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Shakespeare lived in an era where women possessed few political and private rights. Women in this time were to remain silent, avoid political discussions and to focus on their duties within their households. Women were subjected to the will of men as men were thought to be greater morally, physically and intellectually. They were also thought to be more courageous, ambitious, determined, decisive, rational and refined - beliefs which remain, to an extent, entrenched in our social mores today. The characters in Shakespeare's plays do not follow the 'clear cut' gender roles prescribed by the context in which he lived. The play Macbeth, reflects aspects of the world at that time, but also challenges the very basis of it's foundations with the use of characters Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff. Shakespeare “plays” with the fears of his audience to produce a female character that rivals many of his male characters in her willingness to carry out violence—against others and herself. Macbeth's masculinity is recognized and defined by himself and by other, influential people around him. On the battlefield, he is proclaimed to be a courageous, 'valiant cousin,' and a 'worthy gentlemen,' who 'brandished steel which smoked