Analysis of the Relationship of Macbeth and his Wife
Analysis of the Relationship of Macbeth and his Wife
Throughout this essay I will be analyzing the relationship between the main character and his wife from William Shakespeare’s world famous play “Macbeth”. At the beginning of the play we see a strong bond between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, they are both equal partners yet by the end of the play, their relationship has deteriorated so much that Macbeth shows no emotion when his wife dies. I will be focusing on the initial love the two shared, the reasons for the breakdown as well as the turning point in their relationship, and finally how the shifts in power between the couple drastically affected their marriage.
In Act 1, Macbeth writes to his wife to tell her of his thoughts and the witches’ prophecies. He relies on her and strongly values her opinion. In the letter he refers to her as:
“…my dearest partner of greatness,”
This shows that he viewed her as an equal in their relationship. He also writes that the reason he is informing her of the witches’ prophecies is so that she too can celebrate them. Macbeth was told he would be Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and then King, if this was to come true, it would improve Lady Macbeth’s life yet that does not seem to be the reason the news excites her. At this stage in the play we see Macbeth’s wife being truly happy for him, she does not appear to care that she will become Queen, only wishes the best for her husband and this shows that her love is pure.
When Macbeth returns home to his wife, they speak of the murder and it is Lady Macbeth’s nagging that makes him go through with the idea. She has control over her husband and accuses him of being a coward and making drunken promises to her when he tells her that he now believes that it would be wrong to kill Duncan as killing the king, who is God on earth, and that would be an unforgivable sin. Lady Macbeth devises the plan that Macbeth should stab Duncan whilst he is asleep in their home. He is then to leave the daggers in the hands of the grooms making them appear guilty of the crime. Macbeth originally sticks to her plan. After killing Duncan he forgets to leave...