Masculinity And Femininity In Macbeth 'And The Last Duchess'

Discuss how masculinity and femininity is portrayed in Macbeth and a selection of poems

The Focal point of this essay is to explore how female power, male status and authority and Female sexuality is a way in which women can achieve power is delineated in the three poems. I will also talk about how masculinity was depicted in both ‘Macbeth’ and Robert Browning’s poems how it varied because although there are comparability’s there are many distinctions which you can observe in all three poems, expressed and portrayed differently. I will also discuss gender stereotypes in the texts and how they reflect attitudes of their times; Renaissance, Victorian and Modern audiences. Shakespeare’s tragedy is about how Macbeth is impelled to rise to authority
We know the Duke had complete control over because he was able to talk as if she was an inanimate object but near the end of the poem he says ‘I gave commands then all smiles stopped together’. The specific use of ‘command’ shows that her husband had the power to order her to do what he wanted and had the control in this relationship. The fact that all smiles stopped together shows that he had so much dominance and power that she stopped all together. He Victorian audience would be able sympathize with this situation because during those times the males had an ownership over females. This shows that the husband had more power and was superior in this relationship. Like ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ the husband seemed to be more powerful than the
Later on in the play despite his strength and experience he is tested mentally by his own wife ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man’. Here she is challenging his authority and manhood asking if he really is strong enough to do it. This also has the effect of Macbeth starting to doubt himself and think if he can do it. Lady Macbeth questions him even more in Act 1 Scene 5 ‘what thou wouldst highly, that wouldst thou holily’ this also shows that Macbeth did not have enough mental strength and was not courageous enough. We also view him as someone ambitious towards the start of the poem but then we see through this quote ‘My thought, whose murder is yet fantastical’ That the ambition he has turns into greed which disagrees with the way a renaissance noble soldier should act, they should be showing honour toward his