Kim Van
Mr. Murphy
World Literature (H)
20 November 2018
Full of Direst Cruelty: The Gender and Corruption of Power in Shakespeare’s Macbeth
The definition of “femininity” and “masculinity” has changed over time. In an article titled, “Traditional Masculinity and Femininity: Validation of a New Scale Assessing Gender Roles,” authors Sven Kachel, Melanie Steffens, and Claudia Niedlich conducted a study using the Traditional Masculinity-Femininity (TMF) scale to “assess central facets of self-ascribed masculinity-femininity.” Kachel, Steffens, and Niedlich writes, “Gender stereotype theory suggests that men are generally perceived as more masculine than women, whereas women are generally perceived as more feminine than men” (“Traditional Masculinity and Femininity: Validation of a New Scale Assessing Gender Roles”). Based on the gender stereotype theory, women would not be defined as being more “masculine” than a man and vice-versa. However, this gender stereotype theory is challenged in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. The play challenges traditional gender qualities and norms. Shakespeare explores the role of femininity and masculinity in the main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. By exploring the binary relationship between femininity and masculinity, Shakespeare’s Macbeth demonstrates that human ambition and desire to have power leads to the corruption of one’s character.
Lady Macbeth’s ambition to obtain power as queen leads her to encourage her husband, Macbeth, to do actions which are considered “wrong”. In the play, the witches, also known as the Weird Sisters, tell Macbeth and Banquo three prophecies. Macbeth and Banquo are the generals of the Scottish King Duncan. The witches prophesied that Macbeth who is already Thane of Glamis, the titles Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. The witches also predict that Banquo will “get kings” meaning that Banquo will never become a king himself, but his sons will. Macbeth believes the witches’ prophecies to be true, but he is uncertain what to expect. Lady Macbeth receives a letter that informs her that her husband may be king. Lady Macbeth is much more ambitious than Macbeth. Because of this, she persuades Macbeth to murder Duncan by insulting his masculinity.
Lady Macbeth wishes to be rid of her feminine qualities in order to be an instigator to Macbeth. After reading a letter from her husband and learning that King Duncan is coming to visit, Lady Macbeth first starts off by asking the spirits to “unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe-top full of direst cruelty” (I. 5. 47-50). Lady Macbeth wants to be stripped of her woman-like qualities. In being stripped of feminine qualities, Lady Macbeth wants to be more masculine and filled with cruelty and evil. Shakespeare writes, “Come to my woman’s breasts and take my milk for gall…” (I. 5. 54-55). Lady Macbeth wishes for her breast milk to turn into bile (anger). Lady Macbeth’s wish to have her breast milk turned into gall further demonstrates her desire to be masculine. In another instance, Lady Macbeth states, “I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums / And dashed the brains out…” (I. 7. 64-66). Lady Macbeth says this in order to prove her power and what she will do to gain control. Shakespeare’s word choice of “plucked” and “dashed” shows how much masculine force is in Lady Macbeth. Velma Bourgeois Richmond writes, “Lady Macbeth has deliberately forfeited motherly qualities, and she asserts rigorously her choice and determination through emotionally evocative imagery. At the same time she is assuming the masculine role of driving ambition, she relies upon a distortion of the ideas of motherly love to gain emphasis” (21). “Breast milk” symbolizes the food and nourishment a baby needs from its mother. Since Lady Macbeth wants this replaced with gall this shows how evil she is. Lady Macbeth uses masculine qualities in order to manipulate others to do what she wants.
Macbeth’s source of insecurity was from his wife, Lady Macbeth, doubting his manliness. This can be seen when Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill King Duncan. Macbeth’s bravery and courage is questioned when his wife tells him, “And live a coward in thine own self esteem” (I. 7. 46). Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth, “When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man” (I.7. 56-58). Macbeth became his own adversary when he tried to prove he was a “man” to his wife by killing Duncan. Although Macbeth proved to his wife that he was a “man”, the consequence of murdering the king was the beginning of the corruption of Macbeth’s character because of the sense of power he had. Even though Lady Macbeth pushes Macbeth to abuse his powers, it was ultimately his own decision because he had a choice to do it or not. When Macbeth decided to go through with his plan to kill Duncan he says, “I am settled, and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat. / Away, and mock the time with fairest show. / False face must hide what the false heart doth know” (I. 7. 92-96). Macbeth knew that it was not right to kill the king but he saw his actions as justifiable. His ambition took over the conscience in his mind, which is why Macbeth decided to kill Duncan.
In order to maintain his power and deal with his insecurity, Macbeth repeatedly killed people who he felt would endanger his reign as king. After killing King Duncan, Macbeth decided that Banquo had to be killed because Banquo might be suspicious of him killing Duncan. Macbeth states, “Our fears in Banquo / Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature / Reigns that which would be feared” (III. 1. 53-54). Macbeth sees Banquo and his son Fleance as a threat. In one of the witches’ prophecy, it states Macbeth will be king but Banquo will not be king, only his sons will. This tells us the Macbeth will bear no children. Macbeth’s power is only significant if he has offspring to maintain his power. Macbeth argues that “upon my head they plac’d a fruitless crown / And a barren scepter in my grip” (III. 1. 66-67). The words “fruitless crown” and “barren scepter” metaphorically links to Macbeth’s infertility and his lack of offspring. Although Macbeth became king, he considers it “to be thus is nothing, / But to be safely thus” (III. I. 52-53). His power means nothings to him because he has no heir who will carry on the title as king. Since Banquo’s sons will be kings, Macbeth sees this as a threat. Macbeth persuades the murderers to carry out the killings of Banquo and Fleance. He tells the murderers that Banquo is responsible for their miserable lives. Macbeth challenges the masculinity of the murderers just like the way Lady Macbeth challenged his in Act I. Macbeth tells the murderers, “Now, if th’ worst rank of manhood, say’t, / And I will put that business in your bosoms / Whose execution takes your enemy off” (III. 1. 114-117). Macbeth claims that the murderers are not “real” men if they cannot murder a man. The three murderers kill Banquo but Fleance escapes and is not killed.
Once Macbeth had power he became greedy, selfish, and relentless, which resulted in Macbeth to commit murderous crimes. After Lady Macbeth insulted his manliness, this is when Macbeth gains power. Carolyn Asp states, “In the play the male stereotype is associated with violence made socially and ethically acceptable through the ritual of warfare. Under the urging of his wife, Macbeth not only accepts the narrow definition of manhood that the stereotype imposes but he agrees to act that role for self-aggrandizement… It tempts him to exercise godlike power through the violence it calls courage and aspire to freedom from consequences and invulnerability from mortal danger” (154). Macbeth resorted to violence in order to show that he was a “man”. He used violence in order to maintain his power which shows how greedy he is. Macbeth was greedy to gain more power. His desire for more power led to the corruption of his character. Macbeth lost all moral values and became his own enemy. After killing Duncan, Macbeth says, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one red” (II. 2. 78-81). Duncan’s blood on Macbeth’s hand symbolizes guilt. Macbeth could have stopped after killing Duncan but instead he had no self-control and continued with his “power”.
As a result of the comparisons of different qualities within the males and females, Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, shows that it leads to the corruption of one’s character. As Lady Macbeth and Macbeth went against their masculine and feminine qualities, their desire for power led to the destruction of their characters. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth exhibit “masculine” traits as seen through their actions in the play. Both characters seeks to become more manly in order to become evil. Macbeth eventually had a feel of what power was and abused it. Macbeth became his own adversary when he had lost control of his actions which eventually led to the corruption of his character. However, Macbeth cannot be blamed for his actions because his greed for more power can be justified with anyone who has a position of power. An individual with power is not willing to give up what they have and will do anything to gain more power. A feeling of supremacy can act as a trigger that causes an individual to become corrupt and do actions that go against their morals. An individual with power with go as far as ruining the lives of others in order to gain more power.
Works Cited
Asp, Carolyn. “‘Be Bloody, Bold and Resolute’: Tragic Action and Sexual Stereotyping in ‘Macbeth.’” Studies in Philology, vol. 78, no. 2, 1981, pp. 153–169. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4174071.
Kachel, Sven et al. “Traditional Masculinity and Femininity: Validation of a New Scale Assessing Gender Roles” Frontiers in psychology vol. 7 956. 5 Jul. 2016, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00956
Richmond, Velma Bourgeois. “Lady Macbeth: Feminine Sensibility Gone Wrong.” CEA Critic, vol. 35, no. 3, 1973, pp. 20–24. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44376778.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth . Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2013.