The cruelty of masculinity
The relationship between cruelty and masculinity has been blooming since the beginning of time and has gotten so strong that it severely impacts the mental state of many men. In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, the relationship between cruelty and masculinity's negative impact on one's mental state is referred to several times. As a result of having to prove his masculinity to Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is forced to commit the cruel act of regicide. The moments directly after he commits said crime, Macbeth shows his newly-severely damaged mental state, saying "There's one did laugh in's sleep / and one cried 'Murder' that they did wake each other" (Macbeth 2.2.20-21). In order to comment on the impact, Shakespeare writes about how Macbeth hallucinates people being awake and knowing what he did. The main reason Macbeth murdered Duncan was to prove that he was a 'man' to Lady Macbeth. The fact that he is beginning to hallucinate people discovering his secret shows readers that he has now become paranoid simply due to his crimes. The new-found paranoia that Macbeth has evidently shows how doing cruel acts to prove one's masculinity severely impacts one's mental state. Macbeth also develops anxiety as a result of his guilt and actions. This is shown when he, after murdering Duncan, anxiously asks Lady Macbeth "But wherefore could not I pronounce 'Amen'?" (2.2.30). After murdering Duncan, Macbeth goes into a state of shock and anxiety. He begins to panic after realizing what he has done, causing his mental state to completely worsen. The commentary on the impact of the relationship is clear in this scenario; the relationship between cruelty and masculinity was already identified when Macbeth was forced to commit cruel acts in order to prove his masculinity to Lady Macbeth. However, its impact was identified in this moment, as readers see him go from a confident soldier to a paranoid and anxious man. In conclusion, as shown by Macbeth's act of regicide and its effect on him, it is evident that Shakespeare comments on the negative impact of the relationship between cruelty and masculinity on one's mental state by using Macbeth's actions as representation.
