Macbeth Essay Analysis

Communication Systems
Ashley Platt- LSG 17
In what ways are the themes, messages and ideas of the play Macbeth relevant to
contemporary society
Macbeth is a tragedy written by the 16th century English playwright William Shakespeare.
Believed to be written in 1606, it is one of Shakespeares shortest plays, but is understood
as one of his darkest and most powerful commentaries on 16th century society. Macbeth
addresses a number of themes, messages and ideas that are still relevant in society today;
including those to be discussed here, namely masculinity, the power of women and the use
of nature to symbolise the disruption of natural order.
A major theme within the play Macbeth is the portrayal of masculinity and masculine
qualities and how a supposed lack of these qualities in men is perceived as a character
weakness. The rising action begins with Lady Macbeth insulting her husbands masculinity
Wouldst thou have that, Which thou esteemst the ornament of life, And live a coward in
thine own esteem (Act 1, Scene 7, Line 41-43).This action is cleverly designed to enhance
her social standing by manipulating her husband to kill King Duncan, thus labelling Macbeth
as a weak man. This starts Macbeth on a murderous path to try and ensure his decadency
to the throne. On the other hand, another character, Macduff defies gender stereotypes by
reacting to Macbeth murdering his family in a way that does not conform to societys
expectations of a man. He gives in to his emotions, creating a powerful and raw scene in
stark contrast to the acts of pure violence. When it was suggested that he react in a more
manly way and to seek revenge for his family, Macduff replies with I shall do so. But I must
also feel it as a man (Act 4, Scene 3, Line 221- 223). Shakespeare is eluding, through
Macduff, that perhaps there is masculinity in expressing emotion. Socially constructed
gender expectations remain in todays society and can shape perceptions of how we should
act; men are expected to be strong and women weaker and subtly less capable. Just as in
Macbeth, insulting the masculinity of a man can be used today to diminish someones social
power and at the same time raising the accusers dominance over the weaker person.
Shakespeare also explores the influence of women and the power they have on the central
characters of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is a strong female character and is the brains and will
behind her husband. Strong women, such as Lady Macbeth and the witches, are portrayed
as sources of violence and evil. The aggression of these women goes against the
expectation of how women should behave. To achieve a goal, Lady Macbeth relies on the
deception of others and advises her husband to Look like the innocent flower, But be the
serpent undert (Act 1, Scene 5, Line 65-66). She also tries to suppress her feminine
qualities asking for the gods to unsex her as she perceives her women-hood as something
that stops society from seeing her as a leader (Act 1, Scene 5, Line 39). When Shakespeare
wrote Macbeth the expectation of women was different to those of today; dominant women
were unnatural and seen as symptoms of disorder and chaos (Internet Shakespeare
Editions, 2014). Today, hundreds of years later, women are still expected by some to be
subservient to men. In 2012, during her time as Prime Minister, Julia Gillard discussed the
fact that the Leader of the Opposition at that time, Tony Abbot, mentioned that he had no
problem with men having more power than women because men are more adapted to
exercise authority and issue a command than women (The Sydney Morning Herald, 2012).
When people are exposed to these expectations, especially from people in powerful
positions, they begin to believe that they are acting based on their gender, rather than
following a socially constructed role.
Another technique used by Shakespeare is symbols, such as the weather, to reflect the
corruption of natural order. On the night of King Duncan's murder storms appear

Macbeth Essay Analysis

Communication Systems
Ashley Platt- LSG 17
communicating that nature is not happy with the murder that is about to occur. Alternatively
nature could also be unhappy with the unnatural womanly actions of aggression, about to be
undertaken by Lady Macbeth. The act of killing the King not only goes against what is
morally correct, but also against Gods will, as, in the 16th Century it was widely believed
that God puts the King on the throne giving him the divine right to rule. Another example is in
the first scene of Act 1, as it begins with the witches accompanied by thunder and lightning
presenting a gloomy atmosphere tipping the audience about what is to come. Literature
these days regularly uses changes in weather to set the scene for impending doom, such as
the use of storms and lightening in horror films.
As discussed, there are links that audiences can make between contemporary society and
Macbeth. However there may also be themes and concepts that are not noticed because
they have no relevance to the issues that are faced today. Gender stereotypes still occur
influencing the way society acts and reacts to situations and symbols like the weather are
used through a wide range of literature to display the corruption of natural order.

References
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