Gender Roles In Macbeth

The institution of gender roles in many places around the world is controversial to many people, especially because of their depiction, and therefore enforcement, in modern entertainment such as movies and books. For a play written sometime in the early seventeenth century, (Greenblatt 537), Macbeth displays an unusual, varied, and at times modern representation of gender roles. In particular, Shakespeare makes his female characters the driving force behind the plot, which is evident when looking at their utilization in the story. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a fictional play about the famed general Macbeth and how his ambition ultimately leads to his downfall. In the beginning of the story, Macbeth is seen as a great hero after assisting the
These include different motifs, types of symbolism, classes, and gender roles. While they all play their own significant parts in the play, probably the most intriguing element is the utilization and distortion of gender roles and their impact on the final outcome of Macbeth. The influence of gender roles in Shakespeare’s life and writing could be attributed to the political conflict occurring in England during that time. A few different female monarchs of this time, most importantly Queen Elizabeth I, either had claims to or did ascend to the English throne. Females at the time were doubted as capable of being sole rulers, as their natures would cause them to be weak and vulnerable to failure. Despite this long-standing view Queen Elizabeth successfully reigned due to the idea of “the king’s two bodies” that disregards gender in the case of being a monarch. (Greenblatt 359-361, 392-393) Like many aspects of court life for play writers, the queen probably influenced the substance of Shakespeare’s writing to some degree. This play in particular contains some intriguing looks at gender roles and even more fascinating female