Act 1, Scene 5
Gender Roles
- In the context of the play, gender roles were quite prominent (especially in a patriarchal structure).
- Women were expected to be
- wives
- mothers
- respectful and loyal daughters
- Men were
- politicians
- landlords
- householders
- Macbeth highlights these gender roles, especially in Lady Macbeth’s Sililoquy.
What is a soliloquy?
- A soliloquy is a literary device in which a character in a play speaks their thoughts aloud, revealing their inner thoughts, motivations, and feelings to the audience, building dramatic irony and tension/suspense.
Analysing Lady Macbeth’s Sililoquy
| Quote | Category | What does it suggest? | What does it reveal about Lady Macbeth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| “unsex me here” | Gender | It suggests that she rejects her femininity to gain power. | She is willing to strip away all of her femininity and womanhood to commit violent acts. |
| ”murdering ministers” | Violence | She invokes dark, spiritual powers in order to assist her in committing murder. | She is willing and determined to become evil to achieve her goal. |
| ”valour of my tongue” | Power | She believes that persuasion and words are powerful tools. | She sees herself as bold and capable of influencing others, especially Macbeth. |
| ”take my milk for gall” | Gender / Violence | She wants to replace nurturing qualities (milk) with poison and bitterness (gall) | She rejects traditional gender roles and female nurturing roles in order to embrace cruelty to gain power. |
Article Study
Link
- How is Lady Macbeth’s ambition judged?
- Lady Macbeth’s ambition is judged by the idea of being ruthless and gaining power at any cost.
- How are the women in the article judged?
- The women in the article are judged quite negatively, and treat the women like “Lady Macbeth” and immoral.
- Are ambitious women portrayed more negatively than men?
- Ambitious women are portrayed more negatively than men due to the “Lady Macbeth Bias” and ambitious women being portrayed as ruthless and are critiqued more often than men.
Trial Tips
- The information from this article can be used to prosecute or defend Lady Macbeth.
- You can pre-empt the argument against the opposition in order to win your stance.