FEMINISM AND WOMANHOOD THEMES IN “MACBETH”

                                 

History has shown that women have an ability to control lives of men, so they cause cornerstones in the lives of men. To exemplify, the relationship between Suleiman the Magnificent and Roxelena, the relationship between Shamhat and Enkidu in the epic of Gilgamesh reflect power of women.  Besides, there is a saying that “Behind every great man, there is a good woman.”  , and women can be the downfalls of men.  So it is inevitable that the power of women is crucial. When examining the tragedy “Macbeth”, William Shakespeare interprets the power of women differently. In the Ancient literature, the power of women was measured with sex, dress and beauty, and men were more powerful than women. In the tragedy of “Macbeth”,  power  of women can replace power of men if women are not afraid of darkness and being evil. The role of Lady Macbeth is an evidence that how power can be obtained by being evil, sacrificing goodness and being ambitious while Lady Macduff stays innocent. Shakespeare examines how women can be if they have the quality of men and women give up their womanhood.

According to Lady Macbeth, being a woman with the ability to give birth and have child soul is obstacle to her plans and ambition.  When she implies Macbeth that he behaves like woman, woman side of Macbeth is obstacle to her plans.  When she said “unsex me”, she did not want her woman side, and she rejects the role of woman. When she calls his husband “coward” and “too full o’th’milk of human kindness”,  she wants more freedom and right to decide what happens in their future. The line “leave all the rest to me” indicates that she wants to have responsibility and strength for them, and . These actions of Lady Macbeth are evidence that she is trying to challenge men, and Shakespeare brings a discussion about feminism. Lady Macbeth discovers the discourse of feminism but she cannot reject womanhood without rejecting her moralities. That Lady Macbeth mentions about smashing the head of her baby indicates that she gave up womanhood. I mean she lost womanhood = being mother, she has no emotions of motherhood. Therefore, she wants to be “unsexed”. Unlike Lady Macbeth, Lady Macduff is naive, innocent and mother figure. Giving up emotions of motherhood means that sacrificing womanhood. Besides, in “Macbeth”, Shakespeare questions the nature of woman. To exemplify, fate, strangeness and magic were given three witches. These witches are not like woman, but actually they are women.  They have beard and wear male costumes. They have dark side like Lady Macbeth. I mean when the witches sacrifice their woman roles, they get dark side. Lady Macbeth sacrificed womanhood, she gets dark side. Therefore, in “Macbeth”, Shakespeare tried to prove that the mixture of gender can result in harm.