Macbeth Quotes - Gender

"Unsex me here"

Lady Macbeth - Act 1, Scene 5

LM wants power and, at the time, men were considered powerful while women were considered 2nd class citizens. LM does not want to be associated with the perceived weakness of the female gender.

"Come to my woman's breasts And take my milk for gall"

Lady Macbeth - Act 1, Scene 5

LM is evil and wants her femininity taken away in favour of poison

"Too full o'th'milk of human kindness"

Lady Macbeth - Act 1, Scene 5

LM thinks that Macbeth is too kind, to the extent that it makes him weak like societies view of women at the time

"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"

Macduff - Act 2, Scene 3

Suggests that women are weaker than men and wouldn't be able to handle hearing the terrible news of Duncan's death

"You would be so much more the man"

Lady Macbeth - Act 1, Scene 7

Masculinity associated with cruelty and dominance

"Are you a man?"

Lady Macbeth - Act 3, Scene 4

At the banquet, LM abuses Macbeth in order to keep her own power. Flips power dynamics on its head.

"Wisdom? To leave his wife... his babes... his titles in a place from whence himself does fly? He loves us not"

Lady Macduff - Act 4, Scene 2

Shows the stereotypical gender roles of the man going off while the woman stays home to care for the children

"I put up that womanly defence, to say I have done no harm?"

Lady Macduff - Act 4, Scene 2

Implies that a woman's defence is weaker

[exit Lady Macbeth, helped]

Stage directions - Act 2, Scene 3

Implies Lady Macbeth, a woman, needs help to do such a basic thing as leaving

"Bring forth men-children only, for the undaunted mettle should composé nothing but males"

Macbeth - Act 1, Scene 7

Men were typically seen as stronger and therefore were more desired in a resilience group