Gender Roles in Macbeth

Gender Roles in Macbeth

Question #1

Some critics say that Shakespeare played around with the gender roles of his characters in order to criticize the male-dominated culture at the time. Do you agree or disagree?

Question #2

In Shakespeare's time, (1600's) women were not seen as equal to men, and were often made the butt of the joke.

How was a man's social status determined?

Examples from Macbeth

Question #3

In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth says "Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here/ And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top full/ Of direst cruelty!"

Women of Will

Gender Roles

Who is the author of "Women of Will"?

But shakespeare was like "no screw that"

In Act 1, Scene 7, Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth to kill Duncan by attacking his manhood. She says, " 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."

Gender roles are sets of societal norms dictating what types of behaviors are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on their actual or perceived sex.

When Macbeth is convincing the Murderers to kill Banquo, he also attacks their manhood. In Act 3, Scene 1, Macbeth says, "Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men/ as hounds ands greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels. curs/ Shoughs, water-rugs and demi-wolves, are clept/ All by the name of dogs."

Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth won't have enough courage to kill Duncan, and says "What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature/It is too full o' the milk of human kindness/ To catch the nearest way."

Typically, masculine traits were assigned to boys, and feminine traits were assigned to girls.

Examples of Shakespeare being awesome

Examples from "Women of Will" by Tina Packer

Femininity

Clothing:

Masculinity

Family Roles:

Women's clothing at the time was typically bland and non-descript.

Women usually wore what their husbands wanted them to wear.

Men were not expected to take care of the house or care for their children, yet men were seen as the most important people in the family unit.

Rights:

• In plays like "Romeo and Juliet" and "Much Ado About Nothing," Shakespeare depicts wome not as adversaries but as "full human beings" and equal partners in love.
• Shakespeare gave Romeo and Juliet, male and female, "absolute equality" in their relationship.
• In middle plays like "As You Like It," "Julius Caesar" and "Twelfth Night," women step out and tell the truth regardless of the consequences.
• In "Macbeth" and "Coriolanus," women renounce their softer, more feminine traits and "promote the masculine institutions of war and aggressive superiority in government" with grievous consequences..

Social Status:

The social status of a man was determined by his wealth and how much land he owned.

Works Cited

Women could not vote, choose to marry, or choose to have children. It was expected that women would be married and have children.

Women were not allowed to work in "man's jobs", and they could not get an education.*

Relationships:

Women were viewed as subservient to men, and all of the man's needs were fufilled by his wife.

Relationships

Clothing:

In relationships, women were expected to fulfill

men's needs.

Men's clothing styles changed often and continuously advanced.

Women were overall seen as weaker,

less intelligent, and otherwise less

fit than men for most tasks.

Men were generally respected more in this culture.

Can you think of any examples from Macbeth?

"Femininity during medieval times." Medieval Gender. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://www.medievalgender.org.uk/about/>.

"Roles of Women in The Middle Ages." Medieval Spell. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://www.medieval-spell.com/Roles-Of-Women-In-The-Middle-Ages.html>.

Alchin, Linda. "Medieval Women." Ancient Fortresses. N.p., Mar. 2015. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://www.ancientfortresses.org/medieval-women.html>.

Krulwich, Sara . "Review: "Women of Will" by Tina Packer." The New York Times. N.p., 4 May 2015. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/books/review-women-of-will-by-tina-packer-a-look-at-shakespeares-feminine-side.html?_r=0>

Now and Forever . Make Your Red Medieval Wedding Gowns a Dream Come True. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://redhotbrides.com/blog/index.php/2008/07/03/make-your-red-medieval-wedding-gowns-a-d>.

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