Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Relationship free essay sample

WitchesIn this essay i will be analyzing how the relationship between the main character Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare’s famous play ‘Macbeth’ deteriorates throughout the play. At the beginning of the play we see a strong chain holding both partners together, they are both equal partners which was very unusual at the time, notwithstanding their relationship deteriorates so much. I will focus on their love, the turning point and downfall of their relationship. In Act 1, Macbeth writes a letter to his wife sharing the prophecies made by the three witches, it is obvious that he relies on her and cares about her opinion, he also refers to her as: ‘My dearest partner of greatness’. This shows that he sees his wife as an equal in this relationship, he writes that he was told he would be Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and then Kingknowing his wife will love the idea of being a Queen. We will write a custom essay sample on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Relationship or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Indeed she loves the idea of being a Queen and is resolved present King Duncan must die. Lady Macbeth knows her husband is â€Å"too  full  o’th’milk of human kindness† to kill Duncan. She knows she can control Macbeth like a child, and is anxious for him to return so that â€Å"I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with valour of my tongue†. It is her goading contempt, scorn and derision that push Macbeth to do the â€Å"deed†. At first Macbeth agrees. But later he hesitates: â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business†. This shoes that Lady Macbeth knew her husband well: he was a good man who would not think of killing â€Å"his kinsman†. Lady Macbeth is certain that her husband’s ambition was to be crowned the King. So, in her response to her husband’s uncertainty. She questions his courage, manhood and his love for her: â€Å"Such I account thy love†¦.. As thou art in desire? We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking place, And we’ll not fail. † When Macbeth kills Duncan he forgets to leave the daggers because the shock he is in, which is evident as he hears voices, later cannot sleep and is unable to say â€Å"amen† after prayer. This is where Lady Macbeth comes in and leaves the daggers beside two innocent men. The first time Macbeth strays from the plan could be viewed as accidental, afterward, Lady Macbeth manages to rectify the problem and makes her husband pull himself together and go to bed so that noone will suspect them. It is the next morning that he intentionally goes against the plan and it is at this point we see the power shift and the beginning of the relationship breakdown. Macbeth kills the grooms. When Lady Macbeth hears the news that her once â€Å"dearest partner of greatness† has done this she faints. Her power over him is no more and after she has fallen, Macbeth makes no effort to go and see if she is alright. This lack of care shown by Macbeth increases throughout as their love and marriage breakdown. After Macbeth’s coronation, Lady Macbeth fades into the background. It is at this point that Macbeth begins to plan the murder of Banquo and his son yet does not tell his wife. This is a dramatic change in their relationship as in Act on he consulted her when he was only having thoughts about the murder of the King and now he is about to kill his best friend yet she is to know nothing. He no longer needs her  approval  nor is he totally truthful with her. He is sharing his problems with Lady Macbeth yet she keeps quiet about hers. They have stopped sharing all their emotions as well. Along with this lack of sharing, Macbeth also appears to have stopped viewing Lady Macbeth as an equal: â€Å"Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,† Not only does he withhold information from her, he refers to her as â€Å"chuck† which bears little similarity to his â€Å"dearest partner of greatness† we heard him refer to in Act one. At this stage however, he continues to have fond feelings towards her; these soon fade to indifference. He also does not inform her about the murder of Macduff’s family, perhaps he does not see it important anymore to communicate with his wife. Lady Macbeth does not appear at all during Act four and is not mentioned by Macbeth. He has now started to place al his faith in the witches and is totally committed to evil as opposed to his â€Å"beloved† wife. The couple are never again seen together and when Lady Macbeth begins to have nightmares and a doctor is brought in. Cure her of that;† Macbeth shows no  love for  his wife as he speaks to the doctor. He wishes he cured so that she will cease to sleepwalk and talk in her sleep. He fears that someone who hears her talking will figure out that he is guilty of the killing of Duncan, he does not show any emotion or concern for her well being. â€Å"The Queen my lord is dead† When he is told this news, his re action shows us that he has no love left for Lady Macbeth. He shows no signs of sadness. All he can say is: â€Å"She should have died hereafter: There would have been time for such a word. The man has no time to grieve his dead wife. The relationship broke down long ago, but, it is at this point that we see to just what extent. To conclude, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth enjoyed a close intimacy in the  opening  scenes. He looked to her for strength and motivation because both he and Lady Macbeth knew he didn’t have the required courage to kill Duncan. However the closeness and intimacy suddenly diminishes when he acts independently and Lady Macbeth loses control over him. In the end they were like strangers on the opposite side of the spectrum. Macbeth: maniacally and ruthlessly ambitious and Lady Macbeth: crazy with fear for the future of her husband. She knew the Macbeth in the opening scenes but she didn’t know the Macbeth at the end of the play. I believe that the relationship between Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth had to deteriorate because we saw how Macbeth killed Macduff’s family and i think he had to lose someone to understand the pain of losing the people you love. The downfall of their relationship was a pay off for their actions earlier in the play which was also accompanied by their deaths.