood. “When you dared to do it,” Lady Macbeth declares, “then you were a man.” » This quote shows that Lady Macbeth begins to break feminine stereotypes by trying to convince Macbeth to kill the king and by challenging manhood as if she were also a man. Second, Lady Macbeth goes against feminist stereotypes by acting against her nature as a woman. women. This is shown in several places in Macbeth, one of the places that shows this strongly is where she receives a letter from Macbeth saying that he has decided to kill the king. Lady Macbeth responds to this invitation from the spirits within her so that she will not be as weak as a woman and can help her husband complete the tasks that will enable him to become king. She does this when she says, “…De-sex me here, and fill me from head to toe with the most terrible cruelty.” » In doing so, she invites the spirits into her to give her the strength to commit cruel acts without feeling any regrets in the future. After doing this, she tries to act like nothing happened in public. Macbeth seconds this mask, wanting her to act with kindness and compassion because “the false face must hide what the false heart knows.” In other words, this quote means that Macbeth is telling him to hide what is in his false heart behind a mask so that no one can know his personality. This shows a break in feminine stereotypes through Lady Macbeth's efforts to acquire unfeminine characteristics, so that she can gain the ability to do things that a woman could not do. Finally, although Lady Macbeth tends to break female stereotypes, she tends to break female stereotypes. follow them to some extent. This first appears in the play Macbeth when she hesitates to kill Duncan herself. Although she began to persuade Macbeth to kill the king by defying him and telling him that she would do the deed herself if she were a man, she did not intend to put the king to death by her hand. Instead, she gives an excuse by saying, “Listen! I prepared their daggers. If he hadn't looked like my father in his sleep, I wouldn't have done it. This quote shows Lady Macbeth hesitating to (1976-), 23(4), 44-53.