The Gender Role Reversals in Macbeth Sample Essay

The desire to reach the goals that can influence the role that a person can take. If we mean a woman, she can take male characteristics if she needs them at the moment. Shakespeare has presented the possibility to adopt the behavioral characteristics of another gender through the description of the appearance and through the words of Lady Macbeth where she presents her desire to be a man and not a woman. Gender role reversals are clearly presented in the Shakespeares â€Å"Macbeth†. Because of the fact that Lady Macbeth makes her husband kill Duncan, she should posses some male character features. One of her most popular speeches indicates that she has to take on the role of a man. We can find the proofs for this fact in the first act, the fifth scene where Lady Macbeth has read a letter about the witches’ prophecy and the Duncan’s intention to visit her castle in the nearest future. She’s lost her temper and expressed her desire to be a man and not a woman. Another example of gender role reversal is her behaviour in a role of a Macbeth’s wife. Lady Macbeth takes the major role in the family relationship and tells her husband what and how to do. Some people call such a behaviour an usurpation. Nowadays, it’s treated as a normal state of affairs if a woman takes the leading role in the relationship but it was very unusual and weird at that time. Another example of gender role reversal is the situation with weird sisters. There are three of them and they seem to only hurt nature. Although they are called sisters, they don’t follow the standard feminine behaviour. The hair that is on their faces indicates their true nature while the dominant role belonged to Scottish male warriors. Their belonging to a female gender is questionable in this play. With the development of the plot, the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth start to switch one with another. They are precisely described and separated at the beginning of the play and their behaviour is traditional for that period of time. Duncan has even called Macbeth as a â€Å"bloody man†. The gender identity of Lady Macbeth was questionable as she clearly said â€Å"unsex me here†. Her words show that she lacks strength that is natural for males. The murders make Lady Macbeth search for the solutions to be stronger than her husband. She wants to manipulate Macbeth by making him kill someone with the words that humiliate his sexual potence. Lady Macbeth uncovers her true violent nature that was hidden under the mask of a woman. The conversation with a ghost clearly indicates and proves the fact Lady Macbeth is obsessed with the gender role that she and other people and even ghosts have. The attempts to reach a goal and satisfy the ambitions can turn a woman into a man without the need to formally change any body parts or any characteristics of the appearance. The manners, the words and the behaviour define a real state of affairs.