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Paul Ngo
Mr. Elliot
English 10 AIM
23 September 2014
Gender Roles in Shakespeares Macbeth
In the tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare describes Macbeths descent into evil, using
murder as a tool to secure power. Throughout the play, Shakespeare depicts gender roles as not
being a stereotype, and that the gender of a person does not define who they are or how they act.
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth both display traits that are not the way females and males,
respectively, are supposed to act. Shakespeare intended to prove that it is not true that males
kill easily and without much thought and females are fragile and innocent.
In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth intends to steel herself in order to convince Macbeth to
kill Duncan. She 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 (1.5.47-50). Lady Macbeths discourse
suggest that women are not normally cruel, while men are. Macbeth is then continually prodded
by his wife to murder Duncan, and eventually does the deed. However, it was not the spirits that
made Lady Macbeth cruel, but Lady Macbeth herself that had the idea of murder in the first
place. A lady is not naturally born with stereotyped traits; being female does not mean being
kind.
In the first act, Macbeth is described as a thane loyal to the crown, with skill in
swordsmanship. This loyalty, coupled with Duncans good treatment of Macbeth - Duncan
granted Macbeth title of Cawdor as well as Glamis - is what discourages Macbeth from killing

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Duncan. Arguing with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth says, We will proceed no further in this
business. He hath honored me of late, and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of
people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon (1.7.34-38).
Macbeth is not naturally inclined to kill. He has moral values, and his loyalty to Duncan, and
believes that not killing Duncan is the right thing to do. I dare do all that may become a man.
Who dares do more is none (1.7.51-52). However, he is not impervious to external opinion,
and succumbs to Lady Macbeths urgings, though not without internal conflict and self-doubt. I
am afraid to think what I have done. Look on t again I dare not. (2.2.66-67). As a dynamic
character, Macbeth proves again that, not only does gender not restrict people to certain beliefs
and actions, characters can change their beliefs; Macbeth goes on to plan more murders and
assassinations later in the book.
In the third scene of Act 3, members of Duncans court discover that the king was
murdered. Ironically, when Lady Macbeth asks the business of all the early-morning tumult,
Macduff claims that murder is too violent for a lady to hear about, while Lady Macbeth first
planned Duncans death. O gentle lady,Tis not for you to hear what I can speak. The repetition
in a womans ear Would murder as it fell (3.1.96-99). The assumption that women are innocent
is not true. However, as with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth changes and eventually regrets her
actions; over the course of several pages in Act 5, it becomes apparent that Lady Macbeth has
developed a disease that causes her stress over how she has caused the deaths of so many,
through Macbeth. Macbeth and Lady Macbeths genders remain the same, while their actions,
thoughts, and feelings change through the play.
Whilst Macbeth becomes more evil in his thoughts and actions, feeling less and less

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remorse, Macduff believes that the way of the man is more flexible and caring. When Macduff
finds out that his family has been murdered, he grieves for them. Malcolm tells Macduff to talk
more like a man, to which Macduff replies, I shall do so, But I must also feel it as a man
(4.3.260-261). A man is not always stoic - every person should be able to show and express their
feelings truly. On the other hand, when Lady Macbeth dies, Macbeth says, Lifes a tale Told
by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing (5.5.27-31). He is nonchalant about death
and does not grieve properly for the death of his wife. Macbeth and Macduff are foils,
representing that their male gender do not necessarily mean they act the same.
In Macbeth, Shakespeare brings our attention to gender roles - characters in the play,
such as Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Malcolm, and Macduff develop the theme that the gender of a
person doesnt detail how they will act - it is the influence of others, their upbringing, guilt,
sadness, love, selfishness, loyalty, and greed that can motivate and determine how a person will,
and does, act.