Images of masculinity and femininity in MacbethLady Macbeth does not have the traditional role of "mother", "daughter" or "wife", but of " partner ". Macbeth's letter refers to her as: "My dearest partner in greatness..." I (v) Despite his military culture, Macbeth perceives Lady Macbeth as an equal, it seems in all things; his political life, his career, his personal life; that is, she is his significant other. The emphasis is clearly on “him”. Lady Macbeth has no status of her own, like all women of that time, because “status” could only be derived from her husband or father. The doctrine Macbeth espouses goes against all conventional ideas of how a woman should be regarded by a man. In the Renaissance era, the division between the sexes was so vast, but Lady Macbeth persistently resists even when Macbeth dismisses her: “We will go no further in this matter” (I VII 32). To resist what Macbeth says, for whatever reason, is to not be a woman at all. A woman is supposed to be weak, fragile and submissive to male desires and certainly not supposed to argue effectively with her husband. But Lady Macbeth rejects the role of “woman” as defined by men. One could be forgiven for thinking that Lady Macbeth is the only woman worth studying in Macbeth, as the other female characters have very minor roles. But I believe witches are important when examining womanhood. These are the first characters we see and every event in the play is indirectly controlled or caused by them. This is surely a very powerful role. Witches are said to have predicted the future and served the devil. Thus, Macbeth's apparent fear and belief in their prophecy undermined ecclesiastical authority. He is very careful about ...... middle of paper ...... spent the rest of his life feeling like he had failed as a man, such was the importance of images of masculinity. “Bring forth men-children. only” (Macbeth 1:7:72)Works CitedShakespeare Macbeth; ArdenGeorges Duby and Michelle Perrot, Natalie Zemon Davis and Arlette FargeA History of Women; Belknap HavardBruce R Smith Homosexual Desire in England Shakespeare; University of Chicago PressCallaghan, Dympna. Women and Gender in Renaissance Tragedy: Humanities Press International, Inc., 1989Johannes Fabricus Alchemy: Medieval Alchemists and Their Royal Lust. The Argument from Love: Gender Relations in Shakespeare Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1984. Eros and Magic in the Renaissance University of Chicago Press; 1987