Witch-Slapped 4

The societal definition of a "good man" has changed in several ways since the time of Macbeth. Furthermore I would argue that even the definition of a "manly man" has changed in some ways, like that soldiers are not longer glorified for their actual feats in battle (medals excluded) but for their service as a whole.


In modern times, a good man is judged less, or not at all, at his ability in battle, unlike in Macbeth when he is described in the second scene of act one as a ferocious warrior is praised for such. However, a mans ability to fight is still a part of his worth, but not as consciously judged. In modern times a man's strength is applied to his ability to fight and protect his woman, like correlating arm size to punching strength, and is much more speculative. In medieval times, a man's ability to fight was much more proven than estimated, such as in a duels, which (unfortunately) don't exist today. In addition to this, weapons can be attributed to manliness in both time periods. In the time of Macbeth, most men would know how to use a sword and carry one. Today, however, much fewer people believe that carrying weapons is sign of manliness, and also fewer people know how to use them.


Additionally, in today's society, the value of a man is placed much more on how he treats others at home and his success in life. While men are no longer considered the only providers in a family, I still think that society in general expects the man/husband in a relationship/marriage to have a respectable position and earn money for his family. Even in progressive times, it is still against societal conventions to be a stay at home dad, or even to have a "woman's job" such as a nurse. This is somewhat similar to Macbeth, as he is responsible for taking care of Lady Macbeth, but in those times the woman was not allowed to work. Also somewhat akin to that of old times, men are expected to do the dirty work. It isn't quite to the same extent that it was in Macbeth's time, where he had to be the one to kill Duncan, but men today are still expected to do yard work and construction opposed to women.

Lastly, one difference between the times in that now men aren't looked down upon for relying on their ladies for emotional support. Macbeth's own wife asked if he was a man when he began to freak out after killing Duncan, but nowadays a man can talk about his feelings to his significant other without being made fun of by that very own person.