How Does Shakespeare Present Gender In Macbeth

"I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on the other...." (Act I, scene vii) -Macbeth Gender is a prominent theme in Shakespeare’s plays and often, gender is used as a tool of manipulation and persuasion. During the time of Shakespeare, there were distinct traits and roles of men and women. In Elizabethan times, women were perceived ruled by their emotions and therefore irrational. In contrast, men were ruled by reason and were stalwart. By blurring the lines of gender in his plays, Shakespeare deconstructs these norms to display their ambiguity. This confusion of gender roles is prominently exhibited in Macbeth. Shakespeare uses the motif of gender roles in order