GENDER PERFORMATIVITY: FEMININITY, POWER, AND FEMALE INTELLIGIBILITY IN MACBETH AND OTHELLO

Abstract

Gender in Shakespearean tragedy is not merely a biological or fixed category but a socially constructed and performative identity shaped by cultural expectations and power relations. Drawing on Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity and the framework of social constructionism, this paper examines how Shakespeare’s female characters negotiate, resist, and reconfigure normative gender roles within patriarchal structures. Focusing on Lady Macbeth in Macbeth and Desdemona in Othello, the study explores how these characters perform femininity in contrasting yet equally subversive ways. Lady Macbeth’s rejection of traditional feminine passivity and her invocation of masculine authority reveal the instability of gender binaries, while Desdemona’s obedience, loyalty, and moral integrity complicate the association of femininity with weakness or submission. The paper demonstrates that both characters expose gender as a performative act rather than an innate essence, thereby unsettling dominant masculine power structures. By situating Shakespeare’s tragedies within Butlerian gender theory, this research highlights the playwright’s nuanced engagement with the social construction of gender and the constraints imposed on women in early modern society. The study contributes to feminist and Shakespearean scholarship by revealing how Lady Macbeth and Desdemona embody different yet intersecting forms of gender performance, offering insight into the complexity of female agency and resistance within patriarchal discourse.