Role of Women in Macbeth

Shakespeare shows the ideal subordinate role in Lady Macduff, whilst the influential malevolent roles are illustrated in Lady Macbeth and the witches. The male role is seen as the dominant figure with the right to handle the world of war, murder, conspiracy, and violence. Consequently, this essay will focus on Lady Macbeth, Lady Macduff, and the three Witches, and the role of these three women being depicted in Macbeth. Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth forms a great part of the discovery of roles of gender within Macbeth. She does not play the stereotypical role of a woman and has greater concern for power and politics rather than rearing children and preserving her estate.  They provide Macbeth with merely adequate information to stir up his natural instincts towards greed and ambition as the third witch flutters him “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (1.

It can be concluded that Macbeth plainly destroys himself with the assistance of these witches. It is important to pinpoint that the gender of the witches’ character is vague as Banquo indicates upon meeting them "You should be women, / And yet your beards forbid me to interpret / That you are so" (I. Shakespeare could have used their facial hair to disapprove of a culture of male domination as well as indicate the impact of women in a society dominated by men. Having said that, women are being regarded as ‘weird’ due to their involvement in magic whereby they possess unnatural powers which can reach over space and time. Why, I can buy me twenty at any market. Her mental states give a great constant to the increasing madness of Lady Macbeth.