key themes: gender

Question 1

Lady Macbeth goes from calling Macbeth“worthy Cawdor!…all hail hereafter” to a “coward” (act 1)

Answer 1

• juxtaposition: Lady Macbeth’s initial flattery curdles into a poisonous insult in which emasculates Macbeth. Having hailed him as a soon-to-be king, she now reduces him to a mere “coward.”
• This single word pierces Macbeth’s core, a soldier defined by courage and strength. It’s not just questioning of his masculinity;it’s a brutal attack on the very essence of his identity and his battlefield reputation.
• Contextual link: Within the rigid gender roles of Jacobean society, a man’s dominance over his wife was paramount. Lady Macbeth recognised that Macbeth’s ambition, his hamartia, was deeply intertwined with his perceived masculinity.
• By stripping him of the mantle of a dominant husband, through the epithet “coward” she threatened the very foundation of his self worth. This emasculation becomes a key factor in Macbeth’s downfall, as his ambition crumbles when his image of a powerful man is shattered.

Question 2

“With tarquin’s ravishing sides, towards his design”

Answer 2

• Contextual link: Macbeth ambitiously strives to emulate Tarquin, the Roman tyrant whom raped his wife, so he can embody what it means to be a ruthless blood thirsty leader.
• Macbeth’s ambition is further fuelled by the lingering emasculation (using his masculinity against him) he experienced at the hands of Lady Macbeth in act 1. For him, power becomes synonymous with brutality and this perception is compounded by his insatiable ambition, which propels him towards a relentless pursuit of dominance through brute force.
• Connotations on “design”: The diction “design” connotes intentional creation, mirroring Macbeth’s intentional crafting of his desired position as King through ambitious pursuits. Despite his transgression of natural order in his pursuit, the seductive allure of these temptations of power and authority obstructs him from seeing the permanent and eternal consequences he will face.

Question 3

“Make thick my blood, stop up th’access and passage to remorse” (Act 1) - Lady Macbeth

Answer 3

• Imperative (commanding words: The imperative “make thick my blood’ illustrates how she commands for emotional restraint and a callous (cruel) indifference.
  Recognising that her aspirations for tyranny require a detachment from femininity and the accompanying emotions, Lady Macbeth seeks to rid herself of these elements to pave the way for her ruthless ambitions
• Femme fatale: This is a seductive and manipulative woman who can lure men into danger or sin- it is a common trope within literature and poetry. She is thus a femme fatale as she not only is manipulative but rejects her womanhood and motherhood- a typical trope (theme or idea) of a femme fatale.

Question 4

“Dash’d the brains out” (Act 1) - Lady Macbeth

Answer 4

• “plosive on “dash’d”: The plosive on “dash’d” creates a brutal sound, mirroring her brutal rejection of motherly instincts. Her proclivity for violence takes precedence over motherhood, leading to her unapologetic willingness to extinguish human life in the relentless pursuit of unchecked violent ambition.
• Juxtaposition: The deliberate contrast between the forceful verb “dash’d” and the delicate nature of “brains” serves as a poignant symbol reflecting Lady Macbeth’s character. Despite seemingly fragile exterior, she harbours a strong desire to instigate violence and chaos.
• Notably, her choice of targeting the vulnerable “brains” of infants signifies a recognition of both the paramount importance and extreme fragility of human existence. Yet this is ironic, as the very organ she see,s to disrupt in her unborn child- the seat of morality and reason- becomes the locus of her own downfall.

Question 5

“beards” (said by Banquo to describe the Witches in Act 1)

Answer 5

• Masculinity synonymous with power: Masculinity is presented as synonymous with power throughout the play, thus this description imbues them with a threat of dominance. They therefore appear androgynous alike to Lady Macbeth, and their lack of gender conformity exacerbates them as duplicitous and powerful beings.
• In a patriarchal society where power is associated with a clear gender identity, the Witches’ ambiguity becomes a potent symbol of their threat. They represent a chaotic force that can unravel the carefully constructed social order.
• Appearance vs reality: The witches weave a web of deceit with supernatural ease due to their gender nonconformity and ambiguousness. They masquerade as prophets whispering promises of a glorious future for Macbeth, all while orchestrating his descent into a grim and ominous destiny.