Susana Duenas Ms.

Gordon English IV/ Block A March 16, 2014

The Rise and Fall of a Lady

The Tragedy of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, tells the tale of Macbeth, theThane of Glamis, whose thirst for power and passion to become king ultimately lead to his undoing. Although Macbeth is the one responsible for his downward spiral, his wife, Lady Macbeth proves to be the most powerful contributor in his unraveling. Aside from being his wife, Lady Macbeth is the sole and most effective instigator in his passion and violence that lead to his kingship and death. Despite leading her husband and herself to damnation, however, Lady shows that women have powerful influence on other's decision making. She shows a greater purpose by exemplifying that women are just as capable and powerful as men are in a structured setting, by showing that because of Lady Macbeth's counsel, Macbeth gets what he bargains for, and by breaking the fine line between being a wife and being a woman. During the Renaissance, gender roles were just as important to society as it is in modern society. Kate Aughterson explains in her book Renaissance Women: A Sourcebook: Constructions of Femininity in England, that "the ideology of a woman's behaviour is thus defined in relation to the power of a man" (Aughterson 67). The expected gender roles of this time period focused more on family life, and submission. Women were expected to be mothers and wives. So all in all, women were weak. The men however, had to reflect leadership, and dominance over these sweet and weak

women. England during the Renaissance was mostly a patriarchal society. Men were the breadwinners (literally), the head of the household and the ones to speak and act for the women in their lives. There was no such thing as gender equality, or gender appreciation. Gender itself, had its own power in this society. There was always the conflict between masculinity and femininity (or, misogyny and femininity). However, once plays like Macbeth came into the attention of the public, there was a strange turn. God forbid one of these women read this and got any ideas to be like Lady Macbeth! (Fisher, QuestiaSchool) The movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, contains one of the most relevant quotes pertaining to the true power that women hold. Toula, the main character of the movie is assured by her mother that, in the end, it is always the woman who leads the way for a man. She says, "The man is the head,

but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants" (MBFGW, Warner Bros.). In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth exemplifies the power a woman has when it comes to
her manipulative nature. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is contemplating killing Duncan in order to become king. The three sisters are the first to confirm his premonition of wanting to be king, but, once his wife confirms, he knows that this fantasy of his could become a reality. At first, he does not want to kill Duncan because he has a close relationship to the king. It is suggested that Macbeth and Duncan are cousins. In order to change his mind, Lady Macbeth makes subtle, yet abrasive attacks on Macbeth. She is the one who ultimately incites her husband to kill the king in order to rule Scotland. (Thompson, QuestiaSchool) Lady Macbeth uses manipulation and cruelty to encourage Macbeth to commit regicide. This is evident in the first few scenes of Act I. In Act I, Scene VII She says that, if she was able to conceive and have children, she would murder her own child if Macbeth does not kill Duncan. This is significant because she is not submissive like other women of this time period. She says, that if she

were able to, "I would, while it [the babe] was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this" (Shakespeare 43). She understands that she is an equal to her husband, and voices her harsh yet, effective opinion. Lady Macbeth also brings an interesting twist to the table. The fact that she briefly holds the power in the relationship, unsexes her. In modern times, people usually refer to the more masculine one of the relationship as "the pants," and the more feminine one as "the pumps." Lady Macbeth is not one, but both of them. She is able to manipulate her husband in such a way that intimidates him, and still maintain her grace and elegance. As mentioned previously, the women of this time were seen to have few purposes: to surrender to their husband's wishes, to raise the children, and provide a sustainable atmosphere for the family. Lady Macbeth's aggression and lack of femininity is supported by the fact that she is unable to create a family of her own (Chamberlain, QuestiaSchool). Not only does this enhance her power and aggression, but it also challenges the idea of gender role and power in a patriarchal authority/ society that was ubiquitous during this time. Cristina Leon Alfar argues that there is reasoning behind Lady Macbeth's "madness." She says, "Lady Macbeth's 'evil' isand ideologically inscribed notion that is often linked in our literary tradition to strong female characters who seek power, who reject filial loyalty as prior to self-loyalty, and who pursue desire in its forms-romantic, adulterate, authoritarian, and even violent. (Alfar) Women during this time also were not to have any association with dark ideas such as murder and the macabre. Lady Macbeth, however, sees these ideas as outlets to express herself and uses these as pathways to the throne. (Thomas, QuestiaSchool) One must argue that the relationship between Lady Macbeth and her husband is the "healthiest" relationship in all of Shakespeare's plays. Aside from being a wife and tormentor, Lady Macbeth seems to be Macbeth's only trustworthy companion and counsel. He trusts that his wife will

make the "right decision" and guide him safely towards kingship. In order to be an effective counsel to her husband, she uses cruelty and manipulation tactics to get her point across. In Act I, she says that, if she were able to have children, she would rather kill her own child than not have Macbeth kill Duncan. Later in the "pep-talk" she gives Macbeth, she attacks his manhood. She holds more power than Macbeth himself, signifying that she is the sole head of the house. (Carroll et al. 316-317) Cardinal Richelieu understood the truth behind his famous quote, "The pen is mightier than the sword" (Lytton 136). Although the quote explicitly contrasts two objects, (one of power and one of submission), its context can be used in everyday situations. Lady Macbeth is represented by this quote because she abstains from violent actions and turns to violent language instead. No where in this play does Lady Macbeth use force against her husband to make sure that he listens to her. She merely uses incisive words to pierce through Macbeth's stubborn little head. Her words prove to be much more abrasive than objects which can kill a person. The final and most potent way Lady Macbeth brings life and power to the play is the way she breaks the fine line between being a wife and being a woman. Overall, she shows a strong personality and ability to stand up for her own dream in concurrence with her husband's. Despite exemplifying both characteristics of a caring wife and a strong-willed woman, there is a heavy juxtaposition in the way she feels about both aspects. As a wife, Lady's first responsibility is to love her husband. It does not seem like she loves Macbeth at times, but, in actuality, she does care deeply for him. The fact that she goes out of her way to make her husband's dream a reality speaks for itself. She is faithful to, not just her husband, but his ambition. She shows her love by pushing Macbeth to make the "right choice" by killing Duncan. Once she sees, however, that by helping her husband, he does not need her anymore, she begins to grow insane and yearns for the womanly freedom and power she once held. This entire time, Lady Macbeth had control over her husband. Now it is the

other way around. As a woman, she sees what women are capable of. She challenges the Renaissance idea of submissive women and dominant husbands. Lady Macbeth is cunning, manipulative, precise and powerful. Once Macbeth shows his true and terrifying nature, she is forced to keep these traits to herself. He calls Lady Macbeth, his "dearest chuck," which may seem like a harmless pet name, but it shows the transition of power that the two have (Macbeth 95). She makes it clear that she wishes she had never even thought of the idea of killing Duncan in the famous sleepwalking scene. She cries, "Out damned spot, out I say!" and is constantly washing her hands to clean herself of the blood she has indirectly spilt, and then goes to spill her own blood (Macbeth 163). She goes mad because of her own will for the throne. (Dillon QuestiaSchool) In the end, Lady Macbeth proves most powerful by showing that even a woman can lead to downfall of a "great" man. The entirety of the play shows the great rise and downfall of this remarkable woman, and, although Lady Macbeth does not end up with her happy ending (royalty and dominance), she opens the path for every woman in the world who does not know how to express themselves. The way Lady Macbeth dominates her husband, uses abrasive language and manipulative tactics, and de-feminizes herself allows women of the Renaissance and beyond to realize their capability to do anything that men can do.