Macbeth Relationship Analysis

Macbeth relationship to Lady Macbeth is not only husband and wife. At times Macbeth becomes depend on Lady Macbeth. Causing Lady Macbeth to make decision for Macbeth. There is no better example of this than act one scenes five and seven. "She Decides to help him gain the crown.... Lady Macbeth decides that Duncan will be killed while staying there" (Rahim 2). Later in scene seven Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that indeed he wants to kill Duncan.

Macbeth’s relationship with Lady Macbeth stays the same after he becomes king in that he show her same respect that he did before becoming king. He uses words of love when talking to her. Such tokens of love can be seen before Macbeth becomes king when he writes the letter to Lady Macbeth that contains these words: “This have I thought good to deliver/Thee, my dearest partner of greatness…”(I.v.10-11) Macbeth writes a letter to his wife about the witches’ prophecies and uses the phrase, “my dearest partner of greatness,” showing that he respects her and truly cares for her wellbeing. This same reaction can be seen after Macbeth seizes the throne. When Lady Macbeth and Macbeth express their unhappiness after becoming king and queen, Macbeth says to his wife in a loving way, “Be innocent

his wife. In my opinion he does this so that Lady Macbeth is ready to

Once guilt begins to overtake Lady Macbeth, she looses control of her emotions and actions, sending her onto the fast track to death. In a way, Shakespeare has Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change roles. In the beginning it seems as if Macbeth is more emotionally affected by the killing of Duncan. However, once Banquo is killed Macbeth is perfectly fine with it, and Lady Macbeth becomes vulnerable and lets the guilt overrule her. She begins to repeatedly pretend to was her hands and sleep walk. “Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of/ Arabia will not sweeten/ this little hand”

As the play goes on, Lady Macbeth begins to lose her fierce and intimidating persona as Macbeth becomes the more assertive and dominant one. Lady Macbeth starts losing her edge when it becomes less difficult to get Macbeth to follow through with his murderous acts. Anytime Macbeth thinks you’re interfering with his kinship, he’ll have no problem taking you down and getting you out of his way. Macbeth no longer needs Lady Macbeth to persuade him. This is very apparent when he shows no mercy planning the murder of Banquo, “There’s comfort yet, they are assailable/ Then be thou jocund: ere the bat hath flown/ His cloistered flight, ere to black Hecate’s summons/ The shard-born beetle with his drowsy hums/ Hath rung night’s yawning peal, there shall be

The Tragedy of Macbeth shows several different forms of relationships ranging in different levels of commitment, trust and understanding. Whether it be Macbeth and the Witches having an informational/friendly relationship that ultimately ended in many murders or Macbeth and Lady Macbeth having not only a family relationship but a political and even criminal relationship that resulted in too much power and greed. Relationships like these formed the plot of this play and make it interesting. Relationships are formed in so many levels and outsides easily can change the views of these relationships causing those involved to change their beliefs and opinions of others because the other relationships take more of a precedence than the original.

In the early stages of the play, the Macbeths seem to be a devoted couple. Their love and concern for each other remains strong and constant throughout the play, but their relationship changes dramatically following the ruthless killing of King Duncan in Act II.

The conformity to gender roles that Macbeth and Lady follow leads to the destruction of their relationship. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is more masculine than Macbeth and holds the power in their relationship. Lady Macbeth is aware that she is the assertive one in their relationship and uses that to manipulate Macbeth. In act 1, scene 7, Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s masculinity saying, “When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And, to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man.”(54-56) in saying this, she is using Macbeth’s fragile masculinity against him because she knows Macbeth will prove his masculinity by killing Duncan. After they succeed and get away with the murder, Macbeth becomes more assertive and decisive. Macbeth begins to hide things from Lady Macbeth, like his plan to kill Banquo, this causes a strain on their relationship. In act 3, scene 2, lines 50 and 51, Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth, “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, / Till thou applaud the deed.” about his plan to kill Banquo because he doesn’t want her involved. This furthers the strain in their relationship because Macbeth thinks he, a man, should handle these kinds of things where Lady Macbeth, a woman, should not concern herself with such problems. Furthermore, by excluding Lady Macbeth he has pushed a wedge between them by keeping secrets from her, losing her trust and leading to the downfall of their relationship. Closer to the end of the play, Macbeth assumes his role as a hypermasculine man and becomes violent, killing any possible threat to him. In becoming king, Macbeth becomes obsessed with having power because of the lack of control he had in his relationship with his wife. To Macbeth Macduff appeared as a threat,

When Shakespeare first presents Lady Macbeth in the play, we believe that she was an ambitious woman who was driven to get power at all costs. We are irresolute however as to whether she is part of a chain of events in the evilness going around the source. The first words we from her mouth are her husband’s word, which he wrote on his letter, showing us that she was the agent of his thoughts. Women in that period of time, were running a household, producing heirs for their husband and taking care of them, this is not the case for Lady Macbeth as she involves herself in social affairs. Her drive for power is what makes them so successful in their deceitful plans. The play shows us that there is a unique chemistry between two individuals which rare in that period as marriage was usually arranged. She is essentially what keeps the force going as she guides Macbeth and teaches is him how to be manipulative. Even though the crime that they had committed was treason she was simply past the point of caring as she believed she had nothing to lose as she was childless and she had no emotional fulfilment as a woman. She is superfluous and nothing less than reigning alongside Macbeth can feel this hole.

     Lady Macbeth progresses throughout the play from a seemingly savage and heartless creature to a very delicate and fragile woman. In the beginning of the play, she is very ambitious and hungry for power. She pushes Macbeth to kill Duncan in order to fulfill the witches’ prophecy. In Act I, Scene 6, she asks the gods to make her emotionally strong like a man in order to help her husband go through with the murder plot. She says, “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst cruelty!” Also, she does everything in her power to convince Macbeth that he would be wrong not to kill Duncan. In Act I,

When Macbeth was introduced to his late wife, there was a spark between them I've never seen before. Macbeth treated his conquest with such respect and delicacy, she couldn't have refused his proposal. They had a very close marriage, and it was filled with love and warmth. It was the kind of union every man hopes he'll be blessed with in his lifetime. Lady Macbeth once told me that her husband was the most caring man she'd ever met. I believe that prior to Macbeth's troubles and strife, that he and his wife had a very healthy relationship. When his wife's mental health was beginning to fail, he could not bear to watch his beloved deteriorate. In the end perhaps it was best that they not go on in life without the other. Their love was deep and beautiful, even if it was incomprehensible at times.

We see from the beginning of the play that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's relationship was

Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have an interesting relationship. There are many aspects that show a healthy relationship, things that show how open they are to each other, like trust and support. Yet there are also aspects that show a disastrous relationship. One that does not benefit their lives the way that one should. There is some hostility and disrespect, and a very manipulative wife. Throughout the story their relationship becomes increasingly unhealthy, but was it ever healthy to begin with.

Duncan is the most unlikely character to be killed because of his personality, but his title as King of Scotland, causes for Macbeth to loathe Duncan. In the play there is very little interaction between Macbeth and Duncan, showing the little time in which Macbeth gets more power. Prior to the witches’ prophecies Macbeth is loyal to Duncan, and would never imagine killing him. After the one of the witches’ prophecies comes to be true, the thought of killing Duncan, Macbeth "yield[s] to that suggestion / whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / and make my seated heart knock at my ribs" (1.3.146-148). Partly because of Lady Macbeth’s suggestion his "vaulting ambition" is starting to take over, and he begins to take into consideration killing

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth exchange qualities. Lady Macbeth becomes the way Macbeth was and Macbeth becomes the way Lady Macbeth was. “Then live, Macduff; what I need fear of thee? But yet I’ll make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate. Thou shalt not live…” (Act IV, Scene 1) There it is shown that Macbeth’s attitude changes, he begins to take on Lady Macbeth’s role during the beginning of the play as the person in charge. Everette also says, “…he starts to not need her anymore…” Lady Macbeth has made Macbeth into the “greater man” she wanted him to be and now he is no longer held back by his conscience or guilt. In the next act Lady Macbeth loses her mind. She is constantly washing her hands and says she can still smell the blood, “…Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O ”!(Act