by

woke william

Ian Leslie:

I’d forgotten how much [Macbeth] is a play about what we now call toxic masculinity. Shakespeare was clearly fascinated by manhood and violence. Lady Macbeth, of course, is constantly imploring her husband, and indeed herself, to man up and start killing. In the play’s most moving scene, Macduff is told about the murder of his wife and children. Shakespeare doesn’t have him respond with rage, but with stunned disbelief followed by quiet horror (“What, all my pretty chickens and their dam, in one fell swoop?”). Malcolm incites him to, “Dispute it like a man!” – i.e., go and exact violent revenge. Macduff responds, “I shall do so. But I must also feel it as a man.” See – it’s manly to have feelings, as well as to fight. Shakespeare was woke.