Analysis: Steaminess Rating
Exactly how steamy is this story?
There are plenty of allusions to sex in Macbeth, but… it doesn't seem like anyone's actually doing it. Take a look:
- The weird sisters cast a spell to "drain" a sailor "dry as hay" so he won't be able to have children with his wife (1.3.19).
- Lady Macbeth insinuates that her husband is impotent in the bedroom when she goads him into killing King Duncan.
- And even the Porter's dirty jokes lead to a discussion of male performance (or lack thereof) when he laments that drinking a lot of alcohol puts men in the mood for a little fun but also makes it hard for them to function.
So, it this a steamy play? Or, as Macbeth says about life, is it just a lot of "sound and fury, signifying nothing"?
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