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Comparing the Woman in A Woman to her Lover, and Lady Macbeth

Decent Essays

Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s relationship is somewhat the reverse to the stereotypical relationship. Lady Macbeth is the dictator and Macbeth follows all her orders. Perhaps this is out of love for her or to keep her love or respect for him. Their so-called ‘love’ for each other is not that of a typical relationship. Lady Macbeth spoon-feeds her husband, telling hm what to do all the time, but this switches suddenly after the murder of Duncan.
The woman in ‘A Woman to her Lover’ and Lady Macbeth are alike in many ways. The woman in the poem appears to be a well-structured, logical lady who sets her mind on one thing, a lot like Lady Macbeth when she set her mind on killing Duncan. The woman in the poem lays out her ‘terms and conditions’ …show more content…

(11) Duffy opens out her mind directly to the audience by ‘trying to be truthful’ and so does Macbeth in his soliloquy in act 1, scene 7. In Porphyria’s Lover, the man was morally blinded by love, like Macbeth was and both their love for their partners caused them to commit murder. Both men commit murder in fear of their lovers falling out of love with them: ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man,’ (1.7.49).
Macbeth loves Lady Macbeth a lot and holds a lot of respect for her, calling her ‘my dearest love’ and dear wife’ (1.5.57 + 3.2.36). In the poem ‘A Woman to Her Lover’, Walsh wants a relationship of mutual love for each other, wanting to be her lovers’ ‘comrade, friend and mate’, sort of what Macbeth wants (21). However, Lady Macbeth does not show any respect for her husband as she insults him by calling him ‘a coward’ (1.7.43). Maybe Lady Macbeth does love Macbeth, but makes him think that he has to please her in order for her to love him back. On the other hand, it could be Lady Macbeth pretending this, but she is only using him to get the task done: ‘What cannot you and I perform,’ (1.7.69). Does she really believe that together they can accomplish anything or is she making Macbeth believe that she loves him? In ‘A Woman to Her Lover’, Walsh wants a ‘co-equal love’ and to live life ‘together’ (23+26). Lady Macbeth dictates to her husband what he ‘must’ and ‘shall’ do, almost treating him like a robot to obey commands or a possession and in the poem, Walsh

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