Gender Roles in Macbeth and Oroonoko

Shakespeare’s play Macbeth and Aphra Behn’s novel Oroonoko explore the theme of gender roles, portraying the distinct difference between male and female societal roles. Women are expected to undertake the traditional gender roles of domestic caretakers whose key role in society is caring for their children, husbands, and household. On the other hand, men dominated the worlds of politics, decision-making, military, and finance. In both, women are expected to be loyal, submissive, and dependent, while men are expected to be independent, aggressive, strong, and ambitious. However, Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Behn’s Oroonoko challenge gender roles by entwining both feminine and masculine qualities into characters, eventually demonstrating that it is not gender but the nature of an individual that influences how they act. In both works, there is a reversal of gender roles where male characters take up feminine qualities while female characters take on masculine qualities.

In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the central character when it comes to exploring gender roles. She takes on masculine characteristics and propels her husband to murder Duncan. Lady Macbeth gives a speech to address this matter in Act I, Scene 5, where she shows her yearning to lose her feminine attributes in order to gain masculine qualities. She says, “Come, you spirits/That tend on moral thoughts! Unsex me here…” (Shakespeare 50). Gender is based on the traditional order, and the interruption of gender roles is established through Lady Macbeth’s intrusion of the key role in Macbeth’s marriage. In different instances, she dominates her husband and controls his actions.

In Macbeth, gender plays a central role in the development of the general plot, and as the play continues, some characters, such as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, experience a reversal in traditional gender behaviors. Besides, there is gender confusion among other characters that advances conflict in the play. Initially, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are depicted in ways that reflect their respective femininity and masculinity based on the society around them. Macbeth’s marriage becomes the key driving force behind his actions and contemplations in the killing of Duncan.

The confusion and reversal of gender roles in the play lead to conflicts among the characters. Such confusion can be interpreted from a different perspective based on the individual to whom it applies. For example, the interaction between Banqo and the Weird Sisters shows the confusion about gender. Banqo tells the sisters, "You should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret you are so” (Shakespeare 45). The quote presents a crucial point concerning the idea of gender reversal. This is because the sisters are conventionally identified as women but have strong attributes that are typical to men at that period. Their beards signify their non-traditional conduct for females and hence offer their prophecy more validity in the idea that it can be accomplished.

The society of Macbeth is governed by feminine and motherly characters represented in Lady Macbeth and the witches. Macbeth’s tragic downfall is set against the backdrop of the network he interacts with, a network comprising of his wife and the witches. Initially, Macbeth seemed to be a strong, courageous and loyal man that is able to fight ferociously in battle. Nevertheless, this portrayal of his masculinity does not last, as Macbeth’s true colors are seen as being an excessively ambitious man who is easily influenced.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth associated masculinity with deliberate aggression, violence, and brutality. In this context, masculinity is depicted as a tool for manipulation to motivate blind desire without honor. However, women contribute to evil and violence, which contradicts the feminine nature. The prophecies issued by the witches elicit Macbeth’s ambitions and motivate his violent behavior (Shakespeare 46). Essentially, Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband to kill and dictates him by questioning his masculinity. She decides that Duncan has to die in order for Macbeth to ascend as the king. Lady Macbeth says, “unsex me here”, showing that she has the stereotypical characteristics of male ruthlessness and aggressiveness. She asks the spirits to remove all the female attributes from her and have male qualities that will enable her to be callous enough to murder King Duncan.

In Macbeth, the typical gender roles are contradicted as Lady Macbeth takes the more dominant role in her marriage. She influences Macbeth to murder Duncan in order to become the King. Macbeth’s lack of masculinity influences him to kill in order to prove that he is a man who has the attributes to wear the crown. Initially, Macbeth is aware that murder is evil and refuses to kill Duncan in order to ascend to the throne. Lady Macbeth manipulates him and calls him a coward, thereby threatening his manhood. When Macbeth objects to her plan, she says, “when you durst do it/then you were a man.”

In Oroonoko, the white female narrator is the main focus for a reader in examining the concept of gender roles from a constructive perspective. Imoinda is the black female character in the story which is depicted as beautiful, and men are interested in her. on the other hand, the narrator is characterized as elite, noble and brilliant. The female characters are in continuous search for feminine power even as they strive to confront the male authority. However, there are also weak and powerless female characters who experience a low-status life because of their gender. At the beginning of the story, the author provides a detailed description of Oroonoko’s appearance. However, Imoinda’s description is given in one sentence; “a beauty that to describe her truly one need say only she was female to the noble male, the beautiful black Venus….” (Behn 7). It appears as though she only serves as the female version of the splendid Oroonoko.

In Oroonoko, Ben plays with the traditional gender roles even as some characters have some characteristics of the opposite gender. Throughout the story, it is evident how gender stereotypes are substituted with gender reversals. In this context, Oroonoko is characterized both by feminine qualities and manly features. For example, he is characterized as a brave man after winning battles in Coromandale and triumphing in fights with the huge tigers in Surinam. In describing his masculinity, the narrator says that “He had a spirit all rough and fierce and that could not be tamed to lazy rest…” (Behn 46). Despite possessing inhuman strength, Oroonoko’s feminine side is also seen. Behn describes that he has extensive hair and a female figure. Besides, he acts “like a long-suffering romance heroin.” This shows a reversal of gender roles and features.

On the other hand, Imoinda has masculine qualities and delicate beauty. She fights alongside Oroonoko in their revolt against the white enslavers. She joins her husband in the battle despite being pregnant. She is described as a brave woman and loyally trusts Oroonoko. Imoinda is a skilled user of bow and arrow, which she uses to fight as a heroine. She is able to use the poisoned arrow, which is considered to be a manly weapon (Behn 26). Imoinda’s masculinity is also evident at the end of the story when she dies and does not respond to Oroonoko’s request emotionally.

Just like Macbeth, Oroonoko is depicted as a soft and sentimental man, qualities that are typically attributed to women. He conveys his feelings without shame and is unafraid of his sentimental characteristic. He speaks softly and passionately, which reveals that he is an emotional man. The perception of the gender of characters is further complicated since most actors are males. Most of the male characters tend to draw their power from the military and politics. Hence, masculinity is basically linked with aggression, ambition, as well as violence. The play is about politics, where Macbeth dreams of becoming a king. The female characters are characterized as powerful as the male characters. For instance, Lady Macbeth has a significant influence on the events that occur in the play. She urges Macbeth to follow the path of power and violence. Lady Macbeth is depicted as the most powerful female character in the play.

In conclusion, Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Behn’s Oroonoko show a reversal of gender roles, challenging traditional gender roles in a society where men are dominant. In both the play and the novel, the female characters are seen to break the rules of the conventional gender roles as they cross the gender-based boundaries, hence balancing them between the innovative and existing conceptions of gender. Lady Macbeth and Imoinda are the two female characters who possess masculine features and defy the expected gender roles. Shakespeare and Behn show how these characters have an influence on their marriages and society as well. Traditional gender roles are explored in the play and the novel, where characters are disguised as the opposite gender.