Macbeth - Gender

Question 1

‘Prithee, peace’

Answer 1

Act 1, Scene 7, Macbeth:
* it’s a plea
* he cant withstand an attack on his masculinity
* his sensitivity and fragility
* seems like a man’s sense of manhood is dependent on the woman in his life

Question 2

‘may pour my spiritis in thine ear’

Answer 2

Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth:
* wants to persuade him to do her bidding
* ‘spirits’ - connotations of occult, wants to possess macbeth
* links witchcraft w/ womans dom over husbands - unnatural for women to have power over men
* supernatural - links to story of adam and eve (eve a girl being downfall of adam)
* critisicm of society - lady m must manifest ambition in her male counterpart and manipulate him - downfall of men is not letting women in power

Question 3

‘Come to my woman’s breasts / And take my milk for gall’

Answer 3

Act 1, Scene 5, Lady M:
* physical & visible proof of feminitiy - directly addressing fem
* ‘breasts’ & ‘milk’ - signs of motherhood, rejecting it, femmes fatales as she denies men to immortalise themselves thru kids
* ‘gall’ - bitter, suggests replacing what was once kindness & growth w/ something worse

Question 4

‘skinny lips’

Answer 4

Act 1, Scene 3, describing witches:
* personify typical jacobean views on witches
* ‘ugly’ feminity - isolated bc not complying to trad femininity
* ambigous gender - unsure of witches being ladies

Question 5

‘All my pretty ones? / Did you say all?’

Answer 5

Act 4, Scene 3, Macduff:
* repetive questions, broken speech - conveys extreme emotional distress
* trad unmasc
* ‘my pretty ones’ - paternal love, masculinity should/can be tender and loving