BY SELF AND VIOLENT BANDS:

Ava Arbuck
Department 0" English
McGiII University, Montreal
August J 992.
The "Ideal" Lod] Macbeth
A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulrdment
of the requirements of the degree of Master of Art,.
(c) "va Arbuck, 1992


BI SELf AND VIOLeNT BANDS
One of the most perplexing figures in Shakespeare's tragedies tS Lady
In of recent feminist studles, Lady Macbeth must be studled
ln the SOCIal and historical context of Shakespeare's own era. By comparing
the situation of women at that tlme with the vast number of SOCial
constramts placed on them through state channels, we see these women
emergmg from the SOCIal Ideal of the c10istered submlSSlve wtfe despite the
attempts of .,atnarehal pollues to restrain thelr advances.
Lady Macbeth's actions are orten lOterpreted as those of a bloodthtrsty
woman overstepptng her SOCial pOSltlOn. But Lady Macbeth IS a product of a
perverse society whlch worshlps the warnor-hero and dletates the
Importance of bemg a man, "bloody, bold, and resolute". Imerestlngly,
contrary to many mterpretatlOns, Lady Macbeth never attempts to be
anythlng but a submlsslve, devoted wife. She and her husband embody the
paradoxes Inherent in thelr culture .
l
D'El.L'fi:oMMF- DE MAIN S VIOLENTES

L;.dy 'este l'ur Fersor.nages 1es plus complexes des tragdies
T_' -, ;" 'sonnage qui doit tre, la lumire de rcentes tudes
fministes, '., " " :; contexte ::,ocial ct historique du temps de Shakespezre. En
comparai1t la 'u , " <" ftmn:>;!, j poqut- avec le grand hombrr de contraintes
sociales qui le us l,oses p;'i' les voies de l'tat, nous constato[]s qu'elles
rejettent socal ri.,,- :'\;f")l\se soumise et clotre" malgi les tent::ttivcs des
politiciens patriaH . 1Jl.nt \"s:mt. . mtenir leurs
Le!\. de 1,:' , .. :-"" 'r '" ont souvent interprts comme ceux d'une
femme assoiffe cl, c" " ' .... i sa posItion soclale. Lady n'est, en fait,
que le produit ' Inf" . ",' .' lui voue un culte au guerrier et qui impose
l'importance , .. ":'," 1'1 ,t, intrpide et Il e!.1t intressant de
constater que, " \ nombre d'interprtations, Lady Macbeth s'est
contente d'essayer d'tre uniquement une pouse docile et dvoue. Avec son mori,
il!i> incarnent les paracoxes inhrents leur culture .

BY SELF AND VIOLENT HANDS: The nldeal" Lady Macbeth
TABLE OF CONTE.N[S
INTRODUCTION ............................................. ....... 1
CHAYI'ER 1 ...............................................
.,
CHAPTER 2 ...................................................... 15
CHAYRl .............................................. 27
CHAPTER 4 ............................................
38
CHAYfER 5 ...................................................................
52
CHAPTER .,
u
63
CONCLUSION ............................................ 74
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................... 77



INTRQDUCTION
There is no doubt that Lauv Macbeth has tntrigued for
centuries. lnterpretati.ons of her are coloured bv the limes and I.':ulture 11)
which cr.tics Vlew her and analvze her character llntli (hiS cent un",
has not been much commentarv on Lad\' ;Vla\:beth lw \\omen
By way of introduction. 1 orrer three mterpretatlOns uf LJu," Macbeth s
character. cach documented in detailm the words of actresses
with the role. These actresses are from three different n ec.h
interpretatiun 15 influenced bv personal nJ
elements creating specuc concerns and Despltt: th\:: dl[fc[ ent
centuries. the different techniques emploved bv each dctre:ss. dnd ttle
various interpretations extolled UY tht' directors. each of these \\-Ollien
internalized the hUIDane spir it of Lady Macbeth
Sarah Siddons. considered the first actress to pla\ Ladv Mabeth wnh
superb ability. writes of her mtimacy with the character, SHJduns sees Lav
Macbeth as must lntrigumg to the other sel -- fair. feminme. even fragJle. It
only by seeing Lady Macbeth in this wav that underslands how
she could have captivated and fascinated her heroic husband. "10 seduce hlill
to brave aIl dangers of Ihe present and aU the terrors of the future wurld 'l
Slddons that lt the smell of mnocent blood WhlCh hauflts Lady
Macbeth to her death, due to her senslblhty, her tenderness, and her
sympatby. Slddons' personal view of Lady Macbeth lS ail the more
1 Judith Cook, Jomeo In Sbateipeare (London' Creorge G. Harrap and Co Lld. ]25


2
mterestrng when one learns that her clalm she acted the
part llke a savage "tJgress".
Dame Ellen Terry's personal feelings concerntng Lady Macbe!h dtffer
(rom of Siddons Terry sees Lady Macbeth as a small. nervous
full ot trenzled appeals of desperal10n 2 Lady Macheth.
-, e;nnuld be seen and an equal lI') her It
partner'3 they ln crtme Terry s Lady Macheth expenences a nervolJs
breakdQwn She IS haunted by the horror ot the murder WhlCh her
strength as lt preys on her mtnd Eventually, clalms Terry, Lal1y Macbeth
dIes of remorc;e (ontemporartes of Terry descnt'le her portraya! as "ent,re!y
femlfllne -- hardly typlcal of a tlgress
JUdt [lench. a cl')ntemtwrary actress, tnterpretc; Lady
Macbeth as a mature woman full of a passion equal to that of her
"he IS drtven hy a tremendous ambition to see her t)ushand rowned KJOg
It tS an obSese;jOfl alben for her 5 and flot lor ner {)Wn
Ilench feels the 01 rl:'jectlofl eyrenend by 1.ady .\!acbl:'th. She
become t'xcluded not only t'rom lite, hls bed and e;oclal pre<;;l:'ot:e l1Ut
trom hls plans 3 Dench portrays Lady .Mat:beth on the verge ot madness by
the s!eepwaI
L
- mg scene
15 a play e'\pressl11g stereiltYr'ed and fotee; rlf
lt 15 Itl.:e tn he a m JO or a under the perverted ot
Jacnt'lean p0!!t les l.ady Macl1et!1 playe; a {'rom m'111 role a creatIon O!
g lffiflglnatlnfl "'-hlCh m!luenct'd t'ly hJS cultural t!mes T l'}('
.!/:ook Vi''1men In 12-
3/'0411.;. f!l lZq


3
to her by cnt!es ln the past One of the dlsturbmg factors 10 Macbeth centres
on Lauy Macbeth's relatlonshtp wlth her hust'land She supports her
husband in the reglclde and feels the neeo to renounce her se"{ to accompltsh
tnis task, yet she never questlOns her role as his devoted wlfe Just what IS
her p0s111on. and Just what 15 she trytng iO accompltsh i A" N-it dlLe Zemon
Oavls has asked, clung other exampLes trnm the P.enJISs,mce dld
one sel stop and the other begm

"4
Crltlcs such as Marianne Novy, Juhet Dusmberre. Claire McEachern.
and Dlane Ehzabeth Oreher belteve that to sorne degree, 15 a
prnto-temmlst On the other LlSd Jardme pr0vldes contrary tn
thls position She helteves that does not takt> ..!!lY position on
women. TI'tS statement t5 a strong one lor l'lot talung any PO"ltton tend<: t(l
he interp!"eted as negatlve. Extreme statements on elther <:tde nI the
Shakespeare/ patnarchy debate can he dlslllIs<:ed hecause hoth slde"
statement<; pe 15 not known to
crttlclsm trom the prnpn<qt1on lh:)t prohe--
heneath the of many Issues, ral5mg hut leav!ng the
answers to hl" audtences For example -\ngpla Pitt recng"'I7e<; lhat
Shatespeare nelther morahzes nnr \\/nmf'O 5 (.flpp,->Ild
Ifllrpnrates cl r.::yr:-hoanatytlc apprnach ln her ,II
<: plays, and leels that the tear on whlch ntten
Zemon DaVIS 'Wr)men On Trtp SymtH,ltr: In"ersl"n :!nd P'J!!t!cll
in Earh Eurupt: ln er>lble WOM eJ B fi,lOl.uck 1 fLU,H,d t:ornctl
l::llye:Slt
T
: l')'7S 1
;.\!' gela PItt s V,"om"'p 1 l IIrtdoo ['-ivld .. !,-)',I 1


4
Identlty and men's dread of engulfment by women as men try to establtsh
thetf m anhood
Landa W oodbndge argues that white creatmg a substant\al number of
female hterary characters, Renaissance wnters 19nored contemporary
theone<: of womanhood Renaissance men typtcaHy characteflzed
wnmanL:lnd \\,;eak and ttmtd \VhlJe porl.aymg tndtVlduaJ \l"omen sturdy
and A Il thlS eVldenre pOlnIs str.')ngly to an age 01 6
K<lckm tatks of the 'patnarchal facade', hu<:lly constructed ln
hlstorlC'graphlc accounts of the medteval past, In ser mons and ",dvlce
m,lnuals "t'es these nnt sn much as de<:cnplOns bUT as re<:ponses tCl the
conditions nt clctUlll ElLzahE'thJnl early Jacnhean lue H/,vver sl1e pOints
Ilut that whrte some of s \Vomen have pnwer they ctn n'")I
necessanty have authortty " ! e the rtght to exercise p0wer, smce power lS
c1lwayo:: defInt'd an patnarcha! ter rns
l'he 01 s relallOnshlp ln patnarchy muo::t be
nnt I(,r deI tnltlve conclusions nr <:t ate01ent" l1ut tor (lues that
"ugge'" wlHt he trvmg to cnmmunlcate 10 audlflce"
(;""'en hl<: ln hts ()\\'n tlme, It 15 fair tn as'>ume tnat ShaKespeare
ln at least some degree hls limeS, theretnre ln decnde ht<: plays w,::,
Olll'>t pl,lre lhell1 ln thelr hlS{flfJCal c;ettlng HI<: pnrtravaJ nf ! \lacheth
('I,.ty rellect .lame, 1 hiltred 1)1 ,:omen Sl11ce "Ile epltom17es hl" great.est
t t:'Jr" t't, .15 Jean Howard h J<: pntnted (lut, any such jfiferpretatwn U,>l
t-J,lllJ.t Wllodbnoll!e dn lht' 1 i."oi\ 01
l!l1nols Press
.. P-\ckJn -\n'\It'lv and Ft'malt' -\uthorltv T
1
1':! Petllrn nI'
Rt'j)I't'ssd III Sh.'\kt:spt:,u't";' [Jlstorlt:S '111 r"nlt:'nJlng ed \i Lug.ill dllJ P
RllJn'!::ky 1 DetroH W.lyne Slate FnlverSHY :25


5
theatre was. to be pOSltloned at the of cultural change and
contradictIOn -- and thlS seems 10 me especlally true for the mtddle-class
female playgoer, who by her practlces was calltng mto question the 'place' ot
..
""oman ,"0
1 am mtere5ted ln the o! women dur1ng s tlme
What d1ct tht>y set' ln thlS play, :lnlj now dlli under"Llpd It 1 ('uuk1 tlwv
relate to If
i
Obvlously we cannot obtatn det If1ltrVf. tlflSWt>t'-- t(, the"l'
questIOns However, It IS pOSSIble to e'\plore RenaI5"ann' vlews nI' women
ustng temmlst entlc" such as Linda Wooubfldgr, !Jr;vlll" and !\j,Halle
lemon [lavIs f<ena15"ance vle'W's ot women can Jlsn he com ['Mf'd to the
actual status ot wOlllen ln Shakespeare" England. by women
\VIth whom Shakespeare had contact and through an 01 ()ui'en
Ellzaheth, In thlS regard, recent hlstoncal and Iltel,lry hll"
recaptured lor today student the tl me penod ln w
l
11Cl1 "IMke"peare IIved
rt'Ign there Wtl5 a reneweti emphJ51<:: dO pJtr1:lrCIHI Pollll(" :.
Oltlfly enlIes clatm thtlt 'U.'l" f..117<11)<:'f
i
nn Ifl hl": wrlt1lig ()nd
thtnkmg, patnarchal canoot he 19nored as: dom lntl.!1 ng olllclJI
Jt!'ln [ H .. war Tht!atrt! and :r ... nJ':1 III ;-Mi: \hj'!fll
F n g 1 i\nd "h :- ....... p"'are nW\rterl" 1 1 '" 1 4411


6
CDAPIII 1
Recent hlstortcal studles conducted by feminlst critlCS dlscuss
Renaissance Vlews concerrung women. These cntles, such as Angela Pitt.
PhyJhs Rackin, LInda Woodbrldge, and Carol Thomas Neely, have revlewed
documents from Shakespeare s ume and have anaJyzed the actual posItIon of
women to see If It tS dlfferent from that preached by the eommentaton of
Enghsh I<enalssance society. As thls chapter will demonstrate, the deftnJuons
of women and wtves, and the codes of behaVlOur whtch they were to foIlow,
()ften dtffered l'rom the actual status of women and thetr rtghts durtng
tlme Agamst thls background l wish to place Lady pomttng out
how does and does not conform to Renatssance Ideals and actuahttes
HlstOrlCally, crltlcs ha\.'e sitted through countless documents. tncludmg
court records, Blblical sermons, pamphlets and handbooks, to dlscern OfftClal
Vlews of Women are lOfertor to men. sources claimed,
men the supreme helght of God's creatton However. temlmsl
crttlcs have e'lpl0red these and other more and have
determmed that whlle the above represent offIcial Vlews, there must have
heen others For lI' everyone had beheved the otl,clal Vlew
c
. there would
hilve heen no need for the abundance of hterature trytng lo rromote them
The Church shaped SCX:lt:'ty'S expectatlons ot \1."ompn The m0raltdea\
(,1 \\;omen was l'Ir mly ChnstLan. based on sul) miSSion and obedience. For
e'lample Sir Elyot s of a 'good e,eompltfted
modesty. ptety, excellent home.keepang -- the nt decent
\\."om,mh()od -- but qual1t!es were the of 0\\;n rulture Ideals


7
promoted by varlous treatises.
1o
ln reahty, vomen enJoyed some
inde pendence , especially vhlle unmarraed. but It was vlrtuaUy Impossible
for women to remaln unmarried al the lime. Throughout the silleenth-
century vrlters, starting vith Luther, increasmgly emphaslzed the
Importance of marnage. Breakmg \VIth medleval Catholte Ideals of
vlrgtnlty. Protestants ltke Luther hegan preachtng that a 'W'oman S rolp as a
wtfe and mother was as good as. perhaps even better than. the purlty 01 a
c!olstered nun. Because of thlS newer lund ot' spiritual status glven to
society had to Vlew them more senously
lndependent aettons elhlblted by women durmg ume mcluded
thelr t'requenttng taverns and theatres. olten wlthout thelr husbands.
Furthermore. It vas no longer customary to m'lUe a man "W"lthout wlfe nn
most occasions) 1 Education aJso played a role JO promottng women For thl!;
we thank the who beheved that women needed Ir
on.!y to enable them to deal wtth varlOUS temptattons and to recogntze eVII
-\lthough belteved that educatwn W:IS cruclallor ",.-nmen c;() that
they could deal vith thelr Inherent dellclenclec;, the rec;ult lhat even
servant girls could be Iiterate By the 11 me Ehzaheth took the lhrone, there
";ere gtrl!= wh(l were slmply hterate Il e thelr eflde(t al a very
ear!y age., and there were gIrls trom wealthy u,'hose
tratnmg approached that nt thelr althqugl1 '\N'e m U<;l he caret u 1
not to overestlmate the actual numl)er of educated
The mental and embodled JO (.lueen Ehzaheth
captured the of the tlme, Even If her 5tatus '\N'a, mhp.flled coulJ
IOnda ioodbridge I.ruD.fU1 and tJle LnlverSltv 01
Illinois Press 18
1 1 Pitt Shakespeare's W'Qmen 12
12p!u \J;nmen 2':"
\


8
one woman wield so much power? How dare she attempt such a thing
WJthout a man by her slde? Elizabeth mamtained her power by remalnmg
single, most likely because she, like everyone eJse at the tlme, understood
that husbands assumed tbey were superlOr to their wives. To elert such
control herselt, Queen Eltzabeth turned tblS to her advantage,
mamtalnlOg that she was husband to her country and that was a
bhssful UOlon.
Could ordmary women exercise and control ove:.ar thelr personal
sphere and thelr relatlonsblps? Ehzabetb'!I reign was matnly peaceful. and
dlHerent than at the forefront durmg wartlme emerged a
Accordlng to LInda Woodhrldge, peacetlme dlmtnlShes the dJstlncttnn
between the a fact explatnlOg ln part why Eltzabethans
uncomfortahJe wlth peace.
13
Furthermore, economlC changes produclng new
for city women brought down upon them the antlfemtt'Ist of
thoc;e conc;ervatlsm could not such changes lot Whether
Shakespearr s contemporaraes reahzect tt or not. they -v..-ere gral1ually
growmg accustomed to a less mlhtary concept of ciVlhzatlon. and 'W'hen
trultless 'War ylelded to unpopular peace, people's anl:lety ahout ettemmacy
ln lncreased 15
There no doubt today that dunng era attltudes ahout wompo
and lamlly 'W'f?re ln tranSltlOn. The vast amount of hterature ln vartOUS
torms whlCh. tned to conflne and control tbe posltton ot ,,:omen ln society
J 3i" 16S. 159
1 \lumen and tbe En&1i;;h Rtnaissance. p'o
,lAd tht [0&li5h Renaissallce 1.:'1 What Wt knw
femtnlfle transve5tlte mC"'ement ahout the dandified gallants of [lng James court
.. bu lit Lhe: Lraumas of Lhe Lransition Lo a peacetime abouL the new way of
,'omen 'ere encounlering and creating in London suggests that Penaissance
liLerature ",'as her\! refle":l.m: life -- sex wert: ,hanadnl!, and tht:
the sexes "ere dlmitilshm g t P 1 1 ) -


9
belies the realities of the tlme. becoming visible. Cilies were
growing and women were becomlng part of the commercial world. They
were as consumers. They were abIt? to mherlt and bequeath
property, tncluding land.
16
Up to one third of wldows lert wlth property
were elecutors of thelr husbands' estates, Nor was tllis revolutlOn conJ'tned
to city WCulen Vtllage women atso could lflhent and could serve
eIecutors for husbands' and parents' W!lls, Therefore. althOugh legaHy a
husband and ,nfe were seen as one person ln law husband 1 and a we
to hand everythmg over to her husband upon marrlage. the realtty
sometJ.that dLfferent or marnage for t'ocused on
companlonshlp. especlally ln mer";anttle and mlddle class marnages 17 ln
many ways city life demanded lhlS arrangement hecause WLves helped thelr
husbands 10 husmess, ln a world where marnages were orten
partnershlps. Il was difftcult to enforce patnarchal m)unctlons demandmg
the miSSion of \\'Ives to These realttles confltcted \\'1th
patrtarchal pOlttlCS. WhlCh dommated at the tame
Instahlltty ruled the day Changes due tn the ReformatIon mcluded
the transference to the state 01 many of the former
lJeople had to cope wlth the shlft to a money-based economy. wlth the
growth ot trade and manufacture, wlth the centrall7'atlOn ln Cltle" 01 the
prlmary means 01 productIOn. wlth the re"ultlOg change" Irom C;\\'!\Chll1g a
socIal system \'1n heredlty to one hased on money 1') '1 he ffildd
emergtng and religion was ln a 01 upheaval
16Rackin. Genea,log1cal AOlleLY and female Authorllv "\
t"Dia.lle Elizabeth Drehec Dumioation aoJ Dtfiaoe \lOJ iO
Shate:;peare (Lexington UniverSity Press of [entucky 15
J 'WoodhrJdge \r ornen and the fn ghsh Ren 1


10
Change in any guise is feared, and fear needs an outlet. For centuries.
women have been the for men's fears. especlally because men
oCten use thelr physlcal !trength and power to overcome thelf anxleties. The
Renaissance "Nas no dCerent -- men refused to give up thelr power over
women They refused to women ln a dlfferent hgtlt, whether pmutlve or
negattve Therefore. whtle women were comtng forward, many men were
them back, untll everythang that women dld "Nas Interpreted
negatlvely. For example, morahsts blamed women for the economlC
IJlnesses thelr country was e!pertenctng. Morahsts accused most women of
tdleness, tnc1udtng those who stayed wlthJn their homes they ralsed
familles, or because there were no Jobs for them toutslde or prostitution,
Ut"hlCh floutlshed al thlS ume'. or thelr wlshed to keep
them as status and ornaments. However. Vlomen who v{orked ln
thelr husband s shops were cancatured as and temale consumers
were at extravagance,Ji Wornen's verbal seU-asserttons werE'
almOSI mvartably mterpreted as slgns of whoredom and coun
records (rom Uw: pertod record a dramatlc mcrease JO the number of
proseClItlons 01 women for scoldmg, wltchcrat't. and other actlvltles deemed
threatenmg tn the patrttlrchal order)' Furthermort'. in the years ot
Elizabeth S fE'lgn the oid clistom of acceptlOg premarttal
conttnued, hut prenuptual pregnancles were suddenly mcreastngly
W"Qmen and the RenJ.issance 1.31
.:IlCarol Thomls Neely "Shlkespelre s Women HistoriclJ Faets and Pramalic
Repl'e:;enla110nS' in Shakespeare's Per;;Qnalily, ed N Hulland S Roman P Pari:,
! Berkeley Unlyecslty of Californla 1959 115- CH) 125
E linderdowR 'The Tamjng of the Scold
in Early England," in Order and Disordc:r 10 Earl" Eni,14nd. t:d A
Fletcher and J Stevenson 'Cambrsdge Cambridge Fnjversity Press !I.)':; 1 US-Bo


1 1
prosecuted.
22
Young unwed mothers (never marrled V/omen) were often
suspected and accused of infanticide because, among other reasons, they had
flagrantly 19nored soclaLnorms and official pronouncements 21 There "lias
al50 an increasing preoccupatlOn with the fmanclal strams that bastards
placed on the commonwealth which, followmg the Reformation, was now
responslble for thelr welfare.
2
..
[)esptte the social anlletles dtrected towards them. Renaissance
women had a sufficient sense of their Importance ln Ehzabethan society One
of the ways they chose to express thelr freedom was to dress ln men
clothtng and sport weapons. such as Such behavlOur
sparked a controversy that generated hterary debatE-s. Havmg studled
many tracts born of thls Ltnda Woodbndge feels that they are
part of a hterary game, but one rooted in contemporary lire A.t the !iame
ttme there was a controverry- "ver women's cross-drec:slOg whtch, however
corn plel regardmg gender defl0ttlOns, clearly reflected contemporary
attltudec: W oodhrtdge argues that these two strams converged to produce
new hterary conventIOns as \vell as new ways ot looKlng at social realttle<::
and that thlS convergence of hterature and social ht'e eonnects lemale
hterary characters to actual women.15 Such Ilterary and det'en<::es
are 'utntten l'rom a moral stance and Ignore the crUCial et! ect ni the ecnnnm le
on women: however, al least they ral5e such a<:: proc;tttutIOfl.
unemployment, and "household monles and aCtlVltles rhe common therne
'Shakespeare s Womco" 120 tha.t $h.1.kcspcar ... .; -lf.;; v.a:; ln thl:;
brldaJ l"regnan cy vas not un usuaJ
C and N rH Hull Murderin, infanuc.idt: in Enadan'" 4nJ
Eo.lan;! York York !fit)
HQ,"ard "CrossDressing, The Theatre ,'ln ('varwcly },,) j 1 .. 2'3
Wnmen and the EnglJc;;h ;-:
\


12
ln the defenses centres on the faet that men ought to respect women out of
gratitude to thetr mothers, whiJe in tesponse, the focus of the attacks agamst
women centered on the dentgration of women.
26
Once bequeathcd the throne by Queen Ehzabeth. Kmg James trted to
resurrect patrtarchal polttlcS 10 their fullest sense by reestabhshmg earher
theorles mSIStLng on female sub mISSiOn and obedience. cumg Genesis fo
James, one of hls hrst 13sk5 was to suppress women's "arrogance", and he
attempted to achleve thlS through the clergy and the courts, City PUlPlts
trumpeted the Ideal of femmine homel<eepmg. the .dea that women should
stay wlthlO thelr homes to avold ail temptatlOos. and talk ont y to thelr
The clergy and others obhged hy so Many
new treattses on the wlckedness of women that few wnters bothered to
defend women dur lng thlS era of royally-sanctloned The
myrtad of vast social changes earher outHned
29
led to mtenslf'led pressures
on women and a strengthenmg ot patrlarchal authortty ln both the taml1y
and the lroO\rally, these changes also rroducf'd ot resistance and
of nf.'W pov.rers tor women. WhlCh tS what Shakes('eare
audience ln Macheth and other plays
Lady l\lacbeth s character appears more compte! \\'nen sne
eJamlned agamst thls hlstOrtcal hackground olten heen lOterrreted
as a cruel. hloodthlrsty, selt'1shly wlcked "W'oman who not nnly conOlves at
hut actually com mlts the most helOOUS of crames. reglclde Ohvlously, thf>
last charge lS totdlly untrue she dnes not Ln rac! kIl! Duncan Mat.'beth does
"nd the EJlilish Rs:naissanct: 34
2"'Woodbridge W(.mn and the EllihSh Rellaissane
Shakes{ieare s W amen 30
.!'JSee page5 11'1 for a dIscussion of some of the social changes occlIrnng al the lIme


13
Even though she iOltially is perceived as possesstng a strength and power
prevl0usly unseen ln an Enghsh (01' Scottish l Renalssance wtfe, a close
analysls of her words and actions demonstrates the perverse consequences
when a woman actually pursues to the end the convention al ide a of the ldeal
wife Given thts contradiction, il IS Important to nO\e how Lady Macbeth
herseU', and how others In the play see her. We need to e.,-plore the
ln which Shakespeare's audiences, comprtsed of a1l social levels and
both seIes, mlght have understood her.
1 shaH argue that Shakespeare IS showtng how the stereotyped Ideal of
the 'perfect' wife, ln tts eltreme, 18 both and For LI'
Shakespeare s I.ady Macbeth represents the epltome of the
"helpmeet'", t,er actIOns also expose the absurdlly of a that
demands a woman do anythtng to help her husband get \\t'hat hf:3
Thus. Shakespeare em:ures that Lady Macbeth. hke so many of hls male
shares her most pnvate tnner thoughts wlth her audIence ln
her soltloqutes. Yel nowhere In them do we hear her anythmg lor
hersE'lf !'\hp sees her sole purpose ln I1fe her hushand and "he
out to do so She never dlsobeys nor deserts hlm, she doec; her
best to stay hy hlS always It does not entlrely ln the latter,
It IS because Macheth shuts her out of Ille He mnocent 01 the
kno""ledge dearest chuck,! TIll thou applaud the deed 1111 11 4 '\-4('" 1\0
matter wnere our sympathIes Ile ln terms of Lady Macheth s character, we
have to that she follows tradltlonal Jemale patternc: nI
30Note that Shakespeare keeps his personal Vle'\'s OIJt of the play Vt e '.:an only
a.s tu wheLher he or \Vith loe lI.lcal' bUllhi!'t .1l.l
15 unimportant to tbe play itself


14
behavlour and persuasion not only to provoke her husband's strength but to
enable hlm to mamtain his dlgnlty,
15 Lady Macbeth to be dlsmissed merely as an evll woman insttgatmg
dtsaster ln one of Shakespeare's plays? "questton not to be asked, Is Lady
Macbeth an ldeal RenaIssance wlfe or is she representattve of a woman
closer to the realtty of wlves durtng thls ume ',dt A to be asked -..-
and amwered as the chapters of thls theslS unfold
----------
. .\l.:l.:ordin.: Lu Lnt! hi:,lOrh.J.1 iniorm.lli'.ln il\ il 11 \\tumt:n
rf'. ... t",rI ,",. 'h ... t.o .. "e ....... di' ll'" a'l'h,h .... " ..... tl..e ml ........ ">1 ""m{lIl!lt nI' .,,..n'''r l'n
... -.10 .. J oJ'" .. '10 ___ ., ....... _ , .......... .............. ..... ....u... .... . ... "1 ... ..
"iLh and lbt: ia" a:, did in 5h. .. s ()wn W'4'n
Furthermore the men ln hlS ha,re t.:'!"e plJh!.l'.:al l!ld
it:lI!.tl PU\ Ll.tn diu m.tnV men in era Tht=refore lhe rdati\ Pl"\t:f of womt:n in
!5 further ':!fCU!n5C!"lhed


IS
CHA.PIER 2
Accordmg to the patrlarchal (lI' the
referred to ln Chapter 1 /'good 'vwmen" were those who wert up,
and conJmed to thelr homes They were also chaste and certatnly ohedtent
i e cannot know whether surh t,owever, meotloned ln
Chapter l, we do Icnow that between 1 )M) and t /:l4U there \\'a<: a wldt'''prt:..'':ld
and dramattc rIse ln the pr05ecutlOn of mvolvmg
sco!dmg, slander, physlcal assau!t, and der This
mcrease does not necessartly mdlcate a 'real' lflcrease m
behav!ours, but It does mdLcate a c;uddenly-helghtened offIcia! determmatton
tn regulate soc!al behavlour thrnugh court r:-osecutlon. 1 hls IOcreased
cnncern about social order maOlfested Itselt ln the growtng severtty nt
cnmanal statlltes dlreted ('nmarlly agamst and women
too typlcally social CrltlC5 Incated the source ot aH dl50rder ln marginal
and su!:lnrdlOate groups 33
chapter examIne Lady Macbeth POS!lI()f'1 and
JCCorctl11g to the created boy trumpetlOg !rlPcl
l

her home
i
J" she sllent
1
ohedtent
l
()r a
>\hakespeare 5 day 1
Lady \tacbeth, Lativ \-Iacdutt, and' he \l/ltche" are tt)e nt tl1e
Boose SCOHl1n'! Bnaes anO Wrlman S i3nrul';
Shakespeare Quarter!v12 f 1(91) 195
'S,=oHing Br:des lnd Brtdhng Sr;fJlds ! ')


16
assoclated wlth the wltches, she IS more llke Lady Macduff, who obedtently
c:;tays WlthlO her cast le walls Lady Macduff recogn17es the perverse values
of her SocIety: "1 have done no harm But 1 remember nowl 1 am 10 thls
earthly world -- where to do harml ls often laudable, to do gnod somettmel
Accounted dangerous foUy "If V il 74-771 She protests that her as
a her an danger, but she accepts her tradltlonaJ rote She asks,
. Why tnen, alas.l Uo l put up that womanly defense,l To say l have done no
harm ," 1 1 V li 77 -79', Yet paSslvlty marks Lady M acdutTs behavlour, and
atter the s warnlng she walts, Jetttng others determtne her fate.
Lll\e Lady Macduff, Lady \tacbeth keepc: 'il/lth1n her home She does
oot accnm pany her hushand on the hattlefleld, nor doec:; rush. out to greet
htm once hlS arrivai IS made known to her Imtead !ihe rac;C:;lvely. tor
htm tn return She 15 aware of hls pendtng arrivaI. but she does nQt even go
nut nI' doors to meel hlm ln fact, Lady \-tacbeth never to leave
\lacheth s cac:;tle and eventuaJIv dlE"S deep !t
fiy the are reJecter.1 hy patnarchal an(j muc:;t
II\'(> apart t'rom n. qut of It IS thelr Whlt:h
and Banquo notl:e Immedlately:
Whal are the se
So wiLher ct and so \\ Hd in attire.
That luuk not m,t th' inhabitants 0 th' tarth.
And yet are on t? LIve you'i or are you aught
That man may questIOn' You seem to understan me,
B:; e:lch at once he:- Cheppy finger lly:ng
r rrJ!'! her l'ou 'V
f
\me!1.
-\nd \:er VOllr tnrbld me tn lnterrrPf
Tnat vou are so
1 Li.3 SI -47,


17
descnption of the wltches, "You should be women.l And yet your
beards forbld me to tnterpret/ That you are sa '11111.4)-4
71
, lllustrates that
they do not conform to lus society S Ideas about femmme appearance and
behavlOur 3't Because of theJr appearance, thelr situation, and thetr
elcJuSlvely femlntne camaradene these "welrd are to he
who have chosen to rewct conventlonallv femlntne and
patrtarr.hal values However, the reallly al the lll}'le
wfltten pomts to thlS relectlOn emanatmg t'rom agatnst f hese
\\lnmen, leavlflg them no chOtce but to live apart l'rom It
Lady \1actJe
t
h and Lady .\1acdutf are In a dlf1erent pOSitIon than the
'wetrd slsters 80th are ln the upper strata ot thetf c;oclety -- wornen \\.'Ilh
ttties and warrtor husbands. They are "'"!thm the patrtarchal and
are expected to conform to the conventtonal rn1es assoclatet1 w!th thelr
And, as noted het'ore, bottt women hve and die ",-,thm thelr castle
\lore Important than re'l11mmg mdonrs , Lad\' \lacheth h\:t'';: ur {fi
the Ideal w1(e by remalOmg chaSlt-> l'hre t<; no t'vIolence 10 the cootrary, nol
even a of unchastlty l'rom her gt"eatee:t Lletr;Ictnr<; \lal('oI01 ;Ind
\lacdutf She never mentlons another man, and never hmt<; tllat he
her ql such thmgs When we "ee l.ady \l::Jcheth <:11t> ,<; ,llwave: ell her
alllne u;nl1 her nI" t.J!L'tng nI tWf hllr;;tHf1rl h:pn Il" TIW III
IS a1ways hy \1 acl
1
eth <; "Ide
'W hen we l'Irsl encounter Lacly \lacneth le: alone and 'l(,tlce
1 m that she IS ThlC: t lct hplpc: r0nr Lr"11.1y \Llrht"t h If'
Dcllasega 'W'ltchcs and Women Pcrfnrmancr.: Ch,olCC:; f(,r
<\bal:ecopeare .. It>tterSpflng C)


18
tndependence by allowlng her to speak on an empty stage We will never
know for certatn whether Shakespeare's conternporafles accepted her
freedom of speech as a gJven, or whether Shakespeare was play11lg on hls
audlence's preJudices, knovnng that actIOn alone t5 ev!dence enough to
enabJe tn dlSffilSS her character as unnatural
From her tone and trom the wnrds ln the letter, It IS t m medtate1y clear
that the c;hare a contemporary, not tradltlonal, marnage In that
there tg a bond of compamonshtp hetween them, Macbeth expresses hls
tnner thoughts to hls wtfe, reveahng the events most Important to htm at
t hal very moment. Note It of wltches, not that he "\\oTItes
Lady .\lacheth Immedtately begms to al0ucl "he qUlckly
J5se<;sec; the <:Ituatlon presented hy her hushand then assesses the
InformatIon that the ktng IS commg to stay for the nlght. She tormulates a
plan. \\.'hlch IS acceptahle enough behavlour 1fl a RenaIssance '\VIre, C;1t1ce she
,<: devlstng way<: to help 11er hu<:band 1 urther hls pnll1.u:a l career Yet a
\\'-0 man, l.ai1\ \larbeth IS IImtted ln her actIons ln her <;IlCleTV 15 seen af1d
10terprpte(1 a pl,r.,:er sn much so that the mO"1 appfopnate u::Jy
lor her 10 help her husband JS hehtnd the scenes, '\\rhlch 15 prensely ,,",'hat she
dne<: "'urT Jce analvse" nllght Jpad one to crmclude that her tmmedtate
prenCClIpatlnn \vlth her c;(lnn-to-arnve sorne actIve
11l\'nlrement ln actlO11<: tllat Inllow hn\\;ever ln watchmg her orchestrate
the nlurder we <:ee her lall bacl< on patterns tradltlOnally aSSOCl3.tect u;!th her
gender
l,ldy \lacheth Io.:nnws that 11er power Ile<: 10
under<:tand<: 1hat Je: a wile shI" mu"! "UPf'flf't 11er <; des Ire ln attal1'
PI" goal. cl gnal {lHI <;he dnec;; nnt t'ven que"l\(l1'1 She greet<; \lacht>l.h wlth hl<:
p"t'<:ent af'd hiC; iUffe (,real (;I:l!1!,c;l


Cawdor!/ Greater than both, by the all-haiL hereafter
l
" '1 v 54-55 \ This
slmple greetlng reveals her preoccupatiOn wlth her husbdnd'g future ln
turn, he greets her as hlS 'dearest love', acknowledgmg anl1 respondlng
to her greel1ng, encouragmg her to confmue ln mode ln keeptng wlth
the at mosphere, Lady Macbeth goes on to htnt that Duncan IS to he
murdered that very eventng alter he enters thelr hpme
Durmg Shakespeare's era scnlds were seen as tn male
authonty and shrews f10urlshed as the nbJects of mkerv ln
forms, but beneath these Frequent be!lttlements nt rluthnrttv
the thal prompted dlsplacements ln t ht> plac!.:' \;
sexual selt-assertlnn and promlSculty 36 ()nce thlS leap ln loglc fficlde,
slich w0men were wlth wltches \Ialcolm " ft'It'rrcll ln I.ad\."
at the end of the l'lavas \lacht.'th s Ilend qUI-t'O 1 \. 1\ 3,\1
l'hls denunclatlnl1 ()I hr ec::peclally un\\. 'lrral1ted th,Il
1,a\1y .\lacherl1. IInly as tht' WL!e nt \lc1cht>th
S,:l .. P,ndcs and S.::,,!J., 1')11 Th,_ :. .... __ -Lt!h
"\'1 re\\,- le; ilnotht1
r

3{'\eely \ha.kespeare \!i.lmen IL 1
:'Idkolm duo:, La\h :,Idl.beLD:,- lt:nJ qUt:t:!1 nt: n:t:r:- lu ner .l:
ln '!!tens10n of There 1S no -evlden'.:e '." !.h:!l
)'IdCbt: lh :, pdrL 10 the ID U nlt!r oi 01:'- f.lln ef IInl \' Ln t: ,1llt1t: IH\: 1.; Pl l\ 1Jt.: .. '': Li 'w Illl ln (;
kOfJ'\-ledge of ner con:;:plr3.cy 'l,7llh ber hllsband


20
words will have an effect on her husband: "Hie thee hlther,l That 1 may
pour my spirits 10 thme ear./ And chastlse wlth the valor of my tongue "
Il v 25-27) Her method of plttmg words agamst Macbeth's person reveals
the maJor role she plays ID conflrmmg his mascuhntty, As Constance Jordan
'the unfalling technIque that Lady Macbeth uses to keep M'acbeth
to IS to tauDt hlm suggestions of etfemtnacy and
co,'ardJce"
Lady Macbeth fully controls the heated dISCUSSIon that goes on
between her and her husband hy couchtng her arguments ln selual terms:
Arllhou afeard
To be the same in thine own .let and valor
:\ s thou art in desire? 1 -41 ,
W hen she does not receive the she wants, she continues her tirade:
Whcn you durst do 1\. then you wcre a man:
And to be more th an \\'hat you vou would
Be much more the ffiln
1 1 VI! 4Y-) 1 1
aCCU5el:: her ot her afld tl1en !alltpg ln
1 olim\" through wlth action Such are dlt'tlcult tor Macheth to
accept they threaten deftntllon of Ident1ty
rheretore, her word" a chord hlm Her hm,ted p0'l;er Ile;: ln
her maJ11pulattnn 01 the Ir by lhreatenlOg mtlnh()()d the
valtdtty of whlch COflstantly seekmg al mtng at hJC: cn'lo"ardICe
( :tdv \.1 acheth that he only has ti) act to t ult 'I!
\r tne hope runk
\ ou Jrt:ss Il \ ourseii? Halll il siepL sine!
jt1Jan Wuma.o's Rule! ln Sllk.:oth-Celuri P"hl,,:ai Thlltjgllt '
Olli'rt ... r
l
,


21
And wakes It now to look so green and
At whal il did so freely? From lbis time
Such 1 account thy love, Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own aet and valor
As th ou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which tbou esteem'st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem.
Letting 'r dare not' walt upon '1 would,'
Like the poor calI th adage 'i
i I.vii.35-4) i
Later in the play, she reduces her demands to a single, but
question. challenging his virility: "Are vou a man?" (lIUv.S7) Such simple
Vw'ords threateningly invoke an image of weakness. the l'esponse to WhlCh 1$
pit't-,39
While the above st'em to illustrate that LaJv
to conform to the idecll of the Renctissance wifc: when it cornes to the chief
virtue of silence. \\I-e can identify her as reflecting the redlity of s
positions at the time vis-a-vis standing ur to and communicaltng \\-Ith their
husbanJs. 'Unruiv women" were \\'-umen who exerclsed etthel lheu"
"sexualitv" or their "longues for their own ends [ather tholU to the
rule of a man. and these two aspects were ofttn cunflated mtu one
However. unrulv sexuaHtv is not an with Lad\" and U1
her unruiv Ladv manages LO speolk. the \, en" \", (JI
her husband wants to hear. Further when ht:r \\ \\ 111 be of no
force or effect. she remains siient. trvn)( her best to understand her
husband. For example. at the ban4Uet scene Loldv tu
cinJ 191 hlJ'W in I.Ump.1ri:,un
ft l(t say 'Be a ,'oman: '
\


22
Macbeth speaks only to goad her husband mto taking action. a behavlour
typlcatly charactenzed as feminme.
Given her fulfillment of many of the stereotyped ideals of a "woman"
ln Shakespeare's tlme, Lady Macbeth must also be examlned in relation to
other people ln the ptay, Lady Macbeth plays three ftr!=t and
she tS to her husband, but she tS also a hostess and then a queen, The
roles overtap slOce. for elample, part ot' a wtfe's duues was to be a hostess
But as so many readers have noted, there lS one qUlOtessentlally t'emtntne
role that Lady does not play: we never see her as a mother"
o
ln her rote as l<.leal housewLle, Lady Macbeth lS more than competent
ThiS IS hardly suprasmg stnce she cJearly focuses on detatJs and sees tt as her
dut y to plan the murder wlth the utmost care' "He that's comtng/ Must be
provlded for: and you shall putl ThiS ntght's great bustness mto my
dlc;patch' l,Iv 1 She when and how hest ln deal thelr
rnyal that Duncan s guards have plenty of ","me and
wac:satl' lor thetr ev-.:nmg s entertamment by druggtng thetr pnc:sets c:o that
they sleep heavtJy durmg the murder. She 10 Duncan
chamber only after the are complete
-'!ter thr murder, Lady \1acheth to cJean ur alter he .. huc:hal1d,
any domesttc ""lfe She l'las to return the t('l the! ..
appropnate Illt 50-;4
1
She has 10 c:mear the wlth Duncan
Mlood She then makes sure that her hU5=band returnc: lo chamher
IOFor l.7t!nlurie::. I:l'iLi:; have been uver wneLhel' ha.:, nd. an"
chiJdren an S5ue sparked by the following comment made by her ln Act 1 '1 have
!)ud.. anu Ho",' tender 'Li::. lu love the babe milks me,' (1 vii 34-3j'
Profe5sor offered a sImple and obviolJS solution for thl$ dilemma
:\IacbeL.b mUSL have had a. child died an inianL Tho fa'l "ouId Lhe
n(!w 'b.lrren 5ceptre" "elded by .\bcbeth mortality ":15 qutte high cf'Jring the
Renais!-d.lh.e a quarter oj in1
4
anLs firsL year uf li1
4
e .1.nJ hdif lhe
of flve


23
(1.11.63' She reminds him to wash the btood l'rom hls hands (1.11 and to
don hls naghtgown 1 1 .H.6 7, to be ready to face thetr guest s Such act Ions,
performed to hlde a trlply helnous murder -- of a guest, of a COUSin, of a klOg
-- become a monstrous perversion of a Renaissance ";oman's domestlc
activities.
InterpstJngly, although Lady Macbeth capable of prepartng for and
cleanmg up after the murder, she 1S unable to go through ""'lth the murder
ltself. She knows herself incapable of the physical act of murder, Just she
knows that her husband 15 nc:, and she stays wlthm her boundanes She
on to play her role as when the murder ln her
home and accordmgly: 'Woe. alasll What. ln our h0115pI 'lm
She hldes behtnd the facade ot the "",..eaK ['reclsely no
e"{pects anythmg dtfterent "0 gentle lady.! not tor you to hear what 1
can The repetttJOn ln a v,roman s Would murther as It l'el! '
'r lit to\3-86 1 \nte that \.lacbeth reactlon to the others .. ertng the
murder on He paniCS, l Jo; 11hog the guarr.t<;, then
on a speech WhlCh qUlckly hecomes 1 l'II! '1)5\- 1 ) X 1
Lady Macbeth responds tn moment hy ralOtmg hut \,lacbplh IS elther
ohhvlOliS to thl\; event or decldes to Ignore 1t Whether the falot le: gpnume
or late has hpen the \;lIbJect of much crttlcdll1ebate, ellher ""-a\. Il
dramahcally syrnhollzes temmme ln the eyes nl The It
:1IS0 Lady Macbeth trom the centre tn the pert['hery nI event5
_-\s a \nte. a was expected tn he the pt'rtect Lady
\lacheth accorn pllc:hec: thls teH W c:he learns 01 Duncan s arnv'll.
c:he not n
p
glect her rnle ac: hMtP\;S ev'n thnllgh c:he 1<: ur
hPf husband ln tl'le mght s eventc: She promptlv hpr guPc:tc: ami
\


24
potnts out, "All our service/ln every pointtwlce done, and then done
double" (I.vi.14-IS). 11 She IS not Olne to neglect her household duties.
Ail three of Lady Macbeth's roles blend together at the banquet, which
mterestingly occurs tn the Middle of the play. She tS now Queen of Scotland,
hut the patflarchal world of male pO"er relegates her public posltton to that
of 'Our , 1 II IV 5 J. The eventng off decorousiy, but Macheth
agatn becomes hysterlcaJ, thls at the slght of Banquo s ghost Lady
Macbeth eovers for ber husband; she trIes to reassure thelr guests. clalmmg
that Macheth's behavlour IS normal to hlm' "Slt, worthy fr!ends; my lord tS
o.ten thus.! And hath been t'rom youth" j JI Uv 52-53' But in her as!des
to her husband as 10 Act 1. she chldes and scoJds Machet:'. tlme ln an
attempt to get hJm to control before he reveals gullty conscIence
to their guests. Uer com ments hardly affect hlm as he stares at Banquo's
ghMt. She realtzes that she has no power over htm, and unable to help
hlm no matter 'lI"hat she says, whether or scoldmg Yet
c;he takes It uf'nn herseU to l1LSffiISS th(' guests lor the evenmg 1 1 Il IV ! 1 f,-
l t Q 1 Once she aione wlth Macbeth. reverts to the '\Voman
who IS flrst and t'oremost hls wlfe. Uer words are now few, and she her
husband s(leak -\tter thls scene, the \1.acheths mhahlt separatp.,
sleepless worlds. and even death WIll not brmg tl1em together Lady
\tacheth to Macheth s and dpnlal ot
OtW10US
For centurJt's and audiences aht.:e have attes1ed to tady
\J.1cl'eth great po\\;er over her hus'-'" and. ClalOlIf'g tl1at sJ'le 15 the rOu,-er
behtnd the throne. hut Lady \lacbeth nnt InSIt::t on a fmbt1c role once
'i IThese lines obviollsly M1mu: those 'Jf the wI:hl!s


25
she becomes queen, nor is she granted il. Rer rote m the play as pohltcal
Queen of Scotland differs greatly from the she Intually wlelds as
Macbeth's "partner of greatness" Her preoccupations strip her of
her role as partner until. as Queen of Scotland. she does not ellst for hlm.
Lady Macbeth makes one last appearance on stage This ume she IS
observed IR the prlvacy of her rooms she She tS nelther
dressed as queen, nor 15 she wearmg a crown lnterestmgly. thlS portrayal
of her as queen (a pubhc position) wlthm the prlvacy of her chambers occurs
ln a most mtimately vulnerable situation Only her gentlewoman
and the doctor are (lrivy to this 'guise. and nelther one enVies the queen's
'l would not have such a heart ID my bosoml (or the dlgnlty ot the
body," V.l.SS-S6'
In thls last scene lOvolvlOg Lady Macheth, she has gone full circJe We
her alone as queen, but she stfll enV1Sl00S hersell the wlfe of Macheth
She has tnternaIJ7ed her posttlon as comtnrter and helper ln relation to hl"'
EveryThlOg to WhlCh she refers ln scenE' 15 111 the morte 01 advIC:lOg and
comtorttng hJm Although Macbeth reJect5 her, c;he cnn<:lderc; hl m 11er
partner lo the end Her l'mal word5 of 10 a husbanc1 who f; 00
longer oy her 'Come, cnIDe, come. gr",.;' me your hanlj 1 \that c: done
cannot he undone To bed. tfl hec! to bed 1 \ 1 (,7-(1}\1 tJac: vlrtutllly
sunk mto the background of h.l:e and has te'll.: 111 anyl Iles leU wlth her
Macbeth no looger valtdates her Identlty. and her snclety not
the posSlblhty that she may have one ot her nwn L(J(1y
never attempts to \\ear the l'ante: ln her hnusenot<l even 'i\,:nt'O
tem(lted ",,,th the O(l(lortUntty t! e tn murder Ouncan
l
. she 1<: unclhle tn !let no
It


26
By attempting to confine women to the domestlc sphere, society
reveals Its pre)udJce against women's enterang the public world of action.
Lady Macbeth's words and actions dunng the murder and durtng the
hanquet scene I1Justrate, among other thtngs, her competence ln politlcaUy
deltcate sltuatJClns. and her abllity to remam calm an the face of disaster.
never dares the hne defmed by her She does
everythmg wlthm her power to attaJfl for her husband aH he deslres, but he
bars ber from enterlOg hls v.mrld through hlm Lady Macbeth recedes 1nto
the Isolation of her home, ln a world entlre!y mhatHted hy behlnd
closed doors, pac;slve and ohedlent to the Although some of her
do mlrror those of actual 'non-cont'ormtng Vvomen e:ustlog ln
Shakespeare s day, Lady Macbeth's behaVl0urs are more ln ltne wlth those
stereotYPlcally assoclated wtth the ldeal Kenalssance wLfe ln patrtarchal
ltteratllm
1
1': In the final stene of the play the men ilte outdoors on the bat!.lefie!d in a ""orld
w jthtHIL womt!n N'ote Lb,u :\Idcbt!Lh however succee in Luis p{'iilh,al wori
he 15 killed inside castle al(1ne and lsolated frnm the oULstde t"{'rld ,,''!H


27
CHAPTEI3
ThIs chapter focuses on the world 10 whlch Lady Macbeth She
and Macbeth are part of a culture that worshlps men who are warrlors--
another Ideal of the Renaissance many men were eager to matntatn
Macbeth IS hJghly pralsed as a warnor, and hls \\lm hlm
notortety and pohtlcaJ However, the warrtor-cult 10 whlch he
belongs has produced ItS own perverted one of whlch, CiS 1 WIll
iIIustrate, equates masculinlty with violence and bloodshed
Macbeth 50 tnternahzes thts perverted def1OitJOn of mascuhOlty that It
eventually destroys hlm and a11 people whom he loved and ln
the end he plays the stereotYPlcal role ascrabed to hlm by ln the
hlghest degree, but before he successfully completes thls perJormance he
must rtd hls psyche of ail "femtntne" qualttles -- qualttles tradltlOnalJy
assigned to women the Renaissance belteved them to he mfertor tn
lhose quahue5 wltn \lacheth s mental make-up
tncludec; sorne ot fem ,"Ine qualJtlf', have tradltlonally heen
10 a negattve I1ght quallt!es whtr.h enn ugl1 Lady
Macheth dnes not possess
ol1lttary are central to the u:orld ml1ahlteeJ hy the
Femtnme cannot hf're becau<: thl<: c:nr.Itv
human values by mllltary standards The o0rmal wnrld here ,1
trad1tlOnal male one and the women showo Ln the play are \\'e
le(lrn trom the out set that Macheth 1$ a general and valnur IS pral<:f?(1
thr
l
)lIghollt the play Hrause ot hlS dhllltles on the ha'tlelleld hl"
ad\-ance<: ln the mtlttary world (;0 pronnunce Ik,Hh 1 -\.nd \vnh
hlS former tille greet \1acbeth What Ithe l'hilo' 01 Cawl1nr 1 hath nnblf'
Macbeth hath \\;on '1 11 (,4-),671 11'\ tact the cludlence I'Jfn<: nI <:
\


28
successes before he IS mtroduced on stage. In an admtring tone t'eUow
soldlers pralse hlm as 'brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)"; as
"Valor's mlnlOn". "vallant cousant worthy gentleman!", and "noble Macbeth"
What does Macbeth do to deserve such pralse? Macbeth comes from
the upper strata of hlS society. He 15 km to Duncan and therefore has royal
blood He is a member of the warnor cult vlhlCh ldeahzes men u,,'ho are
tough, aggresslve, danng, and defiant, men who are fearless 10 the face of
death, whether glVlOg or recelvmg It. Llke the others, Macbeth plays the
part of the successful warrior wlthout much conSCience, He is "bloody. bold
and resolute", and uses to [lrove manhood on the battlefleJd,
But note the unnecessarlly ruthless and barhanc manner ln whlch he loUs
Macdonwald: " .. he unseam'd hlm t'rom the nave to th chops,l I\nd tlx'd hls
head upon our battlements," ',1 Il.22-23) Macbeth's trammg has taught hlm
to destroy the enemy, and Il IS hls ablhty to kllJ successfully that has earned
hlm hls reputatLOn as noble', Such hehavlour 15 sanctloned by the pohtlcal
orcier undertaken by a man; It lS understood as retn!l)rcmg hls
dellOlllon of mascuhntty
Although the Thane of Cawdor IS a traltor, he IS from the same
fraternny, of at hlS stature ln the face of death are
ln the VOlces 01 reportmg the elecutlon' He dledl one that had
been In death.ll 0 thro\\; the dearec;t thlng he oU," d.l
'twere a careless trtne ' 1 [ IV S-! l' By the end of the play Macbeth, tf)(), IS
detlant ln the face 01 death, and that he \vlll "try to the last even
th0ugh he KnO\\"c; he doomet.1 1 V VIH 32 l "\uch an attttudp u,"ac; apprertaled
by pl?orle ln who were determ Ifled to h01d on to
the empowenog c;tereotvpe ot the \\:arrtor-hero


29
Before delvlng mto Macbeth's complet character, we should notice
how the other warrlOrs in the play uphold the tradltlonal warrlor-hero
image. Stereotyplcal Vlews are voiced by Malcolm, Macduff. and Slward.
Malcolm, the future Ktng of Scotland, encourages others to confront the
forces of eVll to scourge any mental patn t'rom memory:
Il like a man let grIef! Convert to anger: blunt not the heart. enrage It
IIV l 219,228-229 1 IS young and very tne:tpenenced, hut hls
Vlews echo those of eIpenenced men. Macduff, for elample, a proven
soldier and he agrees WJth \lalcolm's advlce, although he pOlOte; out that he
aJso needs to mourn when he of hiS \vlfe s death and the deaths of
thelr chlldren' .. ( shaH do so:l But l must also teellt as a man' il V Hl 220-
221lJ Interestmgly, !dacduff t'tnds hlmself needlng advlce preclsely hecause
he has put hiS country and pohtlCS before hls famlly Furlhermore, he IS
determtned. upon hearing of the slaughter of hlS famI'Y, not to Jet pain
mterfere 'wlth hlS pohtlcallmage because pam and are
unacceptable by the standards 01 the male company he keep<:
When facmg hlS enemy later 10 the play, \lacdutf agam no tlme
for "ords: 'My votee ln my s"'ord," 1 V,VJH 71 The loglc of the \varf1or-
hero cannot he any clearer -- actIon the only ""ay to cClnquer co: JII'Iet
remarks, 'If a man lacks phy5=lcal he hecome<: woman
not rfaspeeted hecause nnt leared a contemptlhle onloo!(er on tlle wnrld 01
actIon ''13
fo that hlS audIence has graspe(j thl" potnl, :-'h;J"e"pear
p
an Englt;;h hero 5 reactlon to gnel <: nt emnlloT1
upon learnmg of 1115 son s death he unheltevahle If the pla\: d!Li not
1 Juliet Sh.lki:5p':Mt and thE: 1)( 'Ir Offil:(j (LunJ(Jn .. ffi,lldn
L td 1 q'i') 1 2':'''
,


30
stress the perversIOns of stereotyped gender roles. ln hlS father's
Young Slward dies a soJdier's death, and Slward elclalms' "Why then, God's
soldler be he
l
! Had 1 as many sons as 1 have halrs.l 1 would not wlsh them
to a t'alrer death.l And so hlS knell is lcnoll'd " t V,11.13-161. The
meIpertenced Malcolm expresses his betief that Young Slward 15 worth more
sorrow than that elpres5ed by hls father. but declmes the mvttatton
to grteve' "He s 'W'orth no more;/ They say he parted weil. and pald hls
score.l And so God he wlth hi m 1" ( V .11.17 -1 <n One cannot forget that
\1aJcolm hlmself remams calm and expresslOnless when he learns of hls
father S murder q 1 111 141-146 J.
What happens when a man the femmlOe devaJued
by hlS socIety? lJuncan, Kmg of ScotJand. lS the prtme elample Putttng
aSlde the fact that he t5 old (whlch adds to hls weakness " positIon
places hlm at the centre of authortty, and the source of ltneage and honour;
he the of gIftS and tttles, and he sees nurturtng' "1
have hegun to plant thee, and \\'lU laborl To make thee tull nt growtng .
1 J IV 2R-2{) 1 Duncan, however, VtOlales Scotttsh tradltlOf'\ hy namtng hIC;
,\laJcolO1 as successor.
HlstOrJcally. In eleventh-century ScotJalld ktngshlf' \\las of a senu-
electlve nature wlthlO the system of tanlstry. The crown on to a
male memher of the royal nuse 'W-ho, hecause ot age and ca('a(,ty, 'W-as
lit to rule. Macheth \Vas ot royal blood'1'1, and Vw"::ts an accom pltshed general
"'"ho had Vw'on many honours ln combat tor hlS country had every rlght
te" assume that he would be elected as Duncan s \VhlCh 15 \\--hy
t:sanquo dH.1 nnt f IOd the Vw'ltche" pro('hecJes st range 11.111 >:\h 1 Duncan .
--'as not only of royal he ",as of the Qf Stuart


31
however. names hJS son Malcolm as bis helr. altbough he had no rlght to
name himo Furthermore, Duncan has never proved hls strength on the
battlefield; he has had others flgbt his batttes for hlm. Obvlousty thts cycle.
aheo to Scottlsb tradition. will be repeated 11 Malcolm, who also on
tbe sidehnes. becomes King of Scotland
cannot be Justlfled under any Clrcumstances
Duncan s ktngshlP. culmlOattng 10 hls bequeathlOg hls ttlle to hls son,
provides the anger and resentment on Macbeth spart -- Ingredlentc; from
WhlCh motives are formed. Duncan dies hecause he vlolates hls country s
traditions l)y namlOg hls hls son as hls successor Add to thl5 the f;:)('t lhat
white he relIes on others to J'lght for hlOl, he adroits that ne tS unablp l() read
men's mmds ln the If faces and cannot spot those who WIll rehel agamst hl m
l.I.lv.11-121. He IS hardly an apt symbol of mascultne authortty,
Ifladequacles are too apparent.
Prlor to Duncan's murder Macbeth 15 greeted favourably hy everyone
he encounters Rosse greets \lacheth wtth pralse and admiratIon' . every
one dld bearl Thy pralses ln hls kmgdom s great detense, 1111\ 1
Angus pomts out that he and Rosse" . are sentI [0 glve thee trom our royal
master II III 100-10 11 Duncan hlffiselt exclalm ln Lady
\lacbeth Cnnduct me tn miOt' hnc::t. 'NO> love hlm hlghly 1 nli "!t,III cnntlnUP
our graces to\\'ards hlm II.VlZll- 301 \larheth the vallant hern whn
the da .... tor Scotland 111 hattIe There no douot that \1acheth 1" -l
polltlcally am'-"ltlouS man recognlze" hls tmport!1nce, anr.1 l'Jp the
s greettng to heart \lnre IS thy due than nVlfp th:Hl ait Cdn r,]'v 1)
Il IV 2\ 1 He the wltches prnphecle" tn unlea"h 111" er "Ide ()nCf>
15XOle lhaL Duncan nOlhtnlll. fur aJmiL lhal he <.ann'Il Ju enIJulII.h Lu
thank hlm


.:
32
Duncan names Malcolm hls heir, Macbeth lm mediately that it =s "a
step/ On whJch 1 must faH down, or eJse o'erleap.l For 10 my way It hes,"
U.1V 48-50), Macbeth is'a ktlhng-machme on the battlefields; however.
goes wrong when he begtns to kill men who no longer
"Impersonal
\Iacbeth hesttates when conl'ronted wlth the realtty of ktlhng hlS ktng,
and the audIence sees a of Macbeth tbey would not naturally aSsoclate
wlth hlm, f('r Shakespeare weds Macbeth s efflclency as a warnor wtth the
poetlC ImagmatIOn he almost l'rom the start, 1N'ell before he murders
Duncan In $ohloquy welghtng the pros and cons 1/1 murder,
\1acbeth contempJates the atterltves of hlmself and hls vlcttm, He conslders
the bltnd trust that Duncan has placed In hlm, and wavers to the pOlnt that
he reahzes he cannot com mit the mur der wlth a clear conscience'
If il \\ere done, when 'tis done, then 'twere weil
It were done quicklv. If th assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
W lth hIS SUCCCS5: that but thIS
be the be-aH and the end-aH -- here.
But here. upon this bank and [shoaH of tIme.
We'ld lump the hJe to come But tn these cases
We su11 have Judgment nere, that u."e but teach
Bioody inslructions, hkh. being taUghl. relurn
To plague th' illventor. ThiS even-handed justice
Commends th' ingredlence of our pOlson'd chalice
To our own hps He s here ln double trust:
First. as 1 am hlS kmsman and hlS subject,
Strong both agamst the deed: then. his host.
Who should agalOst hlS murtherer shut the door,
:\ot t'lear the "-nu e myself. ReSides, tnlS Duncan
H"lth borne hiS faculties so meek. hath been
50 c1t:JC in hlS great office. that bjs virtues
Will plead hke trumpet-tongu d, agatn::t
The deep damnatIon of hIS takmg-off:
And pit)'. hke a naked new-born babe.


33
Striding the blast, or heaven s cherubIn. hors d
Upon the sightless couriers of the air.
ShaH blow the horrid deed in everv eve.
That tears shaH drown the wind.
(I.vii.1-2S)
fully understands the moral imphcations of murdenng hls
king, and he is aware that they WIll haunt hlffi l'orever he goes through
with his plan. His conscience cannat sanction thlS murder sees
Duncan as a human bemg, not as the enemy-. and he lS able to put hlmself
into Duncan's position to see Duncan trusts hlm ( 1 V11 1-1 -16 '. he sees
hlmself as his King's proteetor and beloved COUSin The5e ract\lrs make It
Impossible for hlm to justify the murder Furthermore, \tachdl1 5 home
cannot be equated wlth a bloody battlefield flghtlllg fa(; to face wtth
an enemy is expected and accepted behaviour Ktl1tng the kmg uihlle he is
asleep gives Duncan no chance to proteet hlmself. It breaks ail codes of
military conduct. But Macbeth does not want to face hIS VICtlO1 Such
co",rardly behaviour is unacceptable ln cl warrJOr JnJ \lacbeth knows It In
faet, recognizes many unmanly charactenstlcs ln and
spends the rest of his lire trytng to reaSS'lre hlmself. of hls
mascultntty.
The many quallt1eS WhlCh Shakespeare 111 hlS
chclracterizatlOn of \lacbeth Inc1ude sorne eonslJereJ traJitlOl1J,lIy
For example, 5 "heat-oppressed braln hegms tCl hallucmate ..... hefi
Ile atone:
1 S l daggcr i}.:hICh l sec before me
The handle tcwlrd ffiV hand Come. let me thee
1 have thee not. and 'let l see thee stIll
-\rt thnu not. t aDJ <:enc:tble
Ta feehng as to 51ght'i or art thnu but


A dagger oC the mind. a false creation.
Proceeding Crom the heat-oppressed brain?
1 see thee veto in form as palpable
As this which now 1 draw.
(I1.i.33-41)
After the murder. Macbeth is absolutely terrified by the sight of Duncan's
blood and cannot bear to return to the room where Duncan lies murdered to
leave the daggers the drunken grooms: "Ill go no more.l 1 am afraid to
think what 1 have done:! Look on t again 1 dare not." tIUi,47 -19). He ad mits
his fear to his who chastizes his co, .. ardice: "Infirm of purpose!l ... The
sleeping and the dead! Ar: but as pictures: 'tis the eye of chiJdhood! That
fears a painted devil." (I1.ii119-S2) When lert aJone. Macbeth's senses
hClghten hls fear: is't me. v.hen every nOIse appalls me?
tII.ii,5S).
Macbeth suppresses his initial reaction to the murder. but it
resurfaces after he kiUs Banquo and faces Banquo's ghost at the banquet.
Lady Macbeth tries ta explain the following to Macbeth: "This is the very
pamtmg of your l'car:! This is the air-drawn daggcr you said! Led you
to Duncan ... When all s done,! You look but on a 5tOO1. t III.iv.60 -62.66- 671.
Lady Macbeth. of course. sees neither the daggcr nor Banquo :; bloody ghost.
and the audIence sees the ghost but not the dagger. Macbeth sees both.
Lady tries to raise her husband's spirits con:;tantly to ensure
that he not reveal thclr guilt. Typical of a hystcrical female. Macbcth
has an overactlve imagmatton. He cannot scparate his conSClcnce l'rom the
heinous aet. A mld his hystericaJ outbrcaks (referred to as fits by Lady
to thelr guests at the banquet J. Milcbcth attempts to combat hls
l'cars by constantly reassurtng hlmsclf that he 15 a man. Wnen confrontcd
the ghost Macbeth clalms. "\that man dare. 1 dare. 1 II I.l .... 98 1: .. hen


35
the ghost leaves, Macbeth's relief 15 apparent: "Why, 50; bemg gone,ll am a
man again," (II l.iv.l 06-107). Although 'e cannot know for certain, we
assume that Macbeth's "unmanning" is recent, begtnning wltb bis murdering
of Duncan and Banquo, men whom he knew and toved.
A few point5 about hysterla durmg the should he
mentloned to iUustrate how contemporary may have lahelled
MacbeUl's behavlours, According to research conducted by Natalie Lemon
Davis, many belteved that a woman's womb, deslrtng both sel and
reproductton. wandered about her body, and thus overpowered all her
senses A uterus was referred tn one s "mother" When the 'mother' took
over were unabLe to control thelf retalOed selual and. thus.
become hysterlcal:
t6
ThIs uncontrollable "mother' had the capaclty tn
eorrupt ail parts of the body, and symptoms tncluded swoonmg, paralysls,
convulsIOns, delirium, epllepsy:t7 However, desplte
tncorporated In western societies stnee a growlOg body of medlcal
eVldence durmg the Renaissance began to shov..' that a uterU5 dld not wander
throughout a woman's body:tS Namlng the uterus as mother' and relegattng
certaIn symptoms to It (and therefore to women' tllustrates h0W women s
economlC, cultural and legal status ln relation to that of men rested on male
of 'vomen s seluallty and role5
Nowhere ln Macbeth do observe Lady Macbeth e"(hlbltmg
of hysterta. Yet JO the such
hysterla, an overactlve lmagmatlon, and hallucinatIOns were usually
'16[)aV1S 'W omen On Tor ' 14S
-t':'CT Neely in Rtadinll Mac.ine5-s anu in
Tragedies and Early Culture, ' Shake;;pean QuarteriY <42 (1991' 320
'C T 'Constr\lcting Female Seluahty ID the \tratfnrd Lnnl'inn
l'ind!'or Vienna," in Feminism and P:;vch'Jc\oaJ,,-!-is ed R Feldstein anJ 1 Ronf ([thclCcl
Cornell University Press 213
\


36
attnbuted to women. Thus it is sJgnificant that in Shakespeare's play it IS
the male protagonJst who suffers from these "feminine" qualities, oot the
female. As lf to underscore thlS POint. Shakespeare depicts Lady Macbeth as
managJng to remain level-headed throughout most of the play. thereby
elhJbittng Lady Macbeth as the one who J5 ln
Shakespeare s tlme, Even her husband on her ":lth dl!'heltef when sne
shows no t'ear of the ghost durtng the banquet:
You make me strange
Even 10 the disposition that 1 owe.
When now 1 think Vou can behold such sights.
And keep the natura! ruby of your cheeks.
\l;Then Mme IS blanch'd with fear.
( II Liv.l 1 1 - Il S )
Of course. Lady Macbeth has not seen the ghost. The point. however, is that
Macbeth acknowledges (more than once) that she possesses certain
masculine which he does not.
Throughc,ut Act l, il is Lady Macbeth's strength of character \vhich
cornes across to the audience. Her practical forthrightness and her presence
of mind is constant. 5.M orchestrates and organizes the murder.
remembers the necessary details. Nlacbeth recognizes the se
qualities in his wife, sees her as a kind of man and says. admiringly: 'Brmg
forth men -children only!/ For thy unduunted meule should
but males." (Lvii.72-74). Lady Macbeth is firm of purpose: it is her
husband who is "Infirm of purpose" Ul.ii,49 ,. and she she must be
t.he stronger of the t\\'o if they are to escape liability in the murder,
Shakespeare thus inverts Many stereotypes concerning masculine
strength and feminine weakness throughout In Act 1. he purposely
"masculine" qualities of Inner strength to Lady and shows


37
Macbeth's mental compositIon as interna11y frail. Macbeth recognlzes thls
fact and obviously sees It as a problem when it comes to his manhood He
endeavors to tnternalize .the qualities of the warrlor-hero so that by the end
of the play he has stripped hlmself of his femtnlne slde ~ n d h l ~ femtnlne
tJes' and has merged the outer quahtles of the herOtc warrlor WhlCh are
ascnbed to him at the begmning. wlth lus warnor soull now strtpped ot lts
poetlC senslbihty' .
,


38
CHAPTBR 1
The amiable relatlonshlp between the Macbeths does not last after
Macbeth commlts tne mur der The partnershlp dIssolves so entlrely by the
end 01 play that Macbeth and hiS we die ahenated l'rom each other and
thelr world shuts Lady Macbeth out, and she retreats mto the
background of hls le However, even thOUgtl they no longer communlcate.
Lady Macbeth acts as a projection of her psyche. and the couple s
thoughts and acttons oHen mlrror each other
Unltke Vv-ho has hls mlhtary and polttlcal career to on.
Lady \tacbeth s thoughts are always attuned ln her husband whenever the
audience sees her The rll"st tlme she the stage, her huc;hand's VOlee
accompaOles her l'rom the pages ot hls letter J.t Immedtately apparent
that Macbeth shares hls polttlcalltfe wlth hls we, He tells her of his
encounter wtth the wltches al the earhest opportunlty The words chosen by
\lacbeth reveal hls layait y and hls trust ln her )udgement Note that he
senlis the letter even though he tS on hls v,,-ay home, tt seems he her
apprtsed ot the situation before he returns'
This have 1 thought good to deliver
thee. my dearest partncr of greatness. that thou mightst
not lose the dues of rejoicmg by being ignorant of what
greatness IS promis d thee. Lay it to thy heart, and
farewcll
U.v.lO-14!
The letter makes 1t c1ear that he interprets the prophecies not for
hlmself alone. but for her as well. We that Macbeth identifies man)'
m:tscuhne trlItS ln hlS perhaps he is seekmg her ld"tce as ta whether
he shouid Jet ln thts sltuauon. Perhaps he truiy wants to share his news
1')See Chapter 3


39
V/lth her, For whatever reason, the communication het'lleen the Macbeths
husband and wlfe unIque ln the play ln fact, Shakespeare only
one other couple ln the play, the Macduffs, who by contrast do Ml
communlcate wlth each other and later pay the pnee for It
Lady elcltement upon learntng 01 her husband s eneounter
wtth the wltches and thelr prophecles 15 revealed hy her eager words of
encouragement: "Glamts thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt bel What thou art
promls'd," (Lv, t 5-16), The letter brtngs a new challenge for her ln her role
as Macbeth s helpmate, and she convtnees her"elf. wlth the atd of wordc:;,
that he tS for the crown, "Whlch t'ate and ald doth
seem/ To have thee crown d wtthal ' 1 Iv 2e) -30' never questions the
method by which he shall become kang, nor does she ever e,<press a deslre 10
be queen, Instead she channels her energles mto helpmg hlffi achlcve hls
goal: "",you shaH put! ThiS ntght's great lOto O1y dlspatch" Il v (-, 7-

Lady tS ready for her husband when he COOlec; lo greet hpr
She reveals her plan to a plan whlch he conslders even
though hls conscIence dlctates otherwise and deslre Win, however. as
Macbeth places greater l'alth 10 hls \\lLfe plan than ln hls conscience 50 HIs
confidence 10 her lS apparent as he lollnws her wlth her
support and gUidance he tS able, after sorne coaltng, to carry out the very
deed abhorred by hlS conSCience,
As 'partners ln greatness' the Macbeths share thelr IOner wlth
each other W!thtn thelr home they have open whlch J"
probahly reflectlve of relatlonshlps 10 s tl fit> 1 helr dlscusstng
50J'here is no evidence that places any failh In hls SOl.it:lY lu l.Orrt:Ll Duncan
actions of breaking the tradition of electlng a monarch


40
politlCS, however, would horrify those members of society who preached the
Importance of keeplOg women ignorant Varlous critlcs btame Lady
Macbeth for leadmg her husband to rum by convinctng him to murder
Duncan. ThIs Interpretation IS true only ln lts claim that Lady Macbeth
encourages her husband's actiOns at the beginnmg of the play. In fact,
\facbeth encourages her participation m hls polItlcs by conversmg wlth her
ln the flrst place. Her rote at thlS pomt is cJear --she 15 his catalyst. Duncan,
who cannot "find the mmd's construction ln the face" (1.1v.lt-12) and
therefore encounters two trattors by Act 11 1 Macdonwald and Macbeth',
nOlLces Macbeth s great haste home and IdentlfLes Lady Macbeth as the
reason for 11: 'And hls great love, sharp as hlS spur, hath holl' Rlml To hls
home before US." U.VI 23-24' lInbeknownst to ntm, D\:ncan has revealed to
us the very part Lady Macbeth plays 10 Macbeth's career. As hlS
"great love' , she 15 'hls spur".
Shakespeare clarifIes thlS metaphor 10 the next (n
contemplattng and deltberating over the murder, Macbeth concludes that he
has '".no To pnck the sldes of (hls) intent, but ont y/ Vauttmg
ambition"." (I.vi1.25-27). White he acknowledges his des Ire for greater
pohtlcat success, he IS afraid to act. He IS about to stop short of hls vilultmg
ambItion 'WhiCh oerleaps Itself,l And faUs on th' other --" Il.vil27-Z8)
\vhen at this moment the stage dtrection species "Enter Lady
Macbeth' Her entrance al thls pomt sigmfies that she does mdeed represent
her husband 'spur '.
;\atahe Zemon UaVl!i and David lInderdown have tradItIons
'-hlCh offer sorne background to the spur metaphor, ln early modern Europe
'-omen were thought to he dlsorderly Imperfect animais Men Inventerl
nlany remedles for such anJmallmperfectlons such ac; rellglous training,


41
selective education, and honest work. Important ln patrlarchal
tradition, however, were the laws and constramts of marnage that made
women subject to th.eir husbands. Those women who chose not to conform
in every way were consldered "women on top" -- rebelhous and dommeermg
Wlves 51 Men who tolerated such behavlour l'rom thetr 'l-'ere even
more cuJpab le than the women because acceptance of thls type 01 behavlour
threatened the enttre patrtarchalorder, Corn munttles punlshed these men
by parading them around town accompamed bya "wife" f usuaUy a man
dressed In women's clothtng 1 who beat hlm whtle he rode tackwards on a
horse or donkey, holdlOg a dtstaff 'the symbol of female Such
processiOns popular throughout Europe and EngJand as a of
shunnlng the "woman on top", the wlfe who rides or bridles her husbaod
By connectlOg Lady Macbeth's entrance to the Image of her husband's
spur f I.e. the woman prlcktng hlS sldes J, Shakespeare ensures that his
contemporartes would have Identlled her as a 'woman on top' Lady
Macbeth 15 often constdered as a domtneerlOg wlfe of her successful
mantpulatlOn of the Ir conversattons (see Chapter Twoi For elample. she
qUlckly captures her husband's attention when she threatens hls manhood
'I.vi1.3S-45). Macbeth defends himself: "1 dare do all that may become a
man;/ Who dares (do] more IS none." LviI 46-471 She 00 tl me IH
re5pondmg. 'When you durst do It, then you were a man;! And to he more
than what you were. you wouldl Be so much more the man." 1 vIl4
Q
-) 11
By couchtng her argu ments for aCllon Ln seIual terms she evpntually
succeeds, Note that before agreemg to her plan, hOVo,'ever, 'W'ants a
5l"Women on top" were prlmarlly a phenomenon from 156fI-lMO See Underdown
"Taming orthe Scold," 121
'\.2Underdown. "Taming ofthe Scold" 129
1
\,


42
guarantee: "If we should Cati?" (I.vii.59), Lady Macbeth knows how to
answer thls questIOn to satisfy ber husband's doublS:
We rail?
But screw your courage to the sticking place.
And wel1 not !ail. When Duncan is asleep
f Whereto the rather shaH his day's hard journey
Soundly invite him), his two chamberlalns
Will 1 with wine and wassail 50 convince.
That memory. the warder of the brain.
Sha11 be a fume, and the recelpt of reasotl
A limbeck only, When in swinish sleep
Their drenched natures lies as in a death.
What cannot you and 1 perform upon
Th' unguarded Duncan? not put upon
His spungy officers, sha1l bear the gudt
Of our great quell?
O,vii.59-72)
Such a detaHed answer provides Macbeth not only ,,-Fith his assurance, but it
leaves him 5peechless save for compliments on her "masculine" ability to
devise what looks like a Coolproof plan (I.vii.72-74.I,
The murder i5 the climax of their relationship, the product of their t","o
heads working 10gether towards a single goal. Once Macbeth i5 crowned. he
has reacned the peak of bis political career, However, as partners the
Macbeths are unable to rejoice in their success and the downward spiral in
their relationship begins. 510wly at flrst, until each partner is alone. totally
isolated.
The Macbeth! have different reactions to the guilt they share in
Duncan s murder, Lady Macbeth continues to be her husbanc!'s comforter,
but she IS unable to reach him. he no longer seeks her help or her comfort,
instead choosing to be alone, Lady Macbeth suffers just as much as
husband. perhaps more so because she attempts to hide her pain from him.


Her guilty conscIence becomes as private as her memortes. while Macbeth's
is as pUblic as hl! politlCS whenever hls wtfe provldes an audience for his
tortured sout. However. he no longer seeks her out -- Lady Macbeth now
"requests' to speak wlth her husband. A servant IS necessary to locate htm
he keeps his distance from her ( III iiJ-4
1
.
Lady Macbeth keeps her feeltngs bnttled up. but occaslonally we hear
her rellect on the emptlness in her and ber husband's lives:
Nought's had. all's spent,
Where our desire is got without coment.
'Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy. (Ill ii. 4-7 J
ln these few words Lady Mar.beth conveys much Lonehness and
desperation haunt her speech. Before these words can t'ully affect the
audience, however, our attention shtfts to Macbeth. who at thls
moment. By mentlontng her sense of fUtlhty, Lady Macbeth reveals that she
IS of the thoughts presently occupymg her husband s mmd, thoughts
WhlCll echo her own. However. mstead of addmg lO hls troubles by
complatning to hlm. she trtes to draw hlm tnto conversatton wlth her'
ncw, my lord, why do Vou keep alone,
Of sorriest rancies your companions making.
Using those thoughts which should indeed have died
With them they think on? Things without aU remedy
Should be regard: what s done, is donc. III Ui.8 121
Macbeth her. not aware that she preclsely whilt h.aunts hlm
not aware that she herself is haunted by the very same He never
considers that she. too, may be suffermg, and thtnks only of hlmself Instead
of sharing her pain. she changes the focus of hls conversation, advIsmg hlm


to "be bnght and Jovial" m Cront of their guests that evenmg. a gUise she
herself has Just adopted for the pur pose of comfortlng her husband.
Macbeth has abandoned hls wtfe emotlonally, and now makes
declslons wlthout confirmmg or even dlscussing them wlth her. HIs tone has
altered greatly from one whlch sought her assurance of hlS success (I.vll.5Q \
to one ,rhich lS condescendlng, and he patroOlzes her when she
questions hlm' Innocent ol the knowledge. dearest chuck,! TIU thou
applaud the deed." (111.11.45-46 L He cuts her off from his hIe If. an attempt
to gam control through hls own powers, whlch he locates ln his abil1ty to kil!
-- flrst, to become king; then to rId hlmself of future rivais (Banquo and tus
chlldren); ftnaHy, to wreak vengeance upon those who do not acknowledge
hls power (Macduff and his famlly). Because he has declded that "From thls
momentl The very firsthngs of my heart shaH bel The firsthngs of my hand"
(1 V 1.146-148', Macbeth now acts wlthout contemplattng results and no
longer needs hls wlfe or hls conscIence to encourage or dlscourage
behavlOur' 'Strange thlngs 1 have 10 head, that to hand,! Wh!ch must be
acted ere they may be scann' d." H II lV 138-139
1
,
Now that she is Queen. Lady Macbeth s role IS 50 dlmlnIshed that when
she IS alone wlth Macbeth after the banquet -- WhlCh has ended in a
shambles -- she 15 sHent and demure She does not InItiate conversatlon
'II,-'tth her husband: she only answers the questions he puts directly to ner
Although she the root of the problems they share. she reallZes that he
will no longer let her help hlm. He wants her to not to speak,
What elactly IS thelr problem? Lady Macbeth belJeves It stems t'rom
the tact that "Uhey lack) the season of all natures, sLeep," III Liv.140 ,1
Macbeth. on the other hand. feels that "(H1s 1 strange and self -abusel ls the
Inltlate fear that wants hard use:" (1 [l.iv.141-142 t Note that he ot'


further active pursuits. white she focuses on the passive ldeal of sleep Thelr
Isolation and alienation from each other lead them to thelr separate and
lonely deaths. They are no longer companions.
In one sense, the couple rfpresents two halves of a whole, together
they comprise a true partnershlp in marnage. ThlS theory has been
explored by varlOUS people m the pasto including Sigmund Freud Freud
struggled to understand the dlsorders of the Macbeths ln an essay pubhshed
ln 1916, but he was unable to come to a satlsfytng conclU510n ln the end. he
restated Ludwig Jeckel's hypothesls:
He beheves that Shakespeare orten spltts a character mto two
personages. which. Lakf;!n sf;!parately. are nOL cumpletely understand-
able and do not become 50 until thev are brought together once more
into a unity. This might be 50 with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth 1 n
that case it Vw'ould of course be pointless to regard her as an
independent character and seek to discover the motives for her
change, without considering the Macbeth who completes her 1),3
The do share similar deslres and ViSlOflS and are attuned to
each other s patterns of thinking from the start of the play For example.
Macbeth says the following to himself:
Stars, hlde your fires,
Let not 11ght see my black and deep deslres:
The eye wink at the hand: yet lel that be
Which the eye fears, when il is done. to see.
f, Uv.5U -53
1
Lady Macbeth expresses the same sentiments at apprOllmately the same
moment
53S1gmund Freud "Some Character-Types Met W Ith ln PsychoanalytlC Work . ID lli
Standard Edition of the Complete PsyholQ&ical lorts of Siimund Freud, trans
Strachey <London: The Hogarth Press. 1(57), 323


46
Come. tnicle nignt,
And paU thee in the dunnest smoke of hello
That my lceen knife see not the wound it makes.
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark
To cry. "Hald, holdf'
(1.\'.50-54)
These are uttered before discussions of murder have occurred
between husband and wife.
Both Macbeths are susceptible to suggestion and both have active
Ima31flations They get carried away to the point that they reailze their
ambttiOns. After the achievement of the crown. however. weighty
consciences put their actions 1Oto perspective. Lady Macbeth reveals that
"'Tis safer to be that which we destroy/ Than by destruction dweH in
doubtful JOy." (II I.ii.6-7). Macbeth's own words echo this eerie recognition:
Better he the dead,
Whom to gain our peace, have sent to peace.
Than on the torture of the mind tu lie
In restless ecstasy. UILii.19-22)
This mirroring of human characteristics in Macbeth and Lady
l\lacbeth, man and woman, 111ustrates that such qualities are not gender
specifie. Sorne socleties. namely Shakespeare's and the Macbeths', divide
these charactertstics into categories of male and female and expect them to
be present only 10 the sex to v.hich they are ascribed. Greed, desire, action -
the se hu man experiences are not gender specifie. Shakespeare shov.,s us that
they can destroy either seI. Guilt and humanity are also not gender specifie.
as Shakespeare demonstrates most clearly through hlS understanding of the


47
euent to which a conSCIence can affect one's hle, whether that conSClence
haunts a man or a woman.
Inttially, husband and we work together Nelther one could have
commltted thlS murder wtthout the other Macbeth needed Lady Macbeth to
conVlnce him that he \\las d01ng the nght thmg She needed to do
the actual ktlhng: 'Had he not resembled/ My father as he <;Iept. 1 had
done't." (1111.12-131. AUer the fact, however, they reaet dllferently to thelr
overwhelmmgly gutlty consciences although they are haunted by them JO
slmilar fashlons, thelr gutlt may be shared, hut they deal \\llth Il separately
Lady Macbeth becomes 111, and we tend to 11er shrlOJ.:tng ln stature
as she withdraws tnto herself. although we l'jo nol see her \.'(. e hear olher<;
refer to Macbeth s shrtnkmg. whlch IS due to hls los5 of vltallty
he feel hls ttt1e/ Haog loose about hlm, ltke a gtant s rohel l,pon a
thlef' IV 1120-221, The try locope wlth the gUllt ln thelr hut
both Lady Macbeth and her husband have consciences whlch \\.nrk lull tlnH"
durtng both and sleeping hours i\elther "pouse 15 ahle tn
peacerully agam, a seU'-mfltcted, albelt unconSC10US. pUnishment whlch
serves lo prove thelr humantty.
ThIS punlshment IS foreshadowed by the welrd slsters ln I\ct 1
1 11 drain hm dry as hay'
Sleep shaH neither nighl nar day
Hang upon his penthouse lid.
He shalllive a man forbld;
Weary scv n nights. nne tlmes ome.
ShaH he dwindle, peak, and pine;
Though his bark cannot be lost.
Yet It shall be tempest-toss d. 1 l.!.1 X-2S)


oiS
The approprlate purushment IS lack of sleep, Impotency, and a "tempest-
toss'd' separation between the spouses. The sisters foreshadow much of the
action ln the play for th audience and for Macbeth. Note that when It cornes
to paylng the prIce for hls acttons, however, Macbeth does not need the ald
of the sisters to reveal hls pumshment Macbeth's own conscience mforms
hlm or ItS nature lmmedlately fOllowmg the murder'
Sleep no morel
Macbeth does murlher sleep -- Hl.,32-33)
"GIa mis hath murther'd sleep, and lhereCore Cawdor
Shall sleep no more -- Macbeth shaH sleep no more." (II.ii.39-40)
has aJways understood the implications that fol1ow his
actIOns. "We still have judgment here. that we but teach/ Bloody
instructIOns. WhlCh, being taught, return/ To plague th' inventor," (I.vii,8-10),
Before his first sleepless night, Macbeth not only ackno'O .. ledges the severity
of thlS punishment, but he realizes the nurturing quallty of sleep and that he
15 no longer entitled to it:
-- the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the raveH'd sleave of care.
The death of each day's lire. sore labor's bath.
Balm of hurt mtnds, great nature's second
Chief nourlsher in hfe s reast,
( II,ii.33-37)
Manv references to sleep are made throughout the play, becoming more
frequent as the deteriorate. Their shared insomnia is one of the
cleareSl examples used by Shakespeare to illustrale the Macbeths are
mirror images and projections of each other, Shakespeare does 110t us
that Macbeth cannOl sleep; Macbeth tells us thal he cannot. "(in, the


49
affliction of tbese terrible dreamsl Tbat shake us nightly." (IIUi.l8-19). Il
is Lady Macbeth whom we see sleepwalking, and ber waiting gentlewoman
confirms that sucb afflictions "shake" ber nightly (V.i.4).
Living in a culture wbich prefers masculine military values to
feminine values eommonly associated wlth peace has its priee These social
values are ingramed in Soclety's members at an early age The
leap over a hurdle m trying to cope wlth thelr guilty consciences and instead
of sbanng their elperiences witb eaeh other they fall back on the comfort of
previously learned. stereotypieal behaviour5. For eIample. Macbeth's fears
and doubts before the murder turn to anger at the lack of satisfaction he has
received ln attaining the crown. and his acttons from pOlOt on stem l'rom
anger. His fear. rooted ln hlS Chrtstiamty, disappears once he reahzes "l am
ln bloodl Stepp'd in 50 far that, should l ,,'ade no more.! ReturnlOg were as
tedious as go o'er." (lll.iv.135-137). He eIpresses hiS gUllt as the mascultne
that he 15 by performmg further murders lO hiS quest tor relIef.
satisfaction, and revenge.
Lady Macbeth. on the other hand. thtnks that she can deal wlth the
repercusslons of kllhng by suppressmg the memory ar.d donnmg the robes
of success. Initlally, she has no fear whlle her hushand je; by her side
HO\\o'ever, betng reJected by her husband and dlsappotnted wlth the
.
she achleves as h1S "helpmate , she a Olourner \\,.ho live" ln
the role society has glven her, emotlOoally starved and dOCIle to the pOJOl
that she IS nelther seen nor heard. She 50 internaltzes her angulc;h that we
never hear her openly dlSCUSS It wlth anyone She doeg not reall7e the depth
of her guiJty soul, nor that It ltself JO prtvate, hehlJ'ld cJc>"ed do"r<:,
she sleeps Such behavlouf, of course, 1<: entJrely con<:l<:tent wlth the
prescriptions for and of good women ln the
'\


50
If the Macbetbs had followed society's rules by living as a "traditiona'"
husband and wire (i.e., no communication, no deslre to disrupt the social
hlerarchy), would they been better off7 The answer seems to be "no",
to judge by the Macduffs, who represent tbis traditional stereotype. Macduff
refuses to share his politicallife with his viCe. She resents hlS secrecy and
loglcally mterprets his departure as desertlon. She lives 10 her pnvate world
accomparued by her children whlle ber husband is Cully occupled vith his
poilhes. and she 15 disappomted at being kept 10 ignorance. She correctly
mterprets Macduff's secrecy as a lack Gf trust and love. and she revea15 her
opimon by choosmg to attacl<. not defend, 15 decislon to leave Scotland:
W isdom? to leave his wiCe, to (eave his babes,
His mansion and his tilles. in a place
From whence himself does fly? He loves us not,
He wants the naturai touch; for the poor wren,
The most diminutive of birds, will fight.
Her young ones in her nest, against the 0\\'1.
A11 is the fear. and nothing is the love;
As httle 15 the wisdom. where the fhght
50 runs agamst aU reason (IV l.6-14)
Her angry judgments are ratified: she and her "pretty chickens" are killecJ
"al one feH swoop' (IV.iii.219)' So it is perhaps that Shakespeare
never presems Macduff logether with his wife on stage. Nor do audiences
e\'er see or hear of them Theirs is a hich
illuSlrates that perverse. even fatal relationships can occur when
patriarchall\'- minded husbands eut Lhemselves off from l.heir spouses. Lad\!
last wurds ner husband Jre bitter and resenl.fuL: he
\vas not her companion. and he abandoned fiis familv al a Lime of polilical
unreSl in a war-infested counlry. The Macdufs illusLrale the perverse


51
family relationships that result from the patriarchal selual potitics in
Shakespeare's time,
Bence it seems significant that the Macbeths realize, whetber
consciously or not, that they can no longer live ID their world. By reJecting
Lady Macbeth as his partner, Macbeth is barring her l'rom enterlOg his world
through hlm. She withdraws 18to the isolation of her home and the audience
is aware that the partnership between husband and we 15 over. Both Lady
Macbeth and Macbeth die isolated and alone, both wlthlO the walls of thelr
home: "Better be with the dead,/ Whom we, to gatn our peace, have sent to
peace .. :'
\


52
CHAPTal 5
For centuries, critics and audiences have dismissed Lady Macbeth as
evil because of ber role the regicide. White 11 is true that she convins
her husband to commit the regicide he has been contemplating (I.i.134-
142) and she supports him in this aet, she herself is guilty of aiding and
abettlOg, not of com mlttlng, his crtme. My argu ment has been that
Shakespeare pushes the idea of the "ideal" l{enalssance wife to the eltreme,
and he shows the absurdity of confining women to thls Ideal through Lady
Macbeth. whose devotion to her husband's deslres goes beyond the call of .
dut y by any preacher's standards. Lady Macbeth's attempt to "unsex"
herself. her supposed madness and sUIcide, aH of WhlCh are pOints of
contentIOn in the crlticism. will be discussed in this chapter by placmg her.
once aga1O, as a woman 10 Shakespeare's era.
Many of her problems stem from the perverted world ln which she
hves. As dlscussed tn Chapter 3, her world equates mascultmty 'VIth
Violence and bloodshed. femtnlOity with innocence Ibecause of ignorance,'
and weakness. Lady Macbeth. as we have seen. conforms to most feminme
ldeals. not to all. As a passive observer from wlthm the of her home.
there 15 liUle she truiv sees of her society. What she dOE'S see lS that men
. .
('Iower. and that men are respected for thelr acttons. especlally thelr
mlhtary Kllltng the enemy. She knows that her husbanl1. too
lS both competent and hlghly pralsed for hlS successes on the battlet'leld. hut
as hlS and companlOn she a1so knows hlS other, 10ner nature and
ln her of \lacheth 11.1\-'. La,jv \lacbeth that he not
, ,
cruel enough to on to ohtam the crO\l:n for hlmc:ell, and 5he
It her dut y to help hlm achleve the golden round she the


53
situation. she reaJizes that she can help blm only if she becomes his equal an
aU aspects: she must become one of the ruthJess and powerful male elite.
Wbat she does not under:stand is that because she is born a woman she will
never raise her status in the eyes of the men in her society; her
subordtnatton -- and that of ail ",omen -- is the cornerstone of male rower.
However, ln her nalvete she trtes to compensate for the quahttes her
husband lacks so that together they can complete the act This is her 8t to
her husband. and she draws on her e!perlence "'lthm her perverted world
to dlscover what quahties make one a poliucal success'
Yet do 1 (ear U\y nature
Il is LOO full o' th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest wav. Thou wouldst be great.
Art not ambition, but 'W"ithout
The illness should attend il. What thou hlghly,
That thou holily: wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldst wrongly \Vin. Thouldst have, great Glamls.
Thal wh!ch "Thus thou must do," 11' thou have Il.
And that wh1ch rather thou dost fear to do
Than wisheSl should be undone.
CI '" lo-2j)
Macbeth lacks "i1lness", the wickedness needed to realize his ambiLions. This
warped perception oi ambition cannot be auribuLe:=d to Lady Macbeth s
imaginaLion: il is rooted in her culLure. Although her husbanu is a successful
on the balliefieid. she recognizes that his passive nature s LOO full
o Lh mUt of human kindness" to enable him to aClvely pursue his desires.
aiso realizes lhis fact: "If chance wiii have me kmg, wh\'. chance
May CrI)\\ n me; WithoUl my slir .. i 1.\'. i 1.
Xow lhal she:= has iue:=Qlied lhe she mU:it roOl OUL
those quaiiLies which conflict \\;ith Macbeth s achieving Lhe crown. She must
\,


54
protect her husband from his weaJcnesses so that he may gain everJastlDg
sucees!; therefore, ,he decldes to be the st ronger of the two by ridding
herself of these wealcnesses first so that she bas the power to work wlth
hlm. She attempts to transform berself from an ineffectuaJ woman mto an
active partIcipant ln violence, an Ideal whlch she sees her subscrlbe
to and uphold She recogmze!; that her society will not allo'" a 'oman to act,
Therefore, she wishes to "unsex" herseU' so that she may be equated wltb the
men ln her society:
Come, you splrns
Thal tend on mOrlai thoughts. unsex me here.
And fHI me from crown to the toe topful
or direst crueltyl Make thick my blood,
Stop up th access and passage to remorse.
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose. nar keep peace between
Tb' effect and htJ! Come to my womao's
And take my milk for you murth rtng mlOlsters
Wherever in your sightiess subslances
You watt on nature s mischien Come. thlet.. night.
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of heU
That my kcen knifc see not the wound 1t makes.
Nor he aven peep through the bl:mket of the dark
To cry. "Hold. hold!
By her;;eJJ Thal she can prepare herseU' ior action ln a
mlltlary world. Lady Macheth (hsrupts tne soclaj oroer transgressmg
e$tanllshed codes or' hehavlour and status Shaxespeare s contemporarJes
na\'e loenllfted ner blatant attempt 10 cross tne aeslgnatea reaLm ot tne
temale 1010 t nat nt lne male as a cnme Toaay u;e recogmze her oeStre to
unsex nerselt as unnatural hecause It l5 a Oental of a11 pO!:ttlve aspects ot her


55
womanhood''', and because the aim is heartlessness, cruelty, and abave all,
murder.
Some people belieyed that the stability of the social order depended
upon maintairung absolute distinctions between men and women.
5
5
Renaissance monarcbs and men needed the Idea of two genders (one
subordinate to the otber) to provide a key element ln theIr hlerarchlcal Vlew
of the !!oclal order ln attempttng to transcend boundarles, Lady
Macbeth was symbolically leavUlg ber subordmate position. whlch meant
Many Renaissance men) that she would become a masterless woman, an
eruptton of uncontrolled seJuality. Such a portrayal frtghtened and angered
those men who assoclated "mannish" women "lth the collapse of the entire
class system WhlCh gave them their power.
56
As an eJample. the habit of erossdressmg ln Shakespeare s day 'Nas
regarded as a rebelhous aet against the established hlerarchlcal arder; in
reality, however, crossdressmg often warked to strengthen the nottons of
dt.tterence by stressmg v.-'hat the dlsgulsed could not dO,5
i
Shakespeare's elample of Lady Macbeth's c1ttempt to unse! herselt ln
a Slmllar v.-ay. Il stresses the perverted dellnltlonS al gender and the
perverted Ideals of gendered behavlour. hlghllghtmg the dltterences
hetween the seles For elample, th.e very Idea ot murdf.'rmg lor pollueal
power IS assoclated 'Wlth mascuhne rattonallty and not wlth remLOlOe
Shakespeare s day, the official Vie., .. touted fe,' positIve aspects of womanhood
55 Jean E Howard "Crossdressing The Theatre and Gender Strugg!e ln Farly \1odern
England," Shake:opeare Ouartec1v 39(988) .fZ2
5
6
HoTard "Crossdressing ," Common in Shakespeare 3 day ,.crc v.omen drc:mng
sn men s clothlng anotber naml'le of women altemplln g tn crn!,s the hOllndary Inlil
tbe realm of men Enormous effort '-as expended in kecp,ng v;omcn 'sn thelr place" in
the Interests of the dominant gender Gender relation!' were and are relatIons 01
pover
"Crossdressing ,"-B9
\


56
passlvity. In attempting to replace her femintnlty with masculinity, Lady
Macbeth the soclatly accepted gender system weH entrenched in
her Shakespeare's) day.
ln conVlnctng ber husband to proceed wlth the murderous plan sbe
has engendered, Lady Macbeth may beheve that she has unsexed herself hut
she still uses the tacttcs tradlttonally assoclated wlth her sex 5& She, hke
ot her women ln s day, uses speech to goad Macbeth lOto
action 5'l When Macbeth balles at the plan to WhlCh he has already agreed,
Lady Macbeth come! up wlth a number ot retorts culmtnatmg ln a sptaech
continues 10 horrtly audiences today, ThiS speech strtkes a chord U'l
1\1acheth, tone changes alter heartng her u,orcts Lady Macbeth
"tresses that ber love for hlm tS great that she woulcl act on any promise,
no matter how forelgn to her nature, that she had made to hlm
1 have glven SUCK, and teno,.
How 'Lis LO love lhe babe that miiks me:
l would. \V'hile it W dS S in m y f ,e.
Have pluck'd my nipple from h1S boneless gums,
And d;lSh d the brams out, had 1 50 swcrn as you
Have done to this.
Il.vii.54-SQ,
l'he Impact of powerfuJ. )Oct t
f
It a
nI' hnnolJr we I.'now to he a part nt tht:" h3tt!ell,,::,ld 1 J!
(1omradety speech proves, for Olany enlles, Lady l\'taCOl;1fi'l lack ot humanny
entles agree that she has suckled a habe, and that she what she
wnuld the hahy s brams out rhe tWI) sl'pechec: hilVe long
rrnvlded crltlcs 'iJ,nth the eVldence justLtymg as a vlUamous \V0miln
Ch.lptcr l'r .1 dlSWssioll of LJdy 5 U,tJCS
'\'lXote doe5 DOL act even though she ha5 the opportun:ty lO do so


57
What 15 reaJly gomg on here? Lady Macbeth trtes to rld herself of her
femlnInlty because she sees that It is not credlted ln her society. She wants
to aet as a ma'!, because as a woman she IS forbldden to partake 10 masculine
aCtlVltles. One of Lady Macbeth's large st mlscalculatlons 15 in u!idermtntng
her femLnlne powers, commandmg the "murth'rmg mmlsters" lO "talce \her,I
mtlk for gal1"bO -- to replace her humanlty wlth unnatural cruelty that she
can partlclpate tn the murder of Duncan wlthout remorse Her wlsh 15 not
fulfilled, not least because she mtstakenly equates ultlmate power wlth
warrlor heroes, an Idea tntrtnSlC to her society Of, more James
1 S.OI She has only the example of the gloftt led warnor-hero ln her socIety,
5:0 It 15 to thiS Image that she ascnbes.
Can we say that Shakespeare IS holdtng Lady Macbeth up as an
example of the horrors awaltmg a woman who the boundartes
of gender deftnlt10ns? OnJy a surface could lead to a
r:onclUSlon What 5eeOlS to he tS tl'te of
categoflzlng any and aH behavlOurs as eltn.er male or essentlally
female and encouragtng men and women to act accordmg1y FC)r p,<amf'lp,
Olaoy both past and dlsmJss Lady Macheth ac; a ma(J Wl)man,
and oHen \facbeth mad weB, and conclude that t'I,)th nI them
()thers and The te"t, !lml;ever, nnt gl\ ut.; tfl
the pr0posltlon that they are Inc;ane Ratl1er, the crux (II the
60aH b LradiLional1y LU men il LU be :,oun.e u
for revenge and COUI":1ge spUI"!"lng m<;:n lnto See "Be
bohl .!n Tnltie. AI.L!on and 5elual pln" in
philoJcG" (1%1) 151
bJ the peqp!e Inch!r11ng -::er'ri'\!nl,/ "elle"erl


58
that both are fully aware of thelT en mes, that their gullty consciences haunt
them untll they dIe.
Studies of pathoJogy during the Elizabethan era reached thetr full
development by the end of the silteenth-century as physlclans were slowJy
begtnnlOg to classtfy dlseases Ob)ectlvely and to therapy on ratIonal
bases 6l Stnce most medlcal practlces were based on a vanety of the
psychologies of the day, tnteJlectuals put astde theones of the supernatural
and acknowledged that physlOlog1cai diseases could be due to psychologlcal
causes and vice versa.
63
When mentalillnesc; aione began to recetve
attentIon. It was dealt wlth ae; sClentlcally as For exampJe. Robert
Kurton's Anatomv of Melanc:ho!v recogmzed melancholy as a dlsease ot the
mtnd and Il l,and other dtseases of the mmd' tn sCtenttllC detall.
Ot Importance to us Ig the fo11oWlO8 paragraph, 10 whtch he descrtbes the
of madoess:
l\Iadness is thereiore detned to he a venement ootage' or ravmg
a fever. far more violent lhan melanchol\<. full of anger and
clamour. horrible looks. actions. troubllllg the patients with
far greater both of body and mind, w-ithout aU fear and
sorrow, \VIth such Impetuous force and boldncss. that sometimes threc
or four men C3nnot hold them ... It hath the same causes as the other, as
choler and adust. and blood mcensed. bratns inflamed. etc ... ('f this fury
there he d!Verse ktndc;: and
6't
C [;111 Wiihams ana WllklOs
Of great populanty olt thlS lime of humoI's
A FNkes The Player 5 Pru:sion Note:- on E!cabethan and
.-\Ctlnll and - Il''ji 1 00 Lleories popular in
general nc parucular theory stood out at the Lime
Burton The 1\1' \.fel"l\chnlv l '';21 repftnt P""l.lddphllt
dn lS79, -)1 BUflon's book b,JL pubHshe unl.i1
1:'21 he was Ehzlbetha.n in his thinking


59
We can assume that the above definttlon of madness and the
descrlption of its symptoms was falrly standard among those people ln
day who beheved madness to be a dlsease and not slmpiv
deD'onic possession, Shakespeare himseLf thought along these hnes, and
repeatedly represented madness as a sickness of the mmd and/or body Ht"
understood the hldden of the human mmd, and them to
elplore the relations between thought and Imagmatlon
Careful analysls of Lady Macbeth's actual behavlour reveals that she tS
not Mad accord mg to Burton's defmltlOn. There are lagteal reasons for each
of her and we see the thought that lead to them. Her
psyehologlcal problems are atyptcal, but we can lollow her Imagtnatlon as
she struggles to malOtam lier dlgnny. She IS grapphng wtth the eBect ol the
murder on her present awareness of her place wlthm the world Ln WhlCh shp
ltves She acts out her dreams 10 her sleep 65 She suHers rrom
!'omnambuhsm
66
, and she conttnuously emotlOoal expertences
for her 101t1al mental >\CCordlng ln tht>
!'omnambultsl pertorms ait compltcated actlong as tt'lnllgh ::/!1' u:ere J\l.a"e
hut has not the sllghtest consclOusness of her Iht<: -\11 wordc:,
gestures, sounds. and scenes are fatthJully reprnduced W hen the
somnamt\llhst lt 15 wlthout an ot rpcent acttons 1 h.;-
tnUov..tng IS a descrtptton ol somnambultsm. whtch l thlOK Lac1y
Macbeth S sltuatiOn most accurately
(,j\lacbeth aets out hlS dreams 10 hlS wakln!,! hte physlcally tlghtlng hls baltles lO the
r1wc..-er he is vanquished at the end f play mre thrugb the 10ss of 1I1nl:r
power th an by the ot power frnm wlthollt r have IIv d lnng enough my
... a". of llfc.' Is faU n ioto th sc::ar. Icaf" IV 11122 2;) For hlm hfe!,; ovcr
bbSomnambuhsm i5 a type of mental dlSSOclattO!l in ",bien reS15lance 15 offered bj'
memory of a harro .... ing emotion.il experience::.u il prouce::. d Uf
of


60
A dlssociattve reaction in which repressed impulses, anxieties or
conflicts are acted out during sleep ... Somnambulism is more than
merely walking in.one's sleep. since the sleeper not only leaves rus
bed. but engages in some more or less comptel activity that fulfills a
wish or rcleases tension (e.g. writing a letter ) ... Somnambulism occurs
primarily in individuaJs who have a tendency to act out their tensions.
The actions they perform may, however. serve other purposes than
reductJOn of temuon The reenactment of a dlsturbtng elpenence may
he an unconscious attempt to gam controJ over it, and the pecuhar
ges1.ures or s1.range behaviour of the sleepwalker May represent an
aUempt to resolve an emotional cooflict.
67
Compare this modern description with that given to the Doctor by Ladv
M"cbeth s waitlfig gentlewoman.
Since his Majesty went into the field. 1 have
scen her nse from her bcd, throw her night -gown
upon her. unlock her closet, take forth paper, foid it,
wrtte upon'l. :-ead il, afterwards seai it, and agatn
rNurn to bed; yet ail Hus whlle m a most fast sleep 1 \' t
ln theory, tne 50mnamnuhsl lorl)tdden lmpulses and
through actlOns that are carned out durmg sleep Lady Macbeth has
httlt' Ch01ce ln how she dt'als with her troubled conSClence, Stnct'
spends ber wakmg hIe trytng to help her husband mamtam hls
emotlOnal stablltty She, ltke Macbeth. cannot repres5 ner memory I)t the
murderous Iflcldents. nor can she cope "W-Uh them tn her \\-akmg
llte, Cnntrary to the bellef 01 milny Crtttcs, however much
may he a mental dlsorder lt dot's nN tndlcate that Lady 15 ln tact
mad
La1.1y ,\lachetn IS a "W'nman caught bet'\1.;een t\\-O torct's l hrnugh cl m05t
h':'R The Enc .... chtpedl.l of Human Bcha-.-wur P:;-;chl.i.trt .1ncl
\ft'nt!\\ Hp(\llh ... Dell Pnhltc;hlng 1'(1 Inc 1\)-')1 '7C'i3


61
use thlS dlscovery to pull herse!f out of the perverse world ln WhlCh she
elists. Her husband reJects ber. and she IS therefore forced by Clrcumstance
mto the background. However, we do not wltness any further attempts by
her to become a part of the ac11on. She cannot satlsfy her husband. and stK:
realizes that ln her attempt to do so she has wrongJy encouraged hls ruthless
hehavlour On the surtaee, her tragedy hes ln her not realtzlng her humaOlty
belore she lflvolves herselt' wlth Macbeth s pohtlcal career; on a deeper level.
her real tragedy tS that ln trytng to be what she 15 not she becomes so far
removed l'rom her humanlty that she dt5COvers It only by nurturmg her
husband's barbarie fantastes.
Lady Macbeth dies ott'stage Malcolm Indlcates tn the audIence that
Lady Macbeth "\as hs thoughtl by seU and violent hands/ rook oH her Ilte.'
" V il.36-37). Personal SUICide 15 a conSClOUS revoit -- the most eltreme act
of self-expressIOn. We know that Lady Macbeth, Itke her husband, could not
sleep peacet ully, and she needed 11ght by her ,Ide, whlch mdlcates her lear
nt the dark, the nlght. and her hl" VICtlnl!"
deaths peace' 'At ter hfe s fnful tpver {Duncanl '\lell ' 1111 Il 2,> 1
The .. e 15 ltttJe douM that Lady Macheth 50ught comlort ln thp Idea 01 a
dream less sleep We know that \'Iacbelh, to(l, yearnec1 ln o;;lef:1p IWJce
l
ully
agaln ky commlttmg SUiCide, I.ady hlls turne(j thp
J11ward -- her hU<:band, ln OpposItion, t Ufn" the de-;:truct 1\,,:'
1)\It'\\"-ard hy lashlOg out at others mong other ttHngc;, \\ ache' h
<>ulc!oe 15 an e,presslon ot contempt 1 nr the c:oclery ln whlch she lIve" ;)
S(>Clety ln WhlCh no lQnger ln lielong on anvone term"
The \1acheths con5clouc:!y the prec:rrlhed hy thp.lr
Society t hey 00 have each other 1 nnt only m ,rrnr each
other throughout the play hut each adopts characterJ"llrc: Jn!tlJlly p.xhlhltP<1


62
ln the other ln the struggie (or recognItion ID society. As tbey do, their
partnerstup, thelr selual and emotlonal bonds, dissolve. They share values,
however, to the end, as they move from murderous ambition to
overwhelmmg gullt, from tougbness to terror, from intimacy to isolation, all
of whlch emphaslze thelr humamty. The perversion ln forcing stereotyped
behaVlOurs on men and women leads to self -destructIon, requlrlng people to
deny thelr true constitutions. In Macbeth, Shakespeare s o w ~ how CltlZenS
10 a patrlarchal society, both men and women, must "unset' themselves of
qualttJes deemed acceptable for the Opposite sel ooly .


63
CDAPTER 6
Patrlarchy ellsts onJy when women are kept 10 a subordtnate
posItIon. In Shakespeare's tlme. patnarchal potitles attempted thls by
estabhshmg a code of accepted qualittes and character1stlcs WhlCh were to be
fostered in women so thelr more powerful quahttes were held an check and
thus never displayed Such a plan only margmally successful. as
tllustrated by the social atmosphere of the Enghsh Renalssancp durlOg whlch
women begtnnlOg to emerge.
Women were far more powerful than they were ever allowed to
beheve they were the only custodtans of the knowledge that
threatened to dlshonour t'athers and to dlstnherlt sons; no man could truJy
know that he was the father of the boy who was destl1led ln mhent hlS name
and hls property. AJthough ail men are born of women, there IS a nearty
unIversal deSlre to deny tbls condillon 10 patrtarchal Soclettes 68 Worse yet,
men are dependent upon women, upon mothers and nurses tor thplr blrths
and nurturtng, upon mlstresses and W1Ves for vahdatlon ot thelr
manhood. Women embody the reat source ot strength and power ln socIety
through thelr roles as mothers and nurturers they are 'or
maantatnmg the contmuation of socIety The corner stone nt Elt7abethan and
Jacohean society \Vas the abllny to produce male chlldren tn carry nn the
famlly Jegacy Therefore, u,omen held the 10 ultlmale
cont mmg and them deempd a1l the more
tf patrtarchy them to remam suhordmate
The ultlmate example ot turntng one s power out ni
fear was James 1 tnsecurtty prohahly trom ,lIeRltm<l0'
'''Born of Woman' . 90


He dlsclalmed any aSSociatIOn with hlS motber and chose Instead to
Iegltlmize hls clalm to the Engltsh throne by tnVentlng a fable connecttng hlm
to Brttain through "Fleance"6'J, wtllch enabled hlrn to prove patnhneaJJy the
power of the Stuart dynasty ln England. This fabrication made It pOSSible for
hlm to uphold hls patrtarchal pOhtics and to refer to hJmself the supreme
r-atraarchal authortty Yet, desptte ail hls protestations:, hlS clalm to the
throne reslded ln t1lo
P
O wornen: hls mother, Mary Queen of Scots. and
COUSin, (Jueen Ehzabeth. Ehzabeth conflrmed hls manhood byelectlng hlm as
her heir, the nelt Ktng of England. ID an IrOnie echo of the hlstOrtcal tradition
ot elecUve ktngship ln tus native Scotland
Central to Macbt'th IS a contention between royal and demoRlc powers,
another source WhlCh threatens patrlarchal pollttcs partteularly because It IS
strongly assoclated with women. ln Act 1 V of Macbeth Macbeth returns to
the welrd sisters beeause he tS "bent to By the worst means, tht'
\\'orst Il J llv 133-1341 The wetrd vOlee Macheth s thoughts lO the
ttlal they are proJectLOns ot heat-oppressed hralO '. 1 hey mate a
numher nt arnolguous reports WhlCh Macbeth tnterprets accordtng tn 1lo-hat
he deSlres to hear. James WQuid take one look at slsters and Ident'y
them as wttches' James v!ctlmlzed everyone outslde ot hlS ImmedIate
clrcle 1 Vo"hiCh dld not IOclude hlS wlfe and chtldren 110 nn1er Tn prove hlS
rn\\-er '1a
v
mg an IOterest 10 demonolngy. he 10clIsed on suppnst'd ""ltches.
usually elderly who 'W"ere cllready v!cumlzed for ltvmg on the trtnge
nt VolTh no remalOtng tamlly tles and lIttle or no ecnn0mlC support
In hl5 vle",- familles ellsted to serve snClety hy reproducmg Il and ""Hches
Il t' un marned women, ,,:hores etc 1 dld nnt t uH III e"pectatton


65
From the cauldron of tt4! weird sisters comes the !'low of eight k ings.
The mlrror m thlS scene portrays children as 1 mages of thetr larents. Power
derives from The show of kings eltends down to James. but
Mary. who haunts James' patriarchal claims and upon whom he tlas rested
to the throne of England. 15 not lOcluded. ln ttltS way Shakespeare
Hatters James by representlOg the monarch wants to see Elcludlng
women hke Mary, however. reveals to those of us VISion IS not as
hmned as James the of mherlttng leglttmacy through men
alone. The scene reflects the incomprehensIble but long-held notIon that
males are powertul enough to re-produce males wlthout help from women
The of eltmmattng the maternai power whieh both and
provldes the only proof of leglumacy tS ObvlOusly rtdlCulous, allhough such
thoughts would have satlsfled many men.
Jonathan Goldberg focuses on another pOJnt of contention for "mg
James 10 thls "Jultaposed to the proJectIon ot 5 Ime, the
"'Itches rH!dles cC'mplicate Its comphmentary gesture wlth \\"'hilt amf)untc: tn
a geneaJogy f)f treason and equrvocatlon."":'O Js )hakespeare lmplylOg,
however subtly, that James' eventual to the Enghsh lhrone 15 the
result of a pro[lhecy made by wltches
i
There IS deI 10Itely "ome ronnectlon
hetween the power ot the \llltches and the crowntng nt
the mlrror reflects hlm as part of the scheme Thp audIence 1 ti!nng
\Vtth James 1 torced to take a stand on thlS of power [f James power
tS r/loted lfl hl5 ancpstry. then hls patnarchal e"peclally tt1ev
tnvokp the power or \\ltches, must he ret'uted On the other hand Il the
ulttmate po".'er, then the nt a polltKal leJeq!ogy on
70 Jona.than Goldberg, "Speculations and Sourct: ln ShakltH,t;are pep(odIJ\,t:J,
JE Howard and MF o ('onnor {New York Methuen Inc 2"),2
,


66
patrtarchy and the l'remise of patrilineal power IS rtdtculous. Elther way,
elements cfltlclzing James' pohtJCS come to the surf ace ln the
dJspute concernmg the power of the versus the power c,f the
heredltary monarch. questlonmg his autnorlty and his abiltty to control hls
people and hls country.
Shakt:'speare shows that procreatton. not vlolence, estabhshes power ln
a patrtarchaJ socIety The Macbeths adhere to the perverted of
thelr society ln many respects, but tbey fall to perpetuate thelr power by
havmg chtldren. Macbeth 15 drlven to the brmk of madness at the thought of
a crown" He carrles the "barren sceptre" In hls grlpe, and because
flt 'he Importance of sons ID SOcIety, he drlven to k!1L A heredttary
mooarchy rel!es on sexuaJ potency, and threats t0 potent;y are
mterpreted as threats to the conttnued stablltty of the realm.i 1 Macbeth
must dte because he a tyrant, and he leaves no helrs to carry on the
1yranny hls name The end ot tl'le play, hnwever 15
prohlemat1c 15 far from fld o!
relitnred patflarchaJ socla! fnrm ae: the and hands
nUl tllll:: tn men \\"h() !ctealJze
th/ok the\.' can replenlsh and rel,'\ulld the!'" he!oved country
\ldcheth presents us an plcture 0' a
of adult males
-IUavld "orllf(\(Ik \lachelh and the PolltlC!' ot HH.loflOg,aphy 1" of
DihtlUr:-< [ Sharpc: dnd S Z'\\-i<..ker ur I:d,i1'or01,'
.. \ 11)")


67
It has atready been mentioned that Elizabethans and Jacobeaos were
not comfortable wlth peace, and that they often stigmatlzed as effeminate
the men who !1,habited peacetlme Soclety.n White there VIas much conflict
between masculine wartlme values and femlOine peacetlme values, mihtary
ide al, continued to be upheld. 1 have shown that 10 her deSlre for actton and
recognItion, Lady Macbeth calls on the sptrtts to "unsex" her Ifl the hopes
that ,he can rid herself of her femintntty to be like the men who rule her
culture. The transformation 15 tncomplete; ultlmately, Lady Macbeth tS
unable to deny her humamty for the sake of galOtng the qualttles 50 much
admtred in her warped Unfortunately, in choostng to envelop
herself and her hU5band Ifl"mascuhntty", Lady Macbeth succeeds 10 Isolatang
the parts ot herself that connect her wlth Maeheth.
Macbeth is dubbed "Bellona's bridegroom" 10 Act ( of the play. As
cnlics acknowledge, Bellona was a Roman war who was assoclated
v/lth Mars and the Greek god Ares Kmg was Iflterested ln Roman
hlstory and cJvlhan life. For example, as soon as he salon the thronp,
lm medtately tried to rld England of lts corn mon law system to replace
tt wlth the Roman legal system, wtth whlch Scolland
historteaUy.
Bloodshed was the baS1S of hoth Roman and Scntttsh government,
leaders were warrlOrs James admiration for Roman la", and
clvtlllatlOn was no secret to hJS new ln England, Shakespeare, Itke
hls contemporarJes, was Ifltrlgued by the by the \o(omans 10 ail
Women and the En'lll .. h penai .. 15y


68
aspects of lite, and he turned to Roman history more than once for
materlal.
73
Interestmg questions arise when Macheth is studied agamst thlS
Informative polttical background. The first inberent contradiction in a
patrlarchal society which celebrates violence and bloodshed and
'Vo,'omen Iles ln men s prelendlllg 10 produce male helrs wlthout
Macbeth. lor elample. IS eltremely up5et over rus barren sceptre. The fact
that he has no son. and that other men do Duncan. Banquo, Macduff)
becomes an obsessive concern wlth hlm, Every time he murders. il IS bis
obsession that looms 10 the background We can assume that he is driven to
slaughter tianquo to stop hlm from producmg future sons. lt lS obvlous why
he tnes to klll Banquo s son Fleanee He then kills all of MacdutTs chlldren,
posslbly beeause of the fury he feels al not producmg chtldren hlmself.
Cunollsly. the historteal Macbeth dld have a son, a son who "fias kiUed
by Macdutt, a fact lncluded ln both Boece's and Buchanan s hIstories of
i1 Shakespeare purposely omtts thls detalJ He lS
stres!'mg sOOlethmg about legltlmate oHsprtng ln hls culture Jn
Sha\(espeare s V. for example. the clalm to France through the
feOlaJe Ime. In ..... mg Leaf. the Issue of legltlmacy ur as Lear leaves
three lemale helrs, whIte Gloucester a son Leglllmacy',
therelore, nothtng JO 01 the hehavlOur of one
Shakespeare 'urther, however. by aHowtng Lear, the "lOg, ln questIon
'7 \Earher Shakespeare had "rltten the play Iltu$ .\o.drQnlCUS and the poem The Ra.pe of
t\lcree an InCident JO Roman hlstor-y much deplcted ln the Hc returoed
tu hist\,ry after completing his E.1lglish histllJ.-ie:s in fact he cumpleh:J
\1acht;ltb
"''tl>avld Norbrook Macbeth and the PohtlCS 01 HIslOt"lOgrapby , ln pnl!llC$ of
DiscvlIrs' t!d l: Sh.u-pe .'Lod S Zv;icker (Berkeley (jniversily (If Califfnia Pn:ss 1%"}
\\)


69
ail forms 01' legitimacy. Ali of this is highly suggestive material, even though
we can never know Shakespeare's motives for raising the se controversial
issues.
Tbis point brings us to a second inherent contradiction in James'
admiration of Rome. James V/as a paclfist yet he elpended much energy
upholding the bloodtest of cultures ln his polittcaJ scherne Patraarchy rehed
on the ablhty of mien to rule, and the power of men was most ohviously
elhibited But James' "dandifled" court hardly elemphfled the
!
tlod of masculinlty he idealtzed. however much hls obsession V/lth the
Violence and bloodshed assoclated wlth anclent Rome managed to capture
the attention of hls subJects.
Il 15 that an obscure Roman gOddess and delty
lntroduced so early ln Macbeth as the hero's e mblem The goddess Bellona IS
a woman warrior. a female deity, and IS assoclated wlth hlood and Violence
only. Sne has no redeemmg features; her presence 1$ always assoclated wlth
carnal costs a thlrd contradiction surfaces How can a kmg
exhlhlt the admlred in a warnor hero' Macbeth faUs apart hecausf"
he cannat reconctle the two There 15 somethtng very st range 10 James
IOvo)ong the warrlOr hero and warrlor Imagery whlJe matntamlOg moral
and Chrtstlan background and remammg as as pOSSIble
We knmlt that Lady lo emhody the c.;plrtt of the
hero. By referrmg to Macbeth as 'Bellona s ondegroom Illl ,1
Shakespeare may have been e'lpectmg his to connect Lady
wlth Bellona Seen ln thlS way, Lady :\Iacheth to t a<:hion
herseLf tnto a protegee ot beUona. and durmg that she help<:
complete the tranc::formatlon of Macbeth lOto a sliltable tor her 'fl
rolE' 100tlaJly lmposE'd on hlm by hiS cuLture 1 gellona proV'd
p
<: a r Itt mg
,
---


emblem for this play because she personifies many of the quattes to whicb
Macbeth's society. and Shakespeare's, subscrlbe,
Lady Macbeth cOQSClously decioes to transform hersel!. and in
refashionlng her role she will refashion Macbeth's as weU. That is not to say
that Macbeth is not w11Hng to play dferent rotes to transform himself mto
another -- an facto hls weakness hes in assummg the very role prescrlbed for
tum by 1 have shown how Lady Macbeth attempts to cross the
boundary estabhshed l'or women by her society, ln taklng upon herself the
powers of Bellona. Lady Macbeth confuses the hlerarchy of the stereotyped
gender system well entrenched an her warped soclety The image of Bellona
represents thls confusion; Bellona 15 a godctess of war, a female deny
assoclated wlth mascuhne power s, strength, and ()unog the
Renaissance, the Rollon of a female warrior was cORsldered to be a paradol
preclsely beeau5e as such. the woman warrtor's source ol strength was
anexphcabJe Therem Jay her power,
The rec;urgence of eJasslcal mythology durlOg the EngJtsh Renal!'sance
chrects us to Bellona's stature ln the anClent world, The name "Bellona"
eomes trom the Latm word tor war, "bellum', Bellona 15 lll-
defmed, hdvmg hute or nn mythotogy She lS often deplcted wlth a lance
and shleld, drtvmg her charlot 10 a terrible gUise greatly resemblmg
tradltlonal representatlons ot the Furies 75 Hellona known as thp
embodlmenl of l'oree,
ln one ot hls tirst parhamentary addre$ses m Ih03, King James
Bellnna favol'rahly as the conqueror or the Sa"(ons


71
kingdoms.
76
Trus referen has a specifie place in Angto-Suon tradition.
TeutonJc mythology. of wbieh Eddie mythology is a maJor component. beaan
around tbe wben the culture was war-orlented and focused on
batlles. blood, and death. Central to tbis mythology was the lod Odin. whose
companions and soul-mates were the Valkyries. Thelr function '\Vas not only
to carry out Odin's will, but to deClde which warrtors shaH surVive, WhlCh
shall dle, who shall win and who shalliose. By the elghth-century. the
Anglo-SaIons had incorporated the Valkyries ("waelcyrge") mto their
tradition. and had designated the term "Chooser of the SIam" to include the
Furies, Bellona as Goddess of War. and Gorgon."
The curlOUS number ot' analogIes between Lady Macbeth and the
ValkyrIes J8 astoundtng For example, Lady Macbeth's deslre to control ber
husband's desttny at the start of the play ean be eompared to the role of
Bellona Valkyrie. The Valkyries (mcluding Bellona' are known to be
of -- they weave the or hautes about to take place and
thelr outcomes. along wlth the fates of the warnors Lady Macheth IS
determtned to weave the web or her husband s fate as weil the fates of
those enterlng her "battlements", whose "fatal' tS announced by the
"raven" 1 I.v,38-40 L Interestmgly, the raven lS an approprtate compaolnn tor
Lady Macbeth as she begms to take on the SpIrit of Bellona 1 he raven IS the
partlcular blrd of prey assoclated wlth liellona Also assoclated wtth the
ValkyrIes. the raven is Odin s spy and s1gnals the horrors about to un101d
PoHt;cat 'forts of James I. cd C H (XCv.- York Rus:,ell and Russell Ine
1%5
1

";"":"}.lnJl..Q12&Y-2LAU Racn. ed L H Grav (Xn' York Coooer Squar.: PUDhshers Ine
1')64) 24S
also a comparison lO the veird who are aJso of veavers of rate


72
One partlcular portrayal of the Va1lcyrie is as the spirit wlfe of the
hero. She appears to announce his future greatness as leader, urges bim on
to heroie deeds, and him as her husband and lover after battle.
7
'
Lady Macbeth loosely fits into this pattern. She is connected to the
supernatural just by being a woman. Furthermore, she ca Ils on the "spirits",
and she announces her husband's future polittcal greatness. Lady Macbeth
welcomes Macbeth once the murder 15 complete wtth the following and only
term of endearment voiced by her throughout the entire play, pralsing him
as her "husb and!" (1. vll.13).
If we connect Lady Macbeth wlth Bellona, we can IOterpret the speech
10 whlch she calls on the SpirIts to unsex her as an enactment of the ntual of
sacrtflclog blood to whet one'g appetlte for actlOo tn battle Bellona had hoth
a temple and priests who worshipped her. Of 00 surprtse tS the fact that her
prlests were chosen from a group of gladtators, Thelr sacrices to her
conslsted of """'oundmg themselve's and either otfertng up their blood or
actually drlOktng il The pOint of thlS rttual was to InspIre them wlth warltke
enthuslasrn. The connectlon here IS -- Lady Macbeth, too, attempts
to whet her appetlte for action by sacnficmg her blood, even If only in
\vords, aSking that It be repJaced wlth "gall" as InSpiratIOn
WhIte the of Lady Macbeth to the anclent tradItions of f\ellona and
the \ alkyrtes are vIsible, lt 15 Macbeth "W'ho recelves the tiUe of
Bellona s brtdegroom' TradltJflnaUy, Bellona's brtdegroom admtred as a
famous warnor: \facbeth however. turns Into a loUer Whether she
has chMt"n to or not, Lady Macbeth has S0 Jnternah7.ed the of her
socJety that ""e watch her attempt to dlvest herself ot her temmtnlty to have
":9n R Ellis Davidson, Mvths and Symbnls in Pele"" Syra,use
l'niver51lY Press 92


73
an) effect on the public life of her husband. She aspires to the spirit of
Bellona, the prototype capable of carrytng out bloody deeds to her
satisfaction for her partner. The warriors in the play retnforce wilat Bellona
-
stands for and encourage such behavlour. But if such behaviour IS expected
tn a man, it is not tolerated in a woman, and theretn hes the confusion of the
gender stereotypes. The encoded definitlon of masculJmty that Shakespeare
presents ln Macbeth 15 perverse ln Its dental of human qualttles too often
consldered femtntne. We .know that Shakespeare does not mtend hls
defjnitlon to be accepted because ln his play, he shows how both Macbeth's
and Lady Macbeth's attempt to adopt thls code of mascultOlty end an
disaster. The embodiment of purely mascultne values 15 shown not only to
be hlghly destructive but fundamentally counter to hu man nature,


CONCLUSION
In the second to last scene Macbeth and Macdulf confront each other.
They eXlt fJghttng; they re-enter hghtmg; ttnally Macbeth lS sIam. Macduff
then l.Jters wlth Macbeths severed head. a gesture WhlCh echoes Macbeth's
lCllhng of the traltor descnbed in the second scene of the play. The actton
returns us to the begmmng of the play wlth ltS world of battles lost and won.
and only then dl) we understand the full slgnulcance of t\lacbeth s betng
dubbed 'Bellnna s brldegroom m thiS culture of unnatural paradoxes.
The endtng acknowJedges the rematnJng warrlOr-heroes who WIJJ
clttempt tn rehulJd thelr \1l1d the recent Noodshed stands
who "terc: lorward trom the ln re'U,'ard hlS mel1 alter the trattor
\!act,eth I:\een L-,lIed The sceoe to tha
t
rre"=!dAd over hv
Duncan 10 the l'lrst Act. thus the d'structlve cycle has I)een renewed The
cultural blases ot the men leH at the end or the play 'W'lll he remtorced ln the
flE''\)..' Scotland There IS nnthmg ln thls scene 10 c:uggec:t th.1t any
ln the structure of thlC: p<1tfHlfchal ma'\." n(,-::Uf Hl':?nce
The embndJment of torce assnClated wlth vIolence clnd h!o(lL1:::hed contl11uec:
tn be ln Il, lS an honour to he ac:c:n('Jated h her as hpr
hrldep,room
Hellona. an all-powprtu! woman [ ;}(1v \lacheth
t, \() to he ail po\\.'ert u! althnugh he.' !0r r{\'u;er le: 11111 !nr
gain, bUi solelyaln enah!e her 10 !leip he" 11u;;hapd gJm
p
n
lttlC'JI l'nt(lrtunatelv, the perverse soctetv o! U.hlCI1 Ladv \.lachettl
1(; a product placee: mascultnltv a!nng the :::ame rnnttntJutJl .1::: violence
JflJ "'lnod"hel1 Il 1<: no thererore. tnat I.ad\" .\lacheth to
rnwert ul 1 mages rrnduced "'er -cult ure! Ilr c:nur('p (II her


75
authoflty. Lady Macbeth wants to emhody those mascuhne traits esteemed
by her society for the pur pose of connectlOg power wtth actIOn
NaturaHy, Lady already a num'-'er of
deemed to belong to the realm of mascultntty. S,m1larIy, Macbeth has a
number of quahttes tradltlonally assoclated wlth women By two
",.ho mlrror each Qther ln 50 many ways. Shakec;peare
that human quahtles are not gender speclftc l'hrough the Macheths.
Shakespeare reveals the ImposSlblhty ot categoflzmg an human behavlours
and characterlstlc!= as elther male or female. and the mherent danger ln
attemptmg to force people to contorm to thoc;e qualttles best sulted tn thelr
gender \lacheth takes place ln a patrtarchal -:;onety. il{l(j
Shakespeare sho'N"s peop!e born lOto a patrtarchal are tnrred to
uns! themseLves of tho5e qualttles deemed acceptahle lor the opposite
flnly Of as l\lacbeth Illucstrate.;:, dls3stroliS reslilts are Inevitable
that Lady never the hnun"Unes for
a d,V(lted v.:lfe m ot her dutles t0 her hushand rnentlont'd ..lfl!t'r.
tt,e rUle.;: dettnlPg the acceptahte dl.;:po.;:ttmn ('lI wflrnen (ln(l cH
the tlme \.10 nnt necessartly descnbA the actuaL status I)t Wllmen and thelr
lthnugh the \1acbeths il rrt arr!agr' I_fldy \1clt;ht>t h
rnay havf' nl:'f'n fine nt rhe teu.: t''(ample;; ,)1 \\"n!Y1('f) wh'-\ ('nnt(lrrnpd m"rt> tl
l
rhA ,,1p.-11 V."!tt' 'han tn thE" rp,111fv n( '1."ln .. <; dllr'ng "-hel k ...
era -\s a and a Lady \lacbeth tr'l<1L
T
lflnJI
pattern" fit hehav!nu
r
and persuasion l" ha<:lcall
v
cl C(lpl' ,r 11) log
sut"lser\'nt \vlte Ht'f l1evn{!nn tn hushand hm\ .... ,;pr 1',IlI<;p p .... r l' 1
tn ::lCT ",n hl" fTlur,jernus and hel1,l\ !111.lr n'.l thll<: ....
"tereotyplcallyaetmect ln attemptlOg tn adr'pt <:'",CII:'''; <: ('rl/jl-' lit r)1rl"f'lllmtl\
t,) enilh!e her rt) gam thl:;' and '3tatuc; tn l.d.1y


76
her humamty. There is no doubt that in Macbeth Shakespeare 15 showing his
audiences the absurdity of a socIety acttng out perverse rantasies of
masculine power .
,


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