During this passage, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are planning on how they will kill Duncan. In this passage, Macbeth expresses his belief that if he kills Duncan, he will become a man, and also that he is ready to do everything required in order for him to become a man. This is the first mention of manhood in the play, and it reinforces the idea that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth believe that brutality is a characteristic of someone’s virility, as the more brutal and courageous your actions, the bigger the man you will become.
“When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” (I.vii.56)
In this passage, Lady Macbeth is trying to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, as he has expressed his lack of confidence and desire to give up on the plan. However, Lady Macbeth seems to believe once again that brutality is a requisite for becoming a man, and she uses this tactic to convince her husband. In this passage, she is almost undermining her husband’s virility and using is as a tactic to convince him to go along with the murder. She says that when he finally does it (the murder), he would be a man, and when becomes more than what he is (becomes king) he would be so much more than a man.
“…how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums and dash’d the brains out, had I sworn as you have done to this.” (I.vii.63)
Here we have our first example of womanhood. Lady Macbeth is angry that Macbeth has promised something he is no longer to fulfill. In this passage, she recognizes the stage of motherhood and of the eternal love a mother has towards a son. However, she is expressing that he determination and dedication to a promise is such that she would kill her own baby while was feeding from her if she had promised to this so. As this is also an act of brutality, it comes back to the idea that for Lady Macbeth, being a brutal human being is a sign of achieving manhood/womanhood.
Final Thoughts:
Shakespeare includes a certain reversal of roles, as Lady Macbeth seems to be the determined and stronger one, while Macbeth is indecisive and easily influenced by his wife.
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth associate brutality with becoming a woman/man.
They both think that committing the murder will make Macbeth become a greater man.
Ju, very good comments and use of key evidence. I think your final thoughts are also helpful and point out another way that Shakespeare (at least in Act I; let’s see further acts) is creating disorder in this world by reversing the roles of men and women at that time. Well written.
“Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had don’t.” (II.ii.16)
Throughout the play so far, Lady Macbeth has proven to be kind of the man of the relationship, as she is the one with the courage to act and decides what should be done. In this verse, however, we have the first example of a woman’s characteristics showing on Lady Macbeth’s behaviour. She expresses that she would have killed Duncan if she was to had he not looked so much like her father. This means she has some sort of sensibility and care towards her family making her unable to commit an act of brutality against someone who looks like her father.
“Lechery, sir, it provokes and unprovokes. It provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery.” (II.iii.30)
This verse is an example of manhood because the Porter is talking about having sex. Sex has always been a very important “social step” into becoming a man, and on this verse we have proof that it was like that since the time that Shakespeare lived. Also, it is the first example of manhood/womanhood not coming only from Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, which serves to humanize characters other than both of them.
“O gentle lady, ‘tis not for you to hear what I can speak. The repetition in a woman’s ear would murder as it fell.” (II.iii.96)
There is extreme irony in this verse. Macduff tells Lady Macbeth that she should not hear what happened (to Duncan) because it is too cruel for a woman to hear, and could kill her. However, he barely knows that Lady Macbeth is the extreme opposite of a lady’s characteristics, as she has been the one who planned the whole assassination and even forced her husband to commit the crime, to some extent. This verse is an example of womanhood because Macduff highlights a woman’s characteristic by claiming they are too sensitive to hear brutal news, and throughout the whole play so far Lady Macbeth highlights men’s characteristics as she is the one cruel enough to murder.
Final thoughts:
Other characters are starting to show their gender based characteristics
Lady Macbeth is still characterized as more of a “male” character but still has the traits of a woman.
“She expresses that she would have killed Duncan if she was to had he (…)” confusing. (commas maybe?) Good analysis on the porter, not quite clear on what “social step” is. Nice analysis on Lady Macbeth, but still a little bit confusing (because of sentence structure?). Insightful analysis that approached many things I hadn’t thought of <3<3
Ju, a good analysis of your motif and key lines. Is LM actually “man enough” to murder? Or is she more talk than action? Does she do anything else “womanly” in this act? And if so, is that significant? (Watch: “in” the act, “in” this verse.)
In this scene, Macbeth is convincing the murderers to kill Banquo by saying that Banquo is the one guilty for their poverty. Another attempt to convince the murderers to kill Banquo is challenging their manhood, as we see in this verse. The murderers proclaim that yes they are men, therefore this could mean that a characteristic of manhood according to the play would be being ruthless. By being willing to kill a man makes the murderers “manlier” than they were before.
“[Drawing Macbeth aside] Are you a man?” (III.iv.70)
In this scene, Macbeth is seeing Banquo’s ghost, and is talking to ghost. However, they are in the middle of a feast, and the guests are suspicious and finding Macbeth’s behaviour weird. Lady Macbeth try to brush off their suspicions by claiming that Macbeth always has these crazy fits, and they will soon pass. She pulls Macbeth to the side, asks if his is a man, possibly one of her funniest lines yet. This means that Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth was not acting so much like a man at that moment, and he should pull himself together and start acting like a man.
“Why so, being gone, I am a man again.” (III.iv.131)
Again, Macbeth is acting strange about seeing the ghost of Banquo. Once Banquo’s ghost is gone, Macbeth claims that he can start being a man again. This means that the appearance of Banquo’s ghost challenges Macbeth’s manhood, as we have seen previously when Lady Macbeth asks if he is a man. This possibly could be an indication of Macbeth’s true characteristics; maybe he is not that brave after all.
Final Thoughts:
Being ruthless/brutal is considered to be a characteristic of a man.
There are factors that affect Macbeth’s manhood.
Maybe Macbeth is not that much of a man after all.
Ju, very good comment on manhood. I wonder if it is just M and LM that view manhood as being ruthless and brutal? Does their view contrast with that of other characters? Maybe Shakespeare is using their warped view of manhood/womanhood to make us think?
“Dispute it like a man.
I shall do so, but I must also feel it as a man.” (IV.iii.258-261)
In this verse, Macduff has just received news that his whole family has been murdered. Malcolm has said that he should “dispute it like a man”, meaning Macduff has to fight his battle with Macbeth as a man. However, Macduff says that he shall fight it like a man, but he must also feel like a man first. Macduff expresses how he will avenge the death of his family, but first he will accept his griefing, and that it what feeling like a man is. Previously, we have seen Lady Macbeth and Macbeth talking about being a man, and that being a man means to be cruel, brutal, heartless. Macduff, on the other side, thinks that being a man means having feelings, and accepting the pain that losing his family means before going to fight for their deaths. We see that Macduff his a genuine male, as he accepts that a real man also has feelings. Maybe this is an indication of a dramatic foil, as while Macbeth hides his feelings and refuses to acknowledge them so he can be a man, Macduff knows that he is a man and chooses to accept his feelings.
“This [tune] goes manly” (IV.iii.275)
Macduff has just expressed his plans for overthrowing Macbeth, and Malcolm says that the whole plan sounds manly. Malcolm recognizes that Macduff is a real man, and we have another indication of it as even Macduff’s actions are heroic and manly. Throughout the play, we have never seen another character express how manly Macbeth is, only Lady Macbeth saying that if he does something he will be a man. Macduff however has recognition from other characters of his manhood.
Final Thoughts:
Dramatic foil between Macduff and Macbeth
Macbeth tries to be a man but we see that Macduff is the real genuine man.
Ju, good analysis of your motif and key evidence. Interesting that we have “good” and “evil” characters (Malcolm and LM) saying similar things about manliness. Why? (Watch that you carefully proof read before posting.)
“For all certain, sir, he is not. I have a file of all the gentry. There is Siward’s son and many unrough youths that even now protest their first of manhood.” (V.ii.9-13)
Protest first of manhood would be fighting
In this passage, Lennox is talking about how there were many young men in the army. As he says that they are “unrough youths”, meaning they do not have a beard yet, we can assume they are in their early teenage years. By this passage, Lennox means that in order to give the first signs of their manhood, of becoming a man, they shall fight. Later on, when young Siward dies, we see that his father is not particularly griefed with his son’s death, but rather worried about how he has died, and is proud after he learned he has died in battle (V.viii.50-65)
Final thoughts:
Being in battle is a way of protesting the first signs of manhood
It isn’t as sad to die in battle, for it is an honorable way of dying
Macbeth Characters and Motifs 
Act I
“I dare do all that may become a man.” (I.vii.51)
During this passage, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are planning on how they will kill Duncan. In this passage, Macbeth expresses his belief that if he kills Duncan, he will become a man, and also that he is ready to do everything required in order for him to become a man. This is the first mention of manhood in the play, and it reinforces the idea that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth believe that brutality is a characteristic of someone’s virility, as the more brutal and courageous your actions, the bigger the man you will become.
“When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” (I.vii.56)
In this passage, Lady Macbeth is trying to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, as he has expressed his lack of confidence and desire to give up on the plan. However, Lady Macbeth seems to believe once again that brutality is a requisite for becoming a man, and she uses this tactic to convince her husband. In this passage, she is almost undermining her husband’s virility and using is as a tactic to convince him to go along with the murder. She says that when he finally does it (the murder), he would be a man, and when becomes more than what he is (becomes king) he would be so much more than a man.
“…how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums and dash’d the brains out, had I sworn as you have done to this.” (I.vii.63)
Here we have our first example of womanhood. Lady Macbeth is angry that Macbeth has promised something he is no longer to fulfill. In this passage, she recognizes the stage of motherhood and of the eternal love a mother has towards a son. However, she is expressing that he determination and dedication to a promise is such that she would kill her own baby while was feeding from her if she had promised to this so. As this is also an act of brutality, it comes back to the idea that for Lady Macbeth, being a brutal human being is a sign of achieving manhood/womanhood.
Final Thoughts:
Shakespeare includes a certain reversal of roles, as Lady Macbeth seems to be the determined and stronger one, while Macbeth is indecisive and easily influenced by his wife.
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth associate brutality with becoming a woman/man.
They both think that committing the murder will make Macbeth become a greater man.
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Ju, very good comments and use of key evidence. I think your final thoughts are also helpful and point out another way that Shakespeare (at least in Act I; let’s see further acts) is creating disorder in this world by reversing the roles of men and women at that time. Well written.
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Act II
“Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had don’t.” (II.ii.16)
Throughout the play so far, Lady Macbeth has proven to be kind of the man of the relationship, as she is the one with the courage to act and decides what should be done. In this verse, however, we have the first example of a woman’s characteristics showing on Lady Macbeth’s behaviour. She expresses that she would have killed Duncan if she was to had he not looked so much like her father. This means she has some sort of sensibility and care towards her family making her unable to commit an act of brutality against someone who looks like her father.
“Lechery, sir, it provokes and unprovokes. It provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery.” (II.iii.30)
This verse is an example of manhood because the Porter is talking about having sex. Sex has always been a very important “social step” into becoming a man, and on this verse we have proof that it was like that since the time that Shakespeare lived. Also, it is the first example of manhood/womanhood not coming only from Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, which serves to humanize characters other than both of them.
“O gentle lady, ‘tis not for you to hear what I can speak. The repetition in a woman’s ear would murder as it fell.” (II.iii.96)
There is extreme irony in this verse. Macduff tells Lady Macbeth that she should not hear what happened (to Duncan) because it is too cruel for a woman to hear, and could kill her. However, he barely knows that Lady Macbeth is the extreme opposite of a lady’s characteristics, as she has been the one who planned the whole assassination and even forced her husband to commit the crime, to some extent. This verse is an example of womanhood because Macduff highlights a woman’s characteristic by claiming they are too sensitive to hear brutal news, and throughout the whole play so far Lady Macbeth highlights men’s characteristics as she is the one cruel enough to murder.
Final thoughts:
Other characters are starting to show their gender based characteristics
Lady Macbeth is still characterized as more of a “male” character but still has the traits of a woman.
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“She expresses that she would have killed Duncan if she was to had he (…)” confusing. (commas maybe?) Good analysis on the porter, not quite clear on what “social step” is. Nice analysis on Lady Macbeth, but still a little bit confusing (because of sentence structure?). Insightful analysis that approached many things I hadn’t thought of <3<3
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Ju, a good analysis of your motif and key lines. Is LM actually “man enough” to murder? Or is she more talk than action? Does she do anything else “womanly” in this act? And if so, is that significant? (Watch: “in” the act, “in” this verse.)
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Act III
“We are men, my liege.” (III.i.101)
In this scene, Macbeth is convincing the murderers to kill Banquo by saying that Banquo is the one guilty for their poverty. Another attempt to convince the murderers to kill Banquo is challenging their manhood, as we see in this verse. The murderers proclaim that yes they are men, therefore this could mean that a characteristic of manhood according to the play would be being ruthless. By being willing to kill a man makes the murderers “manlier” than they were before.
“[Drawing Macbeth aside] Are you a man?” (III.iv.70)
In this scene, Macbeth is seeing Banquo’s ghost, and is talking to ghost. However, they are in the middle of a feast, and the guests are suspicious and finding Macbeth’s behaviour weird. Lady Macbeth try to brush off their suspicions by claiming that Macbeth always has these crazy fits, and they will soon pass. She pulls Macbeth to the side, asks if his is a man, possibly one of her funniest lines yet. This means that Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth was not acting so much like a man at that moment, and he should pull himself together and start acting like a man.
“Why so, being gone, I am a man again.” (III.iv.131)
Again, Macbeth is acting strange about seeing the ghost of Banquo. Once Banquo’s ghost is gone, Macbeth claims that he can start being a man again. This means that the appearance of Banquo’s ghost challenges Macbeth’s manhood, as we have seen previously when Lady Macbeth asks if he is a man. This possibly could be an indication of Macbeth’s true characteristics; maybe he is not that brave after all.
Final Thoughts:
Being ruthless/brutal is considered to be a characteristic of a man.
There are factors that affect Macbeth’s manhood.
Maybe Macbeth is not that much of a man after all.
LikeLike
Ju, very good comment on manhood. I wonder if it is just M and LM that view manhood as being ruthless and brutal? Does their view contrast with that of other characters? Maybe Shakespeare is using their warped view of manhood/womanhood to make us think?
LikeLike
Act IV
“Dispute it like a man.
I shall do so, but I must also feel it as a man.” (IV.iii.258-261)
In this verse, Macduff has just received news that his whole family has been murdered. Malcolm has said that he should “dispute it like a man”, meaning Macduff has to fight his battle with Macbeth as a man. However, Macduff says that he shall fight it like a man, but he must also feel like a man first. Macduff expresses how he will avenge the death of his family, but first he will accept his griefing, and that it what feeling like a man is. Previously, we have seen Lady Macbeth and Macbeth talking about being a man, and that being a man means to be cruel, brutal, heartless. Macduff, on the other side, thinks that being a man means having feelings, and accepting the pain that losing his family means before going to fight for their deaths. We see that Macduff his a genuine male, as he accepts that a real man also has feelings. Maybe this is an indication of a dramatic foil, as while Macbeth hides his feelings and refuses to acknowledge them so he can be a man, Macduff knows that he is a man and chooses to accept his feelings.
“This [tune] goes manly” (IV.iii.275)
Macduff has just expressed his plans for overthrowing Macbeth, and Malcolm says that the whole plan sounds manly. Malcolm recognizes that Macduff is a real man, and we have another indication of it as even Macduff’s actions are heroic and manly. Throughout the play, we have never seen another character express how manly Macbeth is, only Lady Macbeth saying that if he does something he will be a man. Macduff however has recognition from other characters of his manhood.
Final Thoughts:
Dramatic foil between Macduff and Macbeth
Macbeth tries to be a man but we see that Macduff is the real genuine man.
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Ju, good analysis of your motif and key evidence. Interesting that we have “good” and “evil” characters (Malcolm and LM) saying similar things about manliness. Why? (Watch that you carefully proof read before posting.)
LikeLike
Act V
“For all certain, sir, he is not. I have a file of all the gentry. There is Siward’s son and many unrough youths that even now protest their first of manhood.” (V.ii.9-13)
Protest first of manhood would be fighting
In this passage, Lennox is talking about how there were many young men in the army. As he says that they are “unrough youths”, meaning they do not have a beard yet, we can assume they are in their early teenage years. By this passage, Lennox means that in order to give the first signs of their manhood, of becoming a man, they shall fight. Later on, when young Siward dies, we see that his father is not particularly griefed with his son’s death, but rather worried about how he has died, and is proud after he learned he has died in battle (V.viii.50-65)
Final thoughts:
Being in battle is a way of protesting the first signs of manhood
It isn’t as sad to die in battle, for it is an honorable way of dying
LikeLike