Witches and noble ladies

Within the majority of Shakespeare’s texts, the representation of women in varied and diverse positions of power is unfortunately lacking. Portrayed mostly as love interests and plot drivers, unlike the men of their respective stories, women find little time to shine in Shakespeare’s plays, but Macbeth is a notable exception. Though the role Macbeth’s women in the plot will be discussed further in the thematic study (see page 66), it is important to bring up the unusual portrayal of women in the play here so that we may search for answers in Shakespeare’s socio-cultural context.