Act Like a Lady
representations of femininity in macbeth
In William Shakespeare's, Macbeth, the portrayal of women unveils a complex interplay between societal expectations, gender roles, and individual agency. The characters of Lady Macbeth, Lady Macduff, the Gentlewoman and the Witches provide a nuanced exploration of femininity that challenges and reinforces the prevailing norms in feudal Scotland.
Lady Macbeth stands as a formidable figure. Her ambition and her manipulation of Macbeth to fulfill both their desires defies the passive image assigned to women. Though she attempts to portray a woman unconstrained and unperturbed by the heinous act of murder, it is interesting to note that she is aware that she must sacrifice her inherent humanity in order to achieve such desires. Her call upon spirits to, "Unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe topful / Of direst cruelty!" (Act 1, Scene 5) reveals that she must become something “inhuman” in order to achieve it. Further her cry to, “take my milk for gall” is an attempt more specifically to destroy her femininity and maternal instincts, womanly aspects that may threaten the outcome of her murder plot. For violence, whilst typical of men, is certainly not typical of women. But, as we know, her endeavour is futile. She cannot forsake it, just as Macbeth cannot forsake his conscience. Her eventual descent into guilt and madness hints at the consequences of women stepping beyond prescribed boundaries of the female sex.
In contrast, Lady Macduff adheres more closely to traditional maternal roles. Her emphasis on family acts as an ideal representation of femininity. Lady Macduff's character is strategically positioned as the binary opposite of Lady Macbeth. While Lady Macbeth is driven by ambition and manipulation, Lady Macduff embodies traditional qualities associated with femininity—nurturing, protective, and family-oriented. Furthermore, whilst her vulnerability is evident in the scene with Ross, there is also a palpable sense of her defiance when she exclaims, "Wisdom! To leave his wife, to leave his babes, / His mansion, and his titles in a place / From whence himself does fly?" (Act 4, Scene 2). Even though she is vulnerable in her husband’s absence, she displays a justifiable anger and spirited defiance that elevates her beyond two-dimensional silence and passivity. She is perceptive, indeed much more than her husband, particularly in regards to the imminent threat faced by her family. This stark contrast presents a more dynamic representation of women in the play and challenges any simplistic or monolithic view of femininity.
The Gentlewoman, though a silent witness, plays a crucial role in revealing Lady Macbeth’s state of mind. Her observant nature challenges the notion that women are mere spectators, as she bears witness to Lady Macbeth's psychological descent. Her presence underscores the key role that ladies in waiting had in their mistresses lives and her speech highlights the effect of Macbeth’s absence upon Lady Macbeth’s life. "Since his majesty went into the field, I have seen her / rise from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her, unlock her / closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon't, read it, / afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast sleep." (Act 5, Scene 1). It is the Gentlewoman who notes that the perturbations of Lady Macbeth’s sleep seem to directly correlate with Macbeth’s absence, and it is she who must physically look after her. The Gentlewoman’s allegiance to her ladyship is made all the more clear when, despite what is revealed by Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking, she refuses to further incriminate her mistress, instead choosing to defy the doctor’s request to explain the meaning behind her words and actions. She is resolutely protective.
The witches in William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" emerge as enigmatic and supernatural beings whose presence and prophecies catalyse the tragic events that unfold in the play. Employing a prophetic and cryptic tone, and often referred to as "the weird sisters," these figures serve as harbingers of Macbeth's fate. The witches embody not only the supernatural forces at work but also the darker aspects of ambition and power, thus their characters also operate as symbols within the text signifying the embodiment of evil. Their ambiguous gender and eerie incantations contribute to the broader thematic exploration of femininity within the play. Much like Lady Macbeth, who defies conventional expectations of women, the witches embody a mysterious and unsettling femininity that defies the natural and social order. Banquo's observation that "they have beards" adds another layer to their ambiguous gender identity that serves to blur the lines of traditional femininity. Their very existence questions the roles assigned to women, suggesting that power and prophecy can be wielded by enigmatic and supernatural female entities. As servants of the devil, they can be seen to reinforce stereotypical representations of women with power as inherently dangerous and untrustworthy.
There is much for us to take away from these representations of women. For Jacobean audiences, the women of Shakespeare’s Macbeth play a pivotal role in establishing what was considered “ideal” representations of womanhood and femininity. Even Lady Macbeth’s horrifying hypotheticals of violence against her baby act as a perverted inversion of what women should not be. Such plays acted as a mirror to subtly explore and challenge social notions, and Shakespeare does so with the deftness one can only expect of such a writer. And that is the genius of Shakespeare.
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