In the plays Othello and Macbeth, masculinity or acting in a manly way is a central theme and a very distinct characteristic of the male (and some of the female) characters in these plays. However it seems to be the case that often masculinity equals brutality or excessive aggression. It also seems that if men show emotions such as fear or sadness in these plays they are considered ‘feminine’ and therefore weak. In this essay I will discuss the perceived necessity of being masculine in Macbeth and Othello. I aim to show how excessive masculinity often leads to disastrous consequences, focusing particularly on the main players Macbeth and Othello as well as female characters Desdemona and Lady Macbeth who occasionally engage in masculine behaviour.
In Macbeth, we see the title character initially as a heroic warrior. He had just helped defeat the treacherous Thane of Cawdor and the Norwegian rebels. The first we hear of Macbeth is from another soldier who describes the way Macbeth disembowels the rebel Macdonwald “brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name […] unseamed him from the nave to th’chops” (I, ii, 16-22). Here we get a very favourable impression of a manly warrior. The soldier further describes how Macbeth and Banquo turned the battle when it looked lost. When we see Macbeth meet the king in Act 1 Scene 4, we again witness a proud and brave man take his reward off of his grateful king. He says all the noble and correct things to his king “The service and loyalty I owe, In doing it, pays itself” (I, iv, 22-23). To his fellow soldiers, Macbeth must appear to be the perfect loyal, brave and proud specimen of masculinity, but already the reader knows about his treacherous ambition to kill King Duncan. After meeting the three witches, his hidden ambition to rule comes to light “If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, without my stir” (I, iii, 143-44). With this knowledge it is patently ironic that Macbeth’s reward for bravery and loyalty is to gain the title of a traitor, the Thane of Cawdor. This title fuels his ambition and causes him to behave in a manner most unbefitting a man on the night he murders Duncan.
When the audience first encounters Othello, he is seen as a calm noble general. In Act 1 Scene 2, Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, accuses Othello of the use of witchcraft in seducing his daughter. Here we might expect an outraged Othello to cause a fight but instead he calms and controls the situation like a man “keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust ’em” (I, ii, 59). He proceeds calmly to agree to settle matters in court. It is clear that the politicians hold a great deal of respect for Othello despite the fact that, as a moor he is a racial outsider. The first senator in the council chamber greets Othello as “the valiant moor” (I, iii, 47). Othello gives a speech about his brave exploits and how they had captivated Desdemona. The Duke dismisses the case and Othello is exonerated. Another example of Othello being masculine and in control is in Act 2 Scene 3. Here Cassio stabs Montano with chaos ensuing. Othello appears from bed to immediately control the situation “For Christian shame, put by this barbarous brawl” (II, iii, 163). It is worth noting that this brawl disturbed Othello and Desdemona in bed. Othello’s apparent failure to consummate his marriage may contribute to his later rage. So although he is confident and masculine dealing with men and politics, perhaps his difficulty in sexual relations leads him to feel less of a man.”
In Act 1 Scene 5 of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth receives a letter from her husband outlining his intentions. She questions his ability to carry out the regicide, “Yet I do fear thy nature, it is too full of the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way” (I, v, 15-17). In the scenes leading up to the murder she continually questions his masculinity whenever he threatens to waver from the plan. Macbeth states that “we will proceed no further in this business” (I, vii, 31) which leads his wife to condemn him as a coward. Macbeth then relents “I am settled” (I, vii, 79) but only temporarily. In this scene Macbeth states to his wife “I dare do all that may become a man, who dares do more, is none” (I, vii, 46-47). Ironically her continuous questioning of his manliness causes him to dare do more and the result is that he does indeed cease to be a man, becoming instead a beast. Macbeth’s murder of Duncan in his sleep can be seen as a cowardly act. After the murder he realises what he has done and cannot pull himself together. Lady Macbeth remains unperturbed and further scolds her husband for cowardice “but I shame to wear a heart so white” (II, ii, 66). By now Macbeth the brave, masculine warrior is replaced by a morose, fearful individual who is displaying emotions considered feminine, namely fear and sorrow.
The strain in Othello and Desdemona’s marriage starts to show up in Act 3 Scene 3. As previously mentioned they have had the consummation of their marriage interrupted. This starts to play on Othello’s mind with Iago filling his mind with doubt. Perhaps Desdemona’s willfulness and sexuality disturb Othello. Although Othello was accused of hypnotizing her initially, it seems apparent that it was her that was the aggressor. Such an act may have made Othello feel less masculine as it was highly unusual for a woman to take such action and indeed some may have deemed it unacceptable behaviour for a lady. Certainly as the play develops, Othello becomes more liable to believe groundless accusations of adultery against his wife. The handkerchief that Othello gave Desdemona as his first gift is planted so as to implicate Cassio in an adulterous affair with her. By now Othello has lost his calm, authoritative manner and becomes a jealous monster. We see just how far he has fallen when he strikes Desdemona in front of a politician. At this point Othello feels that he is being made to look like a fool and this starts his degeneration into murder.’s fellow warriors believe that men should not grieve or weep but fight.
It is not just the Macbeth and his wife that place great emphasis on masculinity in Macbeth. Macbeth’s fellow warriors believe that a man should not weep, but stand up and fight. When Macduff finds out his wife and children have been murdered, Malcolm tries to rouse him by telling him not to weep but to take up arms and murder Macbeth in revenge “Dispute it like a man” (IV, iii, 219). Interestingly, Macduff tries to teach Malcolm a lesson on manhood by saying that it is only human to grieve for loved ones “I shall do so, but I must also feel it as a man” (IV, iii, 220). However after further prodding from Malcolm, Macduff declares that he will indeed gain revenge like a man rather than weep like a woman. In the final scene we see remarkable composure from Old Siward after he receives news of his son’s death. It appears that all he is worried about is that his son died in combat “He’s worth no more. They say he parted well and paid his score; and so God be with him” (V, ix, 18-19). Interestingly, Malcolm seems to have paid attention to Macduff’s statement about it being acceptable for a man to grieve. Upon hearing of Young Siward’s death he states “He’s worth more sorrow, and that I will spend for him” (V, ix, 17). However, this show of sympathy is rare in Macbeth’s Scotland.In both plays we see the main female characters act occasionally like men only to revert back to stereotypical female type later on. Lady Macbeth initially guides her husband through the process of murdering the king. When she first hears of her husbands ambition she wishes she were a man so she could carry out the deed “Come, you spirits […] and take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers” (I, v, 39-47). As Macbeth continually wavers she takes the front role, lambasting him for cowardice and planting the knives on the drunken chamberlains to frame them. When Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost and threatens to give the game away she asks him “Are you a man?” (III, iv, 58). However her masculine ways disappear and she becomes a peripheral character, only returning in Act 5 Scene 1. When we see her here, she has lost her mind and blurts out the deed to the listening doctor.In Othello, Desdemona starts the play as a strong willed, independent woman. Her independence and aggressive pursuit of Othello troubles him and causes Cassio to sarcastically refer to her as “our great captain’s captain” (II, i, 74). However, like Lady Macbeth she soon reverts to what is considered ‘feminine’ behaviour. She tries to be a loving, subservient wife to Othello but this only serves to inflame him further.’s taunting of him.
Macbeth starts to revert back to his old masculine self soon after the murder of Duncan. He decides to wipe out his opposition to his crown starting with Banquo. He proceeds to question the masculinity of the men he hires to murder Banquo “Are you so gospelled […] and beggared yours forever?” (III, i, 88-91). They respond “We are men my liege” (III, i, 92). Such taunting by Macbeth is reminiscent of Lady Macbeth. Significantly he withholds knowledge of this murder and the murders of Macduff’s family from his wife. Perhaps this shows that he believes that he should be masculine enough to achieve his desires alone. As the plays draws near the conclusion, Macbeth becomes increasingly aggressive and somewhat insane. He believes himself to be invincible after hearing the witches’ predictions. Upon receiving news of his wife’s death, he merely states that death happens to everyone and therefore doesn’t matter when it occurs “She should have died hereafter, there would have been a time for such a word” (V, v, 17-18). He continues to fight against his fate and when he dies at Macduff’s sword, he dies as violently as he lived.
Othello also acts insanely as the play draws to a finish. In Act 4 Scene 2 he absolutely refuses to believe Desdemona’s protestations of innocence and her declarations of love for him. He refers to her as “that cunning whore of Venice” (IV, ii, 91). Othello feels that his masculinity has been compromised by Desdemona’s alleged adultery so therefore she deserves to die. He smothers her but then realises that Iago has fooled him and that Desdemona was innocent all along. He now realises that he is ruined but tries to remind everyone that he was a great general and a noble warrior “I have done the state some service, and they know it” (V, ii, 340). Then he stabs himself rather than receive his punishment in disgrace.
In conclusion, we see that in Othello and Macbeth that masculinity often leads to destruction. Being masculine is associated with violence, aggression and ambition. Also it seems that the strong men in the play were coerced into action by the strong women. Macbeth’s hidden desire for kingship rises to the surface, and after his initial trepidation about killing Duncan, he proceeds to ruthlessly destroy his opposition until Macduff defeats him. He too willingly succumbs to his wife’s taunts about his manhood and ruins his own life as well as those around him. Othello allows himself to be perturbed by his wife’s willfulness and too readily gives in to his jealousy. Like Macbeth he allows himself to be manipulated by another, in this instance the villainous Iago. This leads Othello to destroy what should have been a happy existence. Both Macbeth and Othello are so obsessed with retaining their manhood that they make disastrous misjudgments leading to their demise. It is perhaps ironic that two great leaders of men met their downfall by allowing themselves to be led.
Works Cited:
Leggatt, Alexander, William Shakespeare‘s Macbeth: A Sourcebook,(New York, 2006)
Shakespeare, William, Macbeth, Patrick Murray (Ed), (Dublin, 1985)
Shakespeare, William, Othello, Patrick Murray (Ed), (Dublin, 1984)
Wain, John, Shakespeare: Macbeth, A Selection of Critical Essays, (London, 1968)
