Man vs. His Inner Lion
4. How does the values of manhood differ in modern times? What do you think it takes to be a good man? Explain how your views are like or unlike those in the play, using examples from the text.
Books:
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Simon &
Schuster Paperbacks, 2009.
Article about a book -
Gilbert, Sophie. “The Tragedy of Men.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 1 June 2017,
www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/05/the-tragedy-of-men/528588/.
Malcolm's speech (Act 4, Scene 3) reflects the characteristics that a good man would have had during the Shakespearian era. p 145
In modern times, I believe that many people find masculinity to be "toxic" or a characteristic accompanied solely by aggression and heathenish sexual desires. Masculinity is often blamed as the reason for the separation of the genders and the representation of their roles. In my opinion, this is true to a fair extent, however, the reason can be backed by a biological standpoint wherein masculinity and femininity are simply primal categories that express the instinctual "job" of each gender.
Ever since the time period when animals were able to procreate, males were automatically put at the top of the hierarchy due to their sole responsibility to protect and help the females procreate. This can be seen in lions where the naturally stronger males take up the mantle of protector and leader in their pride. This is a raw example of the natural necessity of beings to have a society with a hierarchy in order to produce functionality. In a pride, females are seen as no lesser than the males. If anything, they are strong, as they are the majority. Their femininity produces another generation of their species in order for it to thrive. The males have a big responsibility in enabling the females to be able to have their babies and make sure they are healthy. This can only occur however when a healthy male is in charge and when a male challenges another for the spot of king. This is where the strength and aggression come in to play. Their main purpose is to ensure the survival of their next of kin. This can be seen leading into the evolution of man where natural selection caused the passing on of preferred genes and allowed man's progression. And once again, a result of this was males fighting for females in a natural urge to pass on healthy genes.
I think that in the past, the "toxic" masculinity that we know today was more of a human concept made up to keep males who thought themselves of higher prestige on top. Compared to the biological reasoning behind masculinity, this societal concept is pre-meditated and intentionally categorizes human beings. This leads to many problems as writer Perry contends that some males, "have been conditioned by masculinity to expect “a historic birthright to power, respect, and pride” that often evades them, and the result can be an angry and primal instinct to assert their dominance." Grayson Perry is a British artist who laments how ill-suited masculinity is for modern life and his book The Descent of Man displays the different applications of the subject in today's society and it is very insightful.
During the Shakespearian era, society stated that what it took to be a good man was chivalry. To be a chivalrous man was to uphold the religious, moral, and social code. This was all based on the medieval knightly code. In Malcolm's speech, he displays some of the attributes that a chivalrous man or worthy king must have on lines 107-110 of page 145 in Macbeth. However, Malcolm also displays the corruption that man can bring on pages 143-155. By creating this scene Shakespeare is not only trying to show that Malcolm is testing Macduff's loyalty, but he is also giving underlying societal critiques to his audience about how vile a man's intentions can become if he doesn't have anyone to answer to. Essentially, Shakespeare knows that if there is no order to keep the 'man above everyone else' in control, then he will do as he pleases and give in to his primal nature, simply because he can. When Malcolm displays that if he becomes king he could ravish as many women as he wants and be as greedy as possible, this was clearly an exaggeration at the time, as the character is literally a virgin, however this interaction is meant to show just how corrupt many men in places of high power can be and get away with it.
I think that in today's society this corruption still occurs, however in my opinion to a lesser extent than in the Shakespearean era. There are many circumstances where men have done awful things either to get to the top of the pecking order or to aid their sexual desires, however, these actions are definitely not as prevalent as they were in the past. Back then, women (or femininity) didn't even have a say in society, but today women are able to influence the modern day environment more than ever. I think that with the rise of feminist movements beginning as early as the 1840s, that equality is now becoming attainable. With more women in power comes more estrogen/femininity and masculinity gradually begins to become less influential in society. There is less of a need for men to challenge each other as the female population now has a say in her status and choice of partner. A result of all these changes is a decreased necessity for exuberant amounts of testosterone and fewer instances for aggression. Proof of these points is the fact that the role of the domestic husband has become prevalent and more men are trying to be present in their children's lives. Also, the workforce is now made up of a majority of women. Femininity is on the rise because of the rise of the strong female archetype in the 21st century and in turn masculinity is at a downfall.
Resulting from all of this, I feel that it takes a combination of both primal and progressive masculinity to make a "good man".
Books:
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Simon &
Schuster Paperbacks, 2009.
Gilbert, Sophie. “The Tragedy of Men.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 1 June 2017,
www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/05/the-tragedy-of-men/528588/.
Malcolm's speech (Act 4, Scene 3) reflects the characteristics that a good man would have had during the Shakespearian era. p 145
In modern times, I believe that many people find masculinity to be "toxic" or a characteristic accompanied solely by aggression and heathenish sexual desires. Masculinity is often blamed as the reason for the separation of the genders and the representation of their roles. In my opinion, this is true to a fair extent, however, the reason can be backed by a biological standpoint wherein masculinity and femininity are simply primal categories that express the instinctual "job" of each gender.
Ever since the time period when animals were able to procreate, males were automatically put at the top of the hierarchy due to their sole responsibility to protect and help the females procreate. This can be seen in lions where the naturally stronger males take up the mantle of protector and leader in their pride. This is a raw example of the natural necessity of beings to have a society with a hierarchy in order to produce functionality. In a pride, females are seen as no lesser than the males. If anything, they are strong, as they are the majority. Their femininity produces another generation of their species in order for it to thrive. The males have a big responsibility in enabling the females to be able to have their babies and make sure they are healthy. This can only occur however when a healthy male is in charge and when a male challenges another for the spot of king. This is where the strength and aggression come in to play. Their main purpose is to ensure the survival of their next of kin. This can be seen leading into the evolution of man where natural selection caused the passing on of preferred genes and allowed man's progression. And once again, a result of this was males fighting for females in a natural urge to pass on healthy genes.
I think that in the past, the "toxic" masculinity that we know today was more of a human concept made up to keep males who thought themselves of higher prestige on top. Compared to the biological reasoning behind masculinity, this societal concept is pre-meditated and intentionally categorizes human beings. This leads to many problems as writer Perry contends that some males, "have been conditioned by masculinity to expect “a historic birthright to power, respect, and pride” that often evades them, and the result can be an angry and primal instinct to assert their dominance." Grayson Perry is a British artist who laments how ill-suited masculinity is for modern life and his book The Descent of Man displays the different applications of the subject in today's society and it is very insightful.
During the Shakespearian era, society stated that what it took to be a good man was chivalry. To be a chivalrous man was to uphold the religious, moral, and social code. This was all based on the medieval knightly code. In Malcolm's speech, he displays some of the attributes that a chivalrous man or worthy king must have on lines 107-110 of page 145 in Macbeth. However, Malcolm also displays the corruption that man can bring on pages 143-155. By creating this scene Shakespeare is not only trying to show that Malcolm is testing Macduff's loyalty, but he is also giving underlying societal critiques to his audience about how vile a man's intentions can become if he doesn't have anyone to answer to. Essentially, Shakespeare knows that if there is no order to keep the 'man above everyone else' in control, then he will do as he pleases and give in to his primal nature, simply because he can. When Malcolm displays that if he becomes king he could ravish as many women as he wants and be as greedy as possible, this was clearly an exaggeration at the time, as the character is literally a virgin, however this interaction is meant to show just how corrupt many men in places of high power can be and get away with it.
I think that in today's society this corruption still occurs, however in my opinion to a lesser extent than in the Shakespearean era. There are many circumstances where men have done awful things either to get to the top of the pecking order or to aid their sexual desires, however, these actions are definitely not as prevalent as they were in the past. Back then, women (or femininity) didn't even have a say in society, but today women are able to influence the modern day environment more than ever. I think that with the rise of feminist movements beginning as early as the 1840s, that equality is now becoming attainable. With more women in power comes more estrogen/femininity and masculinity gradually begins to become less influential in society. There is less of a need for men to challenge each other as the female population now has a say in her status and choice of partner. A result of all these changes is a decreased necessity for exuberant amounts of testosterone and fewer instances for aggression. Proof of these points is the fact that the role of the domestic husband has become prevalent and more men are trying to be present in their children's lives. Also, the workforce is now made up of a majority of women. Femininity is on the rise because of the rise of the strong female archetype in the 21st century and in turn masculinity is at a downfall.
Resulting from all of this, I feel that it takes a combination of both primal and progressive masculinity to make a "good man".
Hey Shea! I thought your blog post was both interesting and creative and I really enjoyed reading it! There was a TON of historical context within your blog which only helped to further develop your argument. Your answer was clear and refreshing which I appreciate so overall, well done!
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