Jada Phillips

April 27, 2017

2nd hour
Literary Analysis

Macbeth Literary Analysis: Feminism

Macbeth is known as one of Shakespeares most popular plays, in which a tragic hero,

Macbeth, is taken down by his own ambition when he is influenced by a group of female

characters to move up the social hierarchy. Macbeth is dominated by male characters and

demonizes the women of society, which is an obvious expression of female oppression. Per

Tyson, feminism within literature is depicted through the ways in which literature (and other

cultural productions) reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological

oppression of women" (as cited in Feminist Criticism (1960s-present), 2010, para. 1).

Throughout Macbeth, the unruly actions and reactions of the female characters are solely based

upon their positions and inequality in society.

One of the first female characters that readers are introduced to is Macbeths wife, Lady

Macbeth. Like many of Shakespeares works, Lady Macbeths real name is never revealed,

therefore she is only known by association with her husband. This alone discloses the value of a

womans life and how they were forced to live in the shadows of men. Throughout the play,

readers are shown that Lady Macbeth has an even stronger drive for power than her husband, yet

her ambition is portrayed as evil and manipulative, while Macbeths ruthlessness is

welcomed as valorous and wins him the accolades of his male peers (as cited in Feminism in

Macbeth, 2013, para. 11). When Lady Macbeth volunteers her body as a sacrifice in exchange

for the trait of unwavering cruelty, it exposes how unconsciously trapped she is by the politics

and expectations of the male-dominated society. All her plots are based on the advancement of
her husbands power and not her own; this reveals that even the strongest and bravest of women

were still under the impression that their only form of success had to come from the ranks of

their men. However, Lady Macbeths character also symbolizes dominant women trying to defy

the odds by showing their masculinity, zeal and determination for power, which ultimately

backfires on her.

During the scene of Duncans murder, Lady Macbeths bravery grows timid and she is

unable to carry out her planned assassination. Shakespeares irony in this situation can be

interpreted as an analogy that gives an insight on how women were viewed by men. Lady

Macbeth abetted her husband and vowed to commit the crime with him, but by not completing

the task, she trickled back into the stereotype of the nurturing woman whose capabilities dont

stray far from being a servant to her husband. Eventually, Lady Macbeths guilt becomes too

much to bare and she kills herself. Macbeth was undaunted by his wifes death and stated that

she would have died hereafter (Shakespeare, 5.5.17). Macbeths reaction to his wifes death

shows that even the most powerful women were disposable and could be easily replaced. In the

eyes of men, women werent human beings but more closely related to property, with no deeper

relation than sex and reproduction.

The next women presented in Macbeth were three witches. These characters are examples

of the sexist reality that women are often faced with today: women are blamed for the actions of

men. These witches were essentially portrayed as the cause of Macbeths tragedy and readers

learn that they are trying to ruin Macbeth by manipulating him with his own ambition.

Shakespeares description of their actions puts them at fault, when in all reality, it was Macbeth

whose actions caused the repercussions. The witches intentions were cruel, but their plans were

solely based off the knowledge that Macbeth would bite their bait (power), and that his ego
would take him the rest of the way. This exemplifies how power-crazed men are, yet it is still

decided to place the fate of society in their hands.

The three witches have a close-knit sisterhood in which they use to defy patriarchy. Their

power is a based off their unity and seems to be their only leverage for success. Each time the

witches appear in the story, they are always together. This concept of unification between the

sisters represents the underlying kinship between the women in society. Women shared a great

connection, not only because of their physical features, but because of the mutual struggles that

they each faced every day. This persona was not only relevant during the period in which

Macbeth was written, but it is also pertinent today. The first wave of feminism from the late

1700s to the early 1900s highlighted the womens suffrage movement. This event is relevant to

the portrayal of the three witches because they both emphasize the dominance that women can

achieve if they come together as one. Ironically, Shakespeares usage of the witches sisterhood

was deemed immoral and twisted, which shows how unpleased men were when women decided

to come together and fight for their rights.

The last woman that readers are introduced to is Lady Macduff. Lady Macduffs

character represents the women of society who are content with being in the shadows of men and

try to shy away from the politics of sexism. She is the typical wife that follows the demands of

her husband, Macduff, despite her skepticism. She placed all her faith in her husband and was so

flustered that he fled the country without her, that she mentally killed him and told her son so

too. Lady Macduffs anger toward Macduffs mishap is an example of how women praised their

men like gods, but were totally disoriented when they made a mistake because a blunder means

that theyre mortal. Situations such as this made women realize that men may have the power in

society but they are still human. Because of the dominance of men, Lady Macduff depended on
her husband for everything because, essentially, she had nothing. Eventually, she was killed only

on the bases of being associated with Macduff. Even when she was under the impression that her

husband abandoned her, Lady Macduff used her last breaths defending him.

Shakespeares Macbeth, not only told the story of a tragic hero but it also underlined

many of the social and political struggles that women endure due to gender inequality. The

female characters in the play represented inferiority while men were the dominating sex. The

analogy that is prominent throughout the entire play is relevant to the way in which women were,

and are, put down in society based on nothing more than their gender. Macbeth is easily

interpreted as a feminist play that places women in the very bottom of society, politics and life

itself. Shakespeares work influenced readers to believe that women are incompetent and can

never succeed unless theres a man by their side or some form of magic. Macbeth enhances the

sexist society and embodies the idea of men being in full authority while the women serve them.
 Bibliography

Brizee, A., Tompkins, C., Chernouski, L., & Boyle, E. (2014, April 21). Feminist Criticism
(1960s-present). Retrieved April 27, 2017, from
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/11/

Feminism in Macbeth. Story of a Phoenix

https://storyofaphoenix.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/feminism-in-macbeth/

Pancoast, R. (n.d.). Morality and Gender: Feminist Interpretations of Macbeth. Retrieved April
27, 2017, from
http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/macbeth/papers/rpancoast.htm

Shakespeare, W. (2000). Macbeth. San Diego, CA: Huge Print Press

Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Retrieved April 27,
2017, from http://www.shmoop.com/macbeth/lady-macbeth.html