Queen Duncan? Have your mind blown by this perspective on gender in Macbeth
Quote 1:
Duncan's appearance fit Elizabethan beauty standards - for women
"...his silver skin lac’d with his golden blood” (2.3.110)
Although he is a mighty King figure, his appearance in his death is described in a way that could suggest a female vulnerability.
His pale “silver skin” can link to the female beauty standards at the time. Macbeth was written in 1606, at the start of Jacobean era (1603–1625), just after the long and highly influential reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) ended.
Then, women strongly favoured powder-white skin, leading many women to take extreme methods to achieve this deathly look.
Pale skin was so popular that Elizabethan women would use a make-up that lightened the skin called Ceruse, which contained white lead.
White lead was known to be poisonous, but it was used anyway. It caused scarring, hair loss, blood poisoning, and even death.
Still, not only was use of Ceruse popular, but some Elizabethan women were even known to wash their faces with mercury, another poisonous metal, or even bleed themselves.
Once the ideal deathly-white look was achieved, blue veins were sometimes painted onto their skin. This gave the illusion of being so translucent that their veins were showing.
Just as blue paint thinly lines the skin of artificially pale Elizabethan women, blood streaks Duncan’s dead, pale body. In his death, Duncan achieved the highest form of the Elizabethan beauty standard.
vulnerability weakness (that could be used to hurt someone or something)
achieve (accomplish or gain with effort)
Elizabethan (related to about the years 1558-1603)
achieved (accomplished or gained with effort)
translucent partially clear (like lightly frosted glass)
artificially (not in a natural way/in a fake way)
Quote 2:
Macbeth compares attacking Duncan to attacking Lucrece
"With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design Moves like a ghost." (2.1.52–56)
Tarquin is a character in The Rape of Lucrece. In it, Tarquin attacks a helpless, passive female, just as Macbeth attacks a helpless, passive Duncan. Furthermore, Lucrece, like Duncan, ends up dead.
Interestingly, Macbeth compares himself to Tarquin, a man, which places Duncan in the role of Lucrece, a woman.
Additionally, Tarquin’s assault on Lucrece takes place in a bedchamber, just as Macbeth’s assassination of Duncan.
The discourse of a man sneaking into a bedroom has clear implications. Both events make use of a dagger, which also evokes phallic symbolism.
passive (allowing something to happen without reacting or trying to stop it)
assault attack
takes place happens
bedchamber bedroom
assassination murder
discourse intelligent talk
implications effects/results/suggestions
dagger knife
evokes reminds people of/brings out
phallic penis-related
symbolism (using physical things to show big ideas or feelings)
Quote 3:
Macduff compares Duncan's dead body to Medusa
“Approach the chamber, and destroy your sight With a new Gorgon” (2.3.70–71)
Shakespeare interestingly compares Duncan’s dead body to a Gorgon, which is a mythological creature in classical Greek literature.
The Gorgons were three sisters with living snakes for hair. If you looked in the eyes of a Gorgon, you would turn to stone. You may have heard of Medusa, the most famous of the three Gorgons.
A much looked over part of Medusa’s story is that she was also a victim of sexual assault, being raped by Poseidon.
Not only has Shakespeare used imagery that links Duncan’s appearance to female beauty standards of the time, but he has compared King Duncan to not one, but two female characters in the space of a few pages!
Does this final powerful image irrefutably prove that King Duncan was a woman after all?
mythological (related to very old stories)
literature books
assault attack
imagery (putting pictures into your mind)
irrefutably definitely
So is it true?
Ultimately, no. it is nearly certain that King Duncan is not a woman. However, it is an interesting interpretation to think about!
King Duncan, due to his soft character, may have represented femininity to a Macbeth who clearly struggles with internal doubts about his masculinity throughout the play. This may have been a factor leading up to his decision to murder him.
Macbeth however, is not the only character to struggle with gender in the play. Nor is Macbeth the only Shakespeare play to feature gender bending characters.
The theme of gender, and interpreting how it is presented, is clearly crucially important to understanding Macbeth.
Ultimately (in the end)
interpretation (understanding/ explanation)
femininity (the qualities that make a woman)
masculinity (the qualities that make a man)
gender (male/female status)
interpreting understanding/explaining
crucial extremely important
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