Jene Zweidinger

Introduction to Critical Theory

Dr. Epstein
Final Research Paper
6 December 2016
Potential, Gender, and Societal Suppression: A Study of Lady Macbeth
William Shakespeare established himself as one of the primary literary
trendsetters of his time, and his works transcended centuries to reach audiences of all eras
and walks of life. His texts are considered ideal examples of art and literature through
which critics can apply a number of critical theories and investigations. It was not until
later audiences that the critical theory of feminism be brought into higher perspective,
much less applied to his writing in a contemporary light. Women, traditionally seen as
subservient or otherwise inferior to their male counterparts, typically only fulfilled two
roles in the time of Shakespeares active, sixteenth century audience: homemakers and
bartering pieces for status marriages. Shakespeare, despite the expectations adhered to by
his peers, consistently challenged these traditions of a womans role in society and her
overall potential.
Shakespeares Macbeth is a tragedy that comments on the stereotypes and roles of
gender, the issue of power and morality, and the way these topics impact the other. The
play features a strong female role, Lady Macbeth, who serves as one of the primary
influences in her husbands plots and endeavors despite her position. In fact, she appears
to retaliate against it, her behavior being a consequential result of the suppressing effects
of patriarchy on women. Shakespeare, with his extraordinary genius for portraying
human behavior, depicts the condition of women in a patriarchal society and his women
characters who in their richness transcend the limitations of time and Shakespearean

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theme becomes the legendary (Hossain, et al 32). Wherever his own ambition falters,
Lady Macbeths drive for success takes over and guides him toward his final resolve,
actions, and eventual (shared) undoing. Shakespeares creation of Lady Macbeth as a
strong female character and, ultimately, a tragic character, adheres to the way he
consistently challenged the perceptions of women of his time. Analyzing the text by using
focus of critical theories of deconstruction and feminism yields a number of possible
conclusions for Shakespeares intent in utilizing such a strong female role. This analysis
through theory allows the reader to see both the merits of the portrayal of Lady Macbeth
as an ambitious and headstrong woman, but also the consequences of this strength and
the resilience that she harnesses. It can be interpreted through a deconstructive lense as
both a positive commentary on female potential, and criticism of the traditional, inferior
position of women from the sixteenth century. Analyzing the sheer power and resilience
of Lady Macbeth through deconstructive and feminist lenses, the way she channels her
energy into ambition as a response to suppression, and the situational consequences of
this behavior yields more than one conclusion or interpretation. Shakespeare, as he tells
the reader to Look to the Lady (Shakespeare 2.3.112) in the play, appears to remit
praise for her strength, but also uses her to represent the detrimental effects of
suppression of female will and potential.
Lady Macbeths role in the story is made plain from the beginning as she is
already engaged in criticism of her male counterpart, her husband, Macbeth. She is
introduced at the castle, having awaited word from him. After reading a letter of his
status, she remarks Yet do I fear thy nature;/Is too full oth milk of human kindness/To
catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great,/Art not without ambition, but without the

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illness should attend it (Shakespeare 1.4.3-6). She is critical of the softness of others,
which is ironic for the time as women were traditionally considered to be the meeker,
weaker type, incapable of the strength that men exhibited. Meanwhile, men were
typically involved in the sort of business that Lady Macbeth seems doubtful, overall, that
her husband can satisfy. The authors of Revisiting Shakespeare and Gender outline
these social standards. Men were expected to engage in public affairs, to be talkers,
make decisions, move events forward. They led lives which were duty-bound, aggressive,
and self-satisfying. On the other hand, women were expected to assume a more passive
role (Gerlach, et al). Using a deconstructive lense, supported by feminist theory, to
dissect Shakespeares intent in using such a strong character points to a couple strong
possibilities. He establishes Lady Macbeth as an aggressive, dominant woman resilient
in her determination to see plots come to fruition, and critical of those whom she doubts
to follow through. Shakespeare suggests the strength and potential of her, particularly as
an unusual female character, but does so for an audience that considered these
characteristics to be somewhat undesirable in women. While he could be inferring a
praise of the potential of Lady Macbeth, he still places her in the physical role of the
traditional woman: in the castle, primarily as a homemaker and supporter of her husband.
This not only creates tension in the play, but raises the question of what exactly
Shakespeare intended to convey in his utilization of this strong female character caught in
traditional settings. Deconstruction infers a number of possibilities: that he could be
warning of the dangers of suppression of potential (more specifically addressing
traditional social constructs), or suggesting that it is her mentality alone that caused the

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tension. Rather, if she were not the way she was, there would be no additional catalyzing
tension on her end.
Whether Shakespeare was warning of the dangers of suppression or being critical
of Lady Macbeths character as a strong, defiant female, the tension of this suppressed
character remains ever present throughout Macbeth. Lady Macbeth, clearly unsatisfied
with her role of standing by, awaiting word from her husband, and having to make her
own calculations from a distance, desires to be unsexed (Shakespeare 1.4.31) and
[filled from the crown to the toe top-full/Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood./
[]Come to my womans breasts,/And take my milk for gall, you murdring
ministers,/Wherever in your sightless substances/You wait on natures mischief
(Shakespeare 1.4.30-40). This scene happens so early in the play that it heavily implies
that the suppression that Lady Macbeth has experienced throughout her life is finally
coming to a head. Shakespeare wastes little time in indication the consequence of her
confinement to her traditional roles, as Lady Macbeth desires to be rid of her human
compassion, normally attributed to female characteristics. Beyond that, she also explicitly
states her lack of concern for good or evil. Her ambition for the crown and success is
paramount, and appears to transcend the notion of good or evil to get there. Moral
distinctions do not in this exaltation exist for her; or rather they are inverted: good
means to her the crown and whatever is required to obtain it, evil whatever stands in the
way of its attainment (Bradley 325). Lady Macbeth therefore is so heavily focused on
her goal, channeling the negative energy from suppression into ambitions that look past
the moral implications.

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Still, she harnesses much of what she has learned from her experiences that to
achieve her goals and not be merely dismissed as a woman, she must be deceptive and
cunning in her delivery and passes this on to her husband upon chiding him for his
weakness. She urges Macbeth to beguile the time,/Look like the time. Bear welcome in
your eye,/Your hand, your tongue. Look like th innocent flower,/But be the serpent under
it (Shakespeare 1.5.54-57). Having spent much of her time fulfilling the duties of a
woman, adhering to the expectation that they be softer and more nurturing in comparison
to their male counterparts, she backhandedly reveals to Macbeth her secret of cunning
and manipulation. In his article A Feminist Reading of Shakespearean Tragedies, M.
Ayu Jajja supports this connection, inferring that [i]t is Lady Macbeth who teaches
Macbeth to be serpent but look like a flower (Jajja 234). Shakespeare, once more,
appears to be both praising and critical of Lady Macbeth. He grants her such heavy
control and influence over her husband, as though acknowledging her strength and
yielding her this certain success, but also insinuates the aggressive dangers of her
mentality. A deconstructionist perspective urges the reader to look further into the text,
and the reader can see her manipulative tendencies as a product of her confinement to
traditional roles. It can be seen furthermore as both a praise of Lady Macbeths character,
a criticism of the evil that she channels as an outlet, and a warning of her suppression and
the potential consequences that come with it.
Despite all of her success in being able to influence and manipulate her husband
into evil deeds that he ultimately committed, Lady Macbeth progresses toward a
downfall. This most strongly supports the reading of Shakespeares utilization of her as a
criticism and warning of the dangers of suppression of potential. However, the fact that

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Lady Macbeth remained so influential throughout the play could still serve as a praise of
her capabilities despite her traditional role. Deconstructive analysis allots for these valid
interpretations that challenge the other. Lady Macbeth emerges as one of the most
intelligent and conniving characters in the play, able to read the situation at hand and play
puppet master to the people around her. She clearly learned, through her personal
experiences and expectation to conform to societal expectation, how to move forward
despite all these obstacles.
Shakespeare does little to reign her in, even allowing her ambition to become
paramount and surpass all other concerns. In her criticism of Macbeth, she questions the
very foundation of his manhood and further rejects the barrier of gender by tearing him
down. As Mann points out in his own study of Shakespeares women, Some critics see
Macbeth as a non-sexual play, but that is to ignore the extent to which Lady Macbeths
taunts to her husband are all sexual, demands for his continued manhood (Mann 158).
Lady Macbeth both acknowledges and challenges gender and pushes Macbeth into
action. Even when he falters, asking, If we should fail? (Shakespeare 1.7.58), Lady
Macbeth further challenges his resolve, suggesting his weakness as being their mutual
shortcoming by insisting, We fail?/But screw your courage to the sticking place,/And
well not fail (Shakespeare 1.7.59-61). This can be interpreted, by deconstructing her
words and analyzing the quote in hindsight of her downfall, to have multiple meanings.
Shakespeare is allowing Lady Macbeth her moment of gloating and glory displaying
what was likely one of the few (if not, the only one) of her triumphs to this magnitude as
a woman: that she was the driving force behind this significant turn of events. He is
essentially giving her credit for the deed by capitalizing on the strength of her resolve

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both before and after. However, foreshadowing through symbolism may also imply a
new, darker meaning: that her dismissal of blood, and the murder as a whole, is a grave
oversight. It hints at her eventual downfall.
Shakespeare follows upon this foreshadowing by staging Lady Macbeth as having
to deal with the aftermath of her actions. It is all she can do, since up until that point, she
was driven by a very clear intent to see her goals through and find success in her plotting
and manipulation. For the first time, she is faced with the aftermath of her actions. She at
first appears to be in denial over any wrongful reflections of her deeds, or any
consequences that could emerge as a result. However, she expresses this in a familiar
way: criticizing her husband to bolster her own confidence of her words. Not only is she
attempting to comfort him, but Shakespeare could be implying a certain level of comfort
attempted for herself by reverting back to her old manipulative ways that yielded her
success. She attempts to soothe Macbeth in his laments, saying, How now, my lord, why
do you keep alone,/Of sorriest fancies your companions making,/Using those thoughts
which should indeed have died/With them they think on? Things without all
remedy/Should be without regard: whats done is done (Shakespeare 3.2.8-12). Analysis
through deconstruction suggests more meaning to this quote than her simply consoling
her husband. It potentially hints at the start of her unraveling composure. Where she
might exude confidence in their action, she may also imply resistance to guilt, stating that
if they had anything to regard, the act is done and nothing can change it. Lady Macbeth
may be seeking solace by verbalizing her own denial, pushing it onto someone else in the
same, familiar fashion that she achieved success.

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Analysis through deconstruction, supported by feminist lense, also reveals many

possible motives in the way that Shakespeare sets up the downfall of Lady Macbeth.
Finally, after trials of resilience and denial, she succumbs to the stress and grievances of
her actions, acknowledging the evil intent that had fueled them the whole time. Whereas
before she chided Macbeth for his fear of the blood that stained his hands, she imagines
that blood dwells on her own, falling into a state of madness as she exclaims:
Out, damnd spot! out, I say!One; two;why, then/tis time to dot.Hell is
murky.Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and/afeared? What need we fear who knows
it, when none call our/powr to accompt?Yet who would have though the old
man to/have had so much blood in him? (Shakespeare 5.1.26-40)
Her madness supports the idea that Shakespeare may have used her character as a
warning of the consequences of suppression of potential, especially in regard to confining
women to traditional roles. It also shows that despite the strength that Shakespeare
appeared to backhandedly acknowledge her for, she is still human and vulnerable to her
own failures. It places herself and her husband on much the same level as she sinks into
the same doubts and fears that Macbeth expressed earlier. Symbolism through blood also
plays a prominent role here, coming full circle to hint at more possible meanings that a
deconstructive analysis may raise. Despite her denial of the consequences of the deed, the
blood she has looked past has stained her conscience. She is therefore no longer critical
of Macbeths laments, but rather succumbs to them, herself. Shakespeare successfully
stages her to be capable of equality with her husband: of both power and consequence. It
is, once more, both a praise and criticism of her character, tipping hat to her potential and
casting a shadow over the realities of power through any form or gender. It shows power
and consequence as an equalizer that both genders are capable of power, and equally as
vulnerable to madness and consequence.

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Shakespeares Macbeth was a tragedy, among others of his works, that surpassed
the literary precedents of his time by its commentary on social topics that had not yet
become a socially accepted norm to dispute. However, his works went on to transcend
centuries and reach a wide variety of audiences over the years, and now serves as some of
the most analyzed material in literary history. Shakespeares ambiguity in his works
credits his mastery of genre and language, thus calling into action the use of critical
theory to dissect all of its potential meanings. Deconstructive theory, supported by
feminist theory and perspective, can be used to evaluate his commentaries on women and
society and their traditional expectations. His utilization of Lady Macbeth as a bold,
powerful, yet tragic female lead was a more blatant representation in his works of his
consensus that suppression of women in society was detrimental at all angles and that a
womans potential reached beyond that which she was confined to. He makes a positive
suggestion that women should not be overlooked and valued for potentials that may
mirror or even surpass those of their male counterparts, and infers the negative
consequences of what happens when this is neglected. By using Lady Macbeth not only
as a catalyst for her husbands actions, to whatever effect, but also as a strong female
lead, Shakespeare defied the social norms of his time, made a bold connection between
female potential and consequences of its dismissal, and set a precedent for works and
criticisms for following centuries to consider.

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Works Cited
Bradley, Andrew C. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear,
Macbeth. London: MacMillan, 1902. Print.
Gerlach, Jeanne, Rudolph Almasy, and Rebecca Daniel. "Revisiting Shakespeare and
Gender." Digital LIbrary and Archives. Virginia Tech, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.
Hossain, Md. Amir, Aburim Iseni, Liljana Siljanovska, and Vlera Ejupi. "Shakespeare
and Ibsen: A Comparitave Study of Macbeth and Hedda Gabler from 21st Century
Radical Feminism Perspective." Journal of Educational and Social Research MCSER Publishing, Rome-Italty 4.4 (2014): 30-40. Print.
Jajja, M. Ayub. "A Feminist Reading of Shakespearean Tragedies: Frailty, Thy Name Is
Woman." Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences 8.1 (2014): 228-37.
Print.
Mann, David. Shakespeare's Women: Performance and Conception. Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge UP, 2008. Print.
Shakespeare, William, and Rex Gibson. Macbeth. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1993.
Print.

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