Macbeth is often considered, rather unfairly as Shakespeare’s most sexist play. This is because the characters of Lady Macbeth and the three witches are shown as evil and manipulative. Thus Shakespeare is considered sexist on account of this particular play. This however is an incorrect assumption and does not do justice to the playwright and his understanding of human nature particularly his penetrating insight into the psyche of women. In Macbeth far from being sexist, Shakespeare has questioned the conventional roles assigned to men and women on the basis of their sexuality and has sought to overturn the prevalent societal norms with regard to gender. There is plenty of evidence regarding his intentions, throughout the text. Therefore it may be concluded that Shakespeare was a feminist as opposed to a sexist writer. He seems to truly understand women and is able to see past the stereotypical notions imposed on them by society regarding the way they are supposed to behave and feel. In an attempt to explore whether character is determined by sex or prevailing conventions, Shakespeare asks some pertinent questions and makes some revealing observations that reveal his feminist bent. His characterization of Lady Macbeth is particularly illuminating. Some critics have condemned the dramatist for his portrayal of her as fiendish, manipulative and evil. He has been accused of harboring typically masculine and stereotypical notions of the female character, but this is not the case. A careful analysis of Lady Macbeth’s intensely complicated character and her role in the play proves that Shakespeare is actually a feminist writer.
When Lady Macbeth contemplates the murder of Duncan, she asks the powers to “unsex me here” (Shakespeare, p. 52). She repeatedly wishes that she could divest herself of the trappings of her feminine nature, so that she will be able to go through with her deadly plan. In the words of McGrail, “She views her sexuality as the root of that ‘Nature’ which impedes her ruthlessness”. But the interesting point to be noted here is that Lady Macbeth completely lacks all the so called feminine traits while she has all the characteristics ordinarily associated with masculinity. For instance far from being tender, soft – hearted and motherly as is expected she coldly plots the death of Duncan and claims that she would even commit infanticide if she had given her word – “I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, / And dash’d the brains out” (Shakespeare, p. 64). She embodies the masculine traits of cruelty, violence and ambition in sharp contrast to Macbeth who is too scared to murder his King. Thus, by deliberating blurring the sexual boundaries, Shakespeare appears to question rigid social norms and calls their accuracy into question. There are further instances in the text that showcase Shakespeare as a feminist writer.
Lady Macbeth is exceedingly clever and resourceful when it comes to convincing her husband to kill his King. She manipulates him, by playing on his ambition, darkest desires and hidden insecurities. By questioning the potency of his manhood, she induces him to kill. But all along she does her utmost to literally keep her hands from being stained with blood. She says she would have done it, “Had he not resembled / My father as he slept”. A weak excuse at best. In ensuring that her own hands are clean, she reminds one of Shakespeare’s greatest villain, Iago who was a great master when it came to getting people to commit murder and doing other dirty deeds. Thus like this particular villain, Lady Macbeth tries very cleverly to get her husband to do the dirty deed, and successfully frees herself from the ensuing guilt and horror to an extent. In the words of Zimmerman, “… the success of Lady Macbeth’s system for denying psychic phenomena seems to depend on keeping her distance from the act of violence itself, despite her rhetoric to the contrary”. Unlike Iago, she fails in carrying out her intentions, when Macbeth develops cold feet and she is forced into action. This subsequently leads to her madness. Shakespeare in giving her the very characteristics that made Iago immortal in the pages of literature, has accorded her equal status with the best of his male villains. Therefore, this may be considered as yet another example of feminist writing on Shakespeare’s part, since in his time women were never given the same status as men.
Finally, Lady Macbeth in a lot of ways reminds one of modern day women and in making her thus Shakespeare establishes himself as a feminist writer. She appears to be struggling against the restraints imposed on her by society due to her sex. Shakespeare has made her a radical character because she takes charge of most situations she is in and more often than not she decides the course of events rather than following her spouse’s lead. Thus she is a complete departure from the typical female characters of the time. According to Roberts, “The author enhances the value of her executive ability and credits her with a ‘magnetic wifely allegiance’ to her husband’s powerful ambition, ‘an allegiance the more captivating in that it appears not in a weak but a strong feminine nature, rich in resources and resolution’”.
In conclusion it may be said that Shakespeare’s was ahead of his contemporaries, because unlike the other writers of his time, he did not have a short – sighted view of women and their role in society. Thus the accusations of sexism that have been hurled against him are mainly the result of his work being misinterpreted. The evidence outlined above using Lady Macbeth’s character is proof that Shakespeare was a feminist writer as he not only understood women but saw them as equal to men.
Works Cited
Roberts, Jeanne. “Women Edit Shakespeare”. Shakespeare Survey. Ed. Peter Holland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. 136 – 146.
McGrail, Mary Ann. Tyranny in Shakespeare. Lanham, Lexington Books, 2001.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. , 2002.
Zimmerman, Susan. “Duncan’s Corpse”. A Feminist Companion to Shakespeare. Ed. Dympna Callaghan. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2000. 320 – 340.