As with most systems of oppression, patriarchalism is upheld by a weaponized collective fear. Of which, a consistent through line is that of “maternal agency.” (Chamberlain 73) Throughout the play of Macbeth, the influential authority given to maternal figures such as Lady Macbeth, and the three witches at times, is often conceded to as the driving “manipulation” behind Macbeth’s numerous murder plots. However, this interpretation and utilization of the word “manipulation” as reclaimed feminine agency fails to hold Macbeth, and all other men within the play accountable for their actions. By arguing that the women in Macbeth are optimizing the fear held against them due to their indisputable role in patrilineage, they are being maligned, not redeemed. Regardless of the actions or words of Lady Macbeth or the three witches, Macbeth, as not only a man, but a king nevertheless, in the Medieval period, would have been allotted to his own personal agency moreover than any other class of individual in the play. Consequently, this application of bastardized feminism in which the women of Macbeth are depicted as the orchestrators of a man’s fall from social graces, not only wrongfully attributes violence to the sole fear of maternal agency, it also wrongfully allots agency to women on what men fear.
Regardless of how poignant this fear of childbearing appears, it remains, at its very core, a generalized “anxiety surrounding mothers’ roles in the perpetuation of patrilineage.” (Chamberlain 73) Of which, Macbeth already possessed before the witches foretold his prophecy, and before Lady Macbeth could explain how she’d rather “plucked my[her] nipple from his[their child’s] boneless gums and dashed the brains out” than go back on one’s word. (1.7.64) Without his preexisting, deep-seeded insecurities regarding the legacy of his “patriarchal bloodline,” Macbeth would have responded to these prophecies in a manner more resemblant to Banquo. (Callaghan 292) As the only other individual spoken to and implicated in the disruption of Duncan’s patrilineal governance, Banquo’s unwavering restraint towards violent actions proves that Macbeth’s fatalities lied within him all along. This, in conjunction with Macbeth’s nonexistent reaction towards his wife’s verbal infanticidal fantasy, proves that Macbeth’s fall to a murderous path of self-destruction cannot be attributed to anyone but himself.
As for the “bastardized feminism” noted earlier in this essay, acknowledgement must be paid to this notion, that Lady Macbeth as a scheming murderess is somehow attempting “to seize a masculine authority perceived necessary to the achievement of her political goals.” (Chamberlain 79) This portrayal of Lady Macbeth not only, once more, attributes nonexistent overpowered agency to a woman in Macbeth, but it fails to acknowledge the fact that Lady Macbeth never claimed to want more power, if any, than that of her husband to begin with. Conversely, there is ample textual evidence that Lady Macbeth only resorts to these violent conspiracies to aid Mabeth in his accrual of power, not to accrue it herself. For instance, in response to Macbeth’s letter, Lady Macbeth states she would “pour my[her] spirits in thine ear/ and chastise with the valor of my[her] tongue/ all that impedes thee from the golden round” “to have thee[Macbeth] crowned withal.” (1.5.29-31; 1.5.33) Had Lady Macbeth wanted political power for herself, there would be no mention of the plans she formulated to assist Macbeth. In this scene Lady Macbeth is performing a soliloquy, meaning in isolation she maintains allegiance to her husband because that is her truest stance. Another instance proving Lady Macbeth is not aiming for personal gain is how she helps Macbeth in the immediate aftermath of Duncan’s murder. Although she does chide her husband, stating “my hands are of your color, but I shame/ to wear a heart so white,” Lady Macbeth ultimately decides to help Macbeth rid himself of the evidence and offers words comfort saying “be not lost/ so poorly in your thoughts.” (2.2.82-83; 2.2.91-92) If she possessed a desire to cause chaos and violence, that which was fueled by an urge to overcome the limitations of her societal role as a woman in Medieval England, Lady Macbeth would not have passed on such a prime opportunity to abandon Macbeth in such a helpless state.
To conclude, Lady Macbeth’s outward appearance of agency is not necessarily a fabrication, but it is also not a formidable statement of feministic resistance either. While she exhibits more autonomy than is expected, it is not self-serving. Designating Lady Macbeth or the witches as a feminist source of womanly resistance is not only inaccurate, but also malignant since it would be sourced out of praise for violent actions that simultaneously are condemned in academia when pertaining to Macbeth. Both Lady Macbeth and the three witches should not be recognized as a source of righteousness over Macbeth because this is inherently sexist act at its very core, and therefore anti-feminist.
Sources
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Callaghan, Dympna. “Wicked Women in Macbeth: A Study of Power, Ideology, and the Production of Motherhood.” Shakespearean Criticism, edited by Michelle Lee, vol. 100, Gale, 2006. Gale Literature Criticism, link-gale-com.libproxy.plymouth.edu/apps/doc/ERNNTA667501536/LCO?u=plysc_main&sid=bookmark-LCO&pg=289&xid=879e0bce. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025. Originally published in Reconsidering the Renaissance: Papers from the Twenty-First Annual Conference, edited by Mario A. Di Cesare, Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies, 1992, pp. 355-369.
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Staub, Susan C. “My Throbbing Heart Shall Rock You Day and Night: Shakespeare’s Venus, Elizabeth, and Early Modern Constructions of Motherhood.” Shakespearean Criticism, edited by Michelle Lee, vol. 140, Gale, 2011. Gale Literature Criticism, link-gale-com.libproxy.plymouth.edu/apps/doc/JKDVGW167315920/LCO?u=plysc_main&sid=bookmark-LCO&pg=305&xid=131423bf. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025. Originally published in The Literary Mother: Essays on Representations of Maternity and Child Care, edited by Susan C. Staub, McFarland & Company, 2007, pp. 15-32.
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