Thanks again to the students who are on top of their postings. I am still figuring out ways to reveal comments without giving away all the answers as well. And I'm getting my homework done before I leave the school!
In every relationship, there is a dominant and a submissive part: parent and child; teacher and pupil; yin and yang. Balance should be achieved between them, but one will always be just a little higher. Traditionally, this was seen as a masculine and feminine conflict, though this is not as much the case today. In fact, masculine and feminine roles are much more flexible today than they were even fifty years ago. But when talking about 400 years ago, gender roles were much more rigid and unchanging. A woman was a woman and a man was a man; if one were to break away from that idea, it could be disastrous. Imagine: a man who likes baking cakes, or a woman who fixes car engines! Preposterous!
Examine the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Who in this relationship is more masculine, who is more feminine, and why? Include at least one quote from the play that supports your position. Feel free to discuss behaviour, actions, or lack thereof, of these characters. Remember: we are not asking who is the man, and who is the woman, but rather, who is the most masculine.
Please begin your post with your student number.
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ReplyDeleteMasculinity often derives from traits associated with being a “man”, such as being courageous, independent, and rebellious. Although Macbeth takes on these characteristics, Lady Macbeth appears to be more masculine than Macbeth as she assumes a dominant and commanding role that is usually taken by a male. Lady Macbeth accuses Macbeth of weakness and his lack of courage when he is reconsidering to murder Duncan, proving that she is unimpressed and unsupportive of such a “wimpy” decision. “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 so sworn as you have done to this,” said Lady Macbeth as she declares her strength to take action and fulfill a promised task. This not only questions Macbeth’s courage, independence and rebellion, but also his entire masculinity in regard of his ruling wife.
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ReplyDeleteMacbeth merciless cuts his enemies in half. This seems to make him look more masculine than Lady Macbeth but most of the times; Lady Macbeth is more masculine than Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has control over her husband’s thoughts and actions. She’s the one who pushed Macbeth that the only way to be king is to kill the king. Then, when Macbeth came into a withdrawal on their plan, she made her way to convince Macbeth again that killing the king is the only way. She said to Macbeth, “And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,’ Like the poor cat I’th’adge?” Through these words, she called Macbeth a coward. This pushed Macbeth back to doing their plan since he doesn’t want to be called coward, which for him is like calling him a girl.
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ReplyDeletewhen examining the relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth it is obvious that Lady Macbeth is the more masculine character even though she is a women. In act 1 scene 7 Lady Macbeth says "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 to do this." This proves that she is so strong and masculine that she would kill her baby while breastfeeding it if she swore to.
Also the fact that Lady Macbeth is pushing Macbeth to kill the king shows that she is the dominant one. If it were up to Macbeth he wouldn't go through with it. This is why she is the masculine one in their relationship.
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ReplyDeleteIn the relationship Lady Macbeth plays the masculine role. A masculine figure is thought to be someone who takes initiative, is demanding, and portrays confidence. These are exactly the traits that Lady Macbeth exhibits. When Macbeth tells his lady that he no longer wants to follow through with the murder of the king, Lady Macbeth is frustrated and aggravated with her husband since he wanted the crown so much. Macbeth becomes a coward “Wouldst thou have that …….. Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life …And live a coward in thine own esteem ….Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would, ” ” Lady Macbeth acts more with her mind rather than her heart which is thought to be more a masculine trait then feminine. She knows what she wants and goes after it without concern for anyone else; this is how she wants Macbeth to act as well.
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ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth is much more masculine, because she has very ambitious and outgoing qualities, while Macbeth himself is very content with his current position, and does not want to risk losing anything.
Lady Macbeth expresses her determination towards the assassination of Duncan, and gives an example of her dedication by comparing Duncan to a young baby that she loves.
"How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me.
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this."
Macbeth however, remains scared and uneasy about the entire situation and tries to persuade himself that Duncan is a humble king, and killing him would be morally incorrect.
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ReplyDeleteIt seems as if Lady Macbeth assumes the more masculine role in the relationship. When it came down to the assignation Macbeth worried that something could go wrong, or they could be caught. Lady Macbeth called out on how cowardly he was acting.. " We fail? but screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we will not fail" Lady Macbeth did not want to go back on the "plan" it had to be done.
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ReplyDeleteIn the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the more masculine character is Lady Macbeth and the more feminine is Macbeth. Macbeth is the type to stick to the rules of just doing his duty, of killing the bad guys and protecting his king and country. He isn't comfortable with the idea of killing someone on his "side" at first. Lady Macbeth shows that she is more masculine when she tells Macbeth to keep to his word on killing the king and not to back out of it. She said "What beast was't then that made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man". And another part when she says "Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums and dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this". She is more the type to keep to her word, make sure the deed is done, and be sneaky when doing mischievous things. Macbeth acted uncomfortable when Duncan first came into his house since he didn't greet him or even leave his room. He doesn't have experience or isn't used to be sneaky and decisive like Lady Macbeth is, he's just used to doing his job.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, in the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the one who is more masculine. I don't mean than Macbeth isn't masculine, because he is, he is a successful warrior; but in the relationship, Lady Macbeth is more pushy, and she has the ability to convince Macbeth to act in certain ways against his choice. "When you durst do it, then you were a man." (I, vii, 49). This line, said by Lady Macbeth, gives me a feeling than Lady Macbeth is trying to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, as he promised before, and she tries to do so by humiliating him and talking about his manliness. That's why I think that in their relationship, Lady Macbeth is just as masculine as Macbeth, and maybe even more at some points, and I think she is strong enough to force Macbeth into doing what she wants to be done.
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ReplyDeleteFrom Act I, Lady Macbeth is more masculine than Macbeth. He is afraid of killing a man to get what he wants or what he is expected to have. Lady Macbeth even said she would kill her own child if she had promised she would which shows how strong her decision is.
"I have given suck, and know how tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have puck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash'd the brains out, had I so sowrn as you have done to this."
Macbeth had mentioned that "If we should fail-" like he was afraid of what would happen if they did. Lady Macbeth cuts him off and says, "We fail?" and then says that they will not fail. She was much more courageous than Macbeth and so sure of herself. A man should not go back on his words and should believe in what they say.
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ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth is the more masculine one in the relationship. Although Macbeth is a strong, great warrior, Lady Macbeth's masculine attitude proves she has the capabilities and emotional strength of a man. Lady Macbeth says Macbeth is "too full o'th'milk of human kindness," (I. v. 16), meaning he has too much compassion for others to do what it takes to become king. Lady Macbeth is the one who convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan in order to get the throne, showing she has more courage. Lady Macbeth also says "That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe topful Of direst cruelty!" (I. v. 40-34), wishing to get rid of her feminine qualities and become cruel and callous, which are qualities that Macbeth does not posses, making him less masculine.
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ReplyDeleteMacbeth seems more feminine, and Lady Macbeth seems more masculine. This is because Lady Macbeth is the incautious one, who wants to kill King Duncan, while Macbeth is the cautious one, who doesn't want to kill the king.
p. 21: "But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we'll not fail"
The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is quite complicated because the masculinity in the family differs between the two. Usually you assume that the the male in the family is more masculin, but after reading the book and finding out about the characters a little more, it seems like Lady Macbeth is more masculin than the Macbeth himself. She stated that if she had to, she would kill her own baby if she promised to do it, "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 so sworn as you have done to this."
ReplyDeleteMr. A I sent my answer for Post 3 without putting my student number.
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ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth appears to be more masculine and Macbeth appears to be more feminine. She seems to give Macbeth a lot of orders as if she's in controll. For example Lady Macbeth tells him "leave all the rest to me". She also tells him "you shall put the night's great business into my dispatch".
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ReplyDeleteI believe Lady Macbeth has so far shown herself to be more masculine than Macbeth himself. Lady Macbeth seems to be quite cruel and she seems to have an appetite for violence. After receiving news of Duncan's coming to Macbeth's Inverness Castle, Lady Macbeth asks to be made more masculine, and less feminine so that she will be able to follow through with the murder of Duncan together with Macbeth. "Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty." After Macbeth has doubts about becoming king, Lady Macbeth ridicules him by saying that his nature is "too full o' the milk of human kindness" - that is, too feminine. So violent is Lady Macbeth that in response to Macbeth's shying away from the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth says that Duncan is not a man of his words; she says that she herself is more manly than him, because she would stick to her words. "I would while it [her baby] was smiling in my face ... dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this [the murder of Duncan)." Lady Macbeth seems to be quite the masculine lady, seemingly more so than Macbeth himself.
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ReplyDeleteThe masculine one in the relationship may seem like Macbeth, but really it's his wife. His wife totally man handles Macbeth, letting him know that he has "milk in him" also meaning that he is a girl cause he is afraid to go through with his plan to kill the king.
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ReplyDeleteI think that Macbeth is the most masculine of the two, proven by his honor and bravery, however not wanting to kill the king isn't cowardly, it's common sense. A person must be insane to think that this would not come back to haunt them. "We still have judgements here that we but teach Bloody instrutions, which being taught, return to plaugue th'inventer."
First?
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ReplyDeleteI believe that in Lady Macbeth is the more "masculine" of the two. In today's society, masculinity is being in control and being violent, both of which describe Lady M better than Macbeth. Lady M is the one who tells Macbeth to kill the King, and is the one who said Macbeth is "full of the milk of human kindness" (like a child-bearing woman).
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ReplyDeleteIn the relationship between MacBeth and Lady MacBeth, I find Lady MacBeth to be the more masculine one and MacBeth the more feminine one. Lady MacBeth is strong and aggressive, whereas Macbeth is more hesitant to be so violent.
"How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me.
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this"
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ReplyDeleteI think Lady Macbeth is more masculine than Macbeth, because Lady Macbeth is more violent, confident, and little bit more fearless than Macbeth. I've read this line "... Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash'd the brain's out, had I so sworn as you..." and idea of Lady Macbeth saying this, meant she is violent. She is more confident than Macbeth, because when Macbeth asked her "If we should fail-", she answered with this " But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we'll not fail...". Fearlessness of her is also connected to the line of confidence, since she's not afraid of any backfires of failures, she doesn't even want to speak about failures, and she didn't think twice which is a proof of masculinity.
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ReplyDeleteI think that Lady Macbeth is more masculine because she is more daring and she does not back off of her word, for example: when she said that she would kill her baby if she said she would. As for Macbeth, I think he is more feminine because he is more afraid than Lady Macbeth, for example: when he thought about not killing the king because that might lead to someone else killing him.
In the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is more feminine while Lady Macbeth is more masculine. Macbeth shows his feminine when allowing Lady Macbeth to control him. Act 1 scene 7 Lady Macbeth Quotes
ReplyDelete"Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dress'd yourself? Hath it slept since?(40)
And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valor
As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that(45)
Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would”
Like the poor cat i’ the adage? "
This quotation shows Lady Macbeth being more masculine and controlling while Macbeth being more feminine allowing Lady Macbeth to tell him what ever.
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ReplyDeleteMacbeth is masculine due to the fact that he is fighting men and cutting them in half, not only is he brave but he is also honest. He isn't willing to kill the thane so he can become one himself, as he said to Lady Macbeth in Act 1, Scene 7 " we will proceed no further in this business.". Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, is a cruel women. She is feminine because she can love and care for an individual but the fact that she can pluck'd her nipple from her baby's boneless gums and dash'd the brains out, if she had sworn ( Act 1 scene 7) makes her seem more masculine do the the cruelty she can commit
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ReplyDeleteConfidence. Courage. Probably the two most masculine traits all men wish to expose (in my opinion). In most movies where the men are the heroes, they always have to display confidence and courage. For example, Jason Statham from the movie Expendables displays great courage and confidence as he kills countless people with a knife and a gun without complaint. Meanwhile, Macbeth cannot kill a sleeping king! However, his wife Lady Macbeth said she would be able to "dash'd the brains out (of her baby), had I so sworn as you Have done to this". Due to Macbeth's wavering confidence and courage, I believe that Lady Macbeth is more masculine than Macbeth.
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ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth is more masculine in the relationship. She is very true to her word, no matter how horrible the deed is. She does not back out on her word, and Macbeth always had second thoughts even though he swore to kill the King.
In Act 1 Scene 7 she says, "I have given suck, and know, how tender it is to love the babe that milks me; I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you, have done to this".
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ReplyDeleteIn the relationship, Lady Macbeth is more masculine. She is the one who likes to take control. As well, she always keeps her word and sticks to what she believes in unlike Macbeth who is still unsure.
"But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we'll not fail."
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ReplyDeleteIn this relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth the one who seems to potray more "feminine" qualites is Macbeth. He appears to be more nuturing and caring (although his job is to kill people on the battlefield) in the relationship. Especially when his conscience tells him to stop and that it is not a good idea. Lady Macbeth appears to be the more masculine and dominant one in the relationship. She has the upper hand and tends to display more "masculine" traits in her. She is cruel, calculating, and cold-hearted like when she says,"Leave all the rest to me", in the preparation for the murder of King Duncan.
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ReplyDeleteMacbeth is more masculine than Lady Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth is whispering plan to become King and Queen behind Macbeth, Macbeth is acting that plan by his hand infront of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth the plans to kill the king in Act 1, Scene 7 in pg. 21
Also when Macbeth is fight in the battle field with enemies, Lady Macbeth is waiting for her husband to come back to home
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ReplyDeleteThe more manly character in this relationship is Lady Macbeth.
"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 so sworn as you" (Scene VII)
Lady Macbeth said this to Macbeth when he worried about killing the king. It shows the daring and violent traits of her personality, these often being associated with masculinity. She is also very power-hungry which some may think of as a more masculine trait.
Macbeth, on the other hand, is the more feminine character in this relationship.
"We will proceed no further in this business.
He hath honored me of late, and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon." (Scene VII)
Macbeth wishes to back out of the plan because he fears failure. He is worrying a lot over the situation. Worrying a great deal about something is a thing one might associate with a worrisome mother. Females also tend to be thought of as a bit bipolar, moody or indecisive. This relates to Macbeth's situation because he is indecisive of whether or not he should go through with this.
In the relationship, Macbeth is more feminine and Lady Macbeth is more masculine. Macbeth is a strong, brave general but is easily manipulated to do things Lady Macbeth wants. He has a feminine personality, usually feeling very guilty and sensitive of his actions.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Lady Macbeth is a cold heartless woman. She is strong, powerful and very demanding. In the relationship, she controls her husband and decides the decisions they do as a couple. " Feed and regard him not- are you a man". This quote shows that Lady Macbeth feels dominant when her husband feels weak and has the confidence to stand up to Macbeth and question his masculinity.
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ReplyDeleteIn the relationship, Macbeth is more feminine and Lady Macbeth is more masculine. Macbeth is a strong, brave general but is easily manipulated by Lady Macbeth to do the things that she wants. He also has a feminine personality, often feeling guilty and sensitive about his actions.
On the other hand, Lady Macbeth is a cold, heartless woman. She is strong, powerful and very demanding. Lady Macbeth is more controlling then her husband, and makes the decisions in the relationship. "Feed and regard him not- are you a man?". This quote shows that Lady Macbeth feels dominant and is able stand up to her husband and question his masculinity.
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ReplyDeleteMasculine traits are usually associated with men, but not in the Macbeth couple's case. Lady Macbeth is power-hungry, manipulative and dominant, while Macbeth is showing more feminine traits: dependent, submissive and hesitant. Their relationship is mostly represented when Macbeth is unwilling to carry out their plan of regicide. Macbeth, a brave soldier, does not hesitate on the battlefield, but when it comes to assassinating treacherously of his King, he is indecisive. That is when Lady Macbeth comes into play; she manipulates him into sticking to their plan to take over the throne: “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 so sworn/ As you have done to this”. Basically, she is implying that Macbeth does not keep his promises, and she is more manly than him because she would do it no matter what. Moreover, when Macbeth comes back with bloody daggers from Duncan’s chamber, Lady Macbeth finishes the job herself by staging that Duncan’s guards are murders of the king. When she is done, she says “A little water clears us of this deed”. Lady Macbeth appears to be more assertive and merciless than her husband.
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ReplyDeleteIn this relationship between Macbeth and lady Macbeth, I think lady Macbeth is more masculine and Macbeth more feminine. lady Macbeth shows her masculine side in act 1 scene 7 where she says
"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 to do this. This quote makes her masculine because she would kill her own baby just to get the greater good. Also lady Macbeth has more power over Macbeth which makes her more dominate and controlling.
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ReplyDeleteI think that Macbeth is being ordered around by lady Macbeth as we see that she is in charge of this relationship. She tells Macbeth to be more manly and tells him that she is probably more manlier then him. "How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me.
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this." With this argument it clearly shows that Lady Macbeth is less feminine and manly but Macbeth however is wimping out of his plan to kill the king making him less manly.
Certainly, Lady Macbeth is crueler and colder, courageous, independent, and rebellious than her husband and taking murderous action. She assumes the dominant role, and, as such appears more manly, especially when compared to her husband whose reputation as a warrior who is never hesitant in battle. But, is she truly more manly than Macbeth? Probably not. She may have just simply embraces evil sooner than he has.
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