GCSE Macbeth coursework - Jan. 2004.

Hannah FulIord

English GCSE coursework

The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Iace an extraordinary situation involving a strong supernatural
theme and murder and treason oI the highest kind. However Shakespeare still cleverly manages to
make Lady Macbeth and Macbeth relate to audiences oI all eras and to convey a strong moral
message within his play.
The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is Iascinating to study. Shakespeare
constantly changes their attitude to each other throughout the play, making it hard to Iorm a clear-
cut opinion oI their relationship. My personal opinion is that, although events in the play certainly
draw Macbeth and Lady Macbeth apart, their love Ior one another is evident throughout the play.
Having encountered the witches, Macbeth sends a letter to his wiIe inIorming her oI their
prophecies. In the Elizabethan and Jacobean times the Divine Right oI Kings claimed that Kings
were appointed directly by God, and were thereIore answerable to only God. This meant that to
resist a King was sinIul, and so to murder a King was to commit utmost sin against God. By
sending his wiIe a letter with such treasonable contents, Macbeth demonstrates an incredible trust
in Lady Macbeth. I believe that Macbeth`s main motivation Ior sending the letter was his
recognition oI his own weakness. Upon hearing the witches` prophecies Macbeth interprets them
himselI, and speculates that the murder oI Duncan is necessary Ior his immediate claim to the
throne. However he is unwilling to take the responsibility and blame oI murdering Duncan alone,
and so by sending Lady Macbeth the letter, Macbeth hands the task` to her. Thus he provides
himselI with an authoritative Iigure behind whom he may hide. He recognises that Lady Macbeth
is strong and impulsive, and knows that she is likely to act upon what she reads. By letting his
wiIe announce that they must kill Duncan, Macbeth is able to oIIload some oI the guilt oI the deed
onto her - he uses Lady Macbeth as a scapegoat Ior his already guilty conscience. Upon sending
the letter Macbeth immediately goes to see his wiIe. In my opinion he does this so that Lady
Macbeth is ready to begin to override Macbeth`s good characteristics immediately. When Macbeth
loses Lady Macbeth`s support later on in the play he is Iorced to act independently oI her, and so
loses the ability to murder. I Ieel that his actions throughout the play are an indication oI
GCSE Macbeth coursework - Jan. 2004. Hannah FulIord

Macbeth`s dependency on his wiIe, as well as his misuse oI their love in order to claim the title oI
King. He reIers to Lady Macbeth as: |his| dearest partner of greatness showing that Macbeth
envisages them sharing the power oI the throne.
In his soliloquy Macbeth admits that he has no spur To prick the sides of |his| intent which
indicates that Macbeth knows that he will require Lady Macbeth to be his spur, and coax him
into murdering Duncan. He also knows that by allowing Lady Macbeth to take up such a
domineering role she will take the murder out oI his hands, thus Ireeing him Irom a great deal oI
guilt.
Upon receiving the letter, Lady Macbeth immediately responds to Macbeth`s wishes,
realising that it is necessary to kill Duncan. In the soliloquy that Iollows it is clear that she is
aware oI Macbeth`s weakness, and Irequently speaks oI them with regret . She says: Yet do I fear
thv nature, It is too full o the milk of human kindness To catch the nearest wav showing that she
Iears that Macbeth`s conscience will prove a liability to their plans. Lady Macbeth also says; Art
not without ambition, but without The illness that should attend it, which shows that Lady
Macbeth considers herselI to be the illness that Macbeth needs, or as Macbeth says, the spur
that he needs. I think that Shakespeare was trying to say here that ambition can be a good thing,
depending on the way it is used. Ambition is a good quality to have, so long as a person has
enough sense and rational thought to balance it. He uses Lady Macbeth to portray a character that
has much ambition but no sense or conscience to accompany it, and he uses Macbeth to portray a
character who has ambition and a conscience but no motivation. Both characters misuse their
ambition, which results in their leading unhappy lives.
In order to act as a spur Lady Macbeth says that she must pour |her| spirits in |his|
ear, And chastise with the valour of |her| tongue All that impedes |him| from the golden round, I
believe that she does this, not because she is power-greedy, but because she would genuinely like
to see Macbeth as King. It is clear at this point that Lady Macbeth is the dominant Iigure in the
relationship. Much oI the initial speech in the play is that oI Lady Macbeth, an indication oI her
authority over her husband. Macbeth`s speech is brieI, showing his uncertainty and inIerior
position in the relationship. In this way Lady Macbeth would have been a particularly unusual
character to Shakespeare`s Elizabethan and Jacobean audience. Women were always considered to
GCSE Macbeth coursework - Jan. 2004. Hannah FulIord

be the weaker sex - they perIormed daily chores and cared Ior the children. It was almost
unthinkable than a woman could be capable oI handling a more important role, as is exempliIied
by Lady Macbeth. The Iact that it was Lady Macbeth, not Macbeth, who eventually instigated the
murder oI Duncan would have been shocking to Elizabethan and Jacobean people.
Throughout the play a lot oI emphasis is put upon the importance oI sleep. In the play
sleep is regarded as God`s beautiIul giIt to the innocent - a way to be at peace and have no
worries. Once Macbeth has murdered Duncan he says that he loses the ability to sleep, and is
thereIore robbed oI any way to be at peace. He Ieels that it is God`s punishment Ior committing
the most punishable crime oI murdering the King. Macbeth says, Methought I heard a voice crv
Sleep no more' Macbeth does murder sleep-the innocent sleep, Sleep that knits up the ravelld
sleeve of care. Duncan is murdered whilst he is sleeping, as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth preIer to
act in the dark, which they think conceals their moves. The light reminds them oI goodness and
purity and thereIore brings to mind the terrible deeds they have committed, whereas the dark
relates the pair to the witches and evil and makes them Ieel more sure oI themselves. In Iact all oI
the murders are committed during the night, when it is dark. Also, the last words Lady Macbeth
says to her husband when she is alive are, To bed, to bed, to bed, showing that her last desire is
that they should have the giIt oI sleep returned to them, so that they can go to bed and Iall asleep,
and thereIore be relieved oI their sins.
Despite her love Ior Macbeth, I Ieel that some oI Lady Macbeth`s determination to make
Macbeth King comes Irom her recognition oI her role in the relationship, and the Iact that she has
power over Macbeth and so would hold the oIIicial title oI Queen.
Lady Macbeth says:
Thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it .
I think this shows that Lady Macbeth, rather than totally resenting Macbeth Ior being weak, holds
some admiration Ior her husband. By reIerring to evil as an illness Lady Macbeth indicates that
she considers it to be more oI a burden than an asset. She thereIore respects Macbeth`s innocence.
The Iact that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth relate themselves so strongly to the witches
GCSE Macbeth coursework - Jan. 2004. Hannah FulIord

would have been seen in Elizabethan and Jacobean times as a sin. At that time order was
considered very important, and the supernatural was said to upset the balance oI God`s world. It
could be said that the witches do not give Lady Macbeth what she asks Ior later in the play (she
asks to be unsexed and made stronger) as she is unable to murder Duncan herselI. She says, Had
he not resembled Mv father as he slept, I had donet In my opinion the witches use their evil to
corrupt people, indirectly inIluencing their victims` thoughts and allowing them to commit crimes
oI their own accord. By not using magical powers` as such, the witches are actually less to blame
Ior the actions oI their victims than it would seem. They seem t o have little eIIect on people who
are not already corrupt - Ior example Banquo reads little into his own predictions and is willing to
wait to see iI they are IulIilled. The witches have much more inIluence over Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth, who evidently already exhibit some evil qualities, and they put these qualities to their
own ill use. I think that Shakespeare was trying to convey a point here - that evil simply
manipulates people in order to achieve its goal. Whatever the initial outlook, the intentions oI evil
are never good.
An important issue between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is truthIulness. Neither is
truthIul with the other - they each adopt a diIIerent personality when they are together. This is
particularly apparent aIter the murder oI Duncan, when both Ieel some degree oI regret and doubt,
but neither reveals their Ieeing to the other. Instead they speak oI their worries in soliloquies. At
the beginning oI the play, beIore Duncan`s murder, Lady Macbeth treats Macbeth harshly, and
comes across as callous and commanding when speaking to him. However it is obvious that some
oI the conIidence which she displays is Ieigned, because more than once, Lady Macbeth asks Ior
the help in committing the murder. In one soliloquy Lady Macbeth begins to talk directly to the
witches (it is assumed that the spirits which Lady Macbeth reIers to are the witches). Lady
Macbeth is more aware than her husband that the witches` evil is preternatural rather than an
actual physical embodiment. Macbeth Iinds it necessary to see the witches in physical Iorm in
order to believe their predictions - which is also the case with his visions. Lady Macbeth
recognises the witches` omnipresence and their ability to extend beyond a physical Iorm. It is
obvious that she is aIIected by the witches` evil, as she reIers to them as spirits That tend on
mortal thoughts, which suggests that Lady Macbeth Ieels somewhat Irustrated that the witches
GCSE Macbeth coursework - Jan. 2004. Hannah FulIord

plague her thoughts. It is probable that she Ieels the insigniIicance oI her own evil compared to
that oI the witches`, and starts to see undesirable` traces oI human conscience within her. Later in
the play, just beIore Macbeth returns Irom murdering Duncan, Lady Macbeth admits in her
soliloquy that had he |Duncan| not resembled |Her| father as he slept, |she| had dont, this is
just one example oI Lady Macbeth`s human weaknesses` showing through. It is clear that Lady
Macbeth Iears that she will begin to lose conIidence, and so in her soliloquy beIore the murder she
resorts to begging the witches to remove any human qualities Irom her and prevent her Irom
Ieeling remorse: make thick mv blood, Stop up the access and passage to remorse. It is obvious
that Lady Macbeth considers her Iemininity to be a potential downIall, as she asks to be unsexed.
She also says fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst crueltv - she asks the witches to
give her more evil, but when talking to Macbeth she gives the impression that she already has the
required evil and such qualities to commit any crime. This selI doubt is backed up by her pleas to
the witches that no compunctious visiting of nature Shake |her| fell purpose, not keep peace
between Th effect and it. Lady Macbeth recognises that she too has some humanity in her, which
must be ousted beIore she is aIIected by those same qualities in Macbeth when he arrives home.
She Iears that iI this happens, their actions will be impeded and the deed will never be done.
However, Lady Macbeth admits no such doubts to Macbeth. In order to convince Macbeth oI her
strength, she even speaks about killing her own child were it necessary. An act oI this kind
suggests the utmost strength and evil in a person, as a mother and her child have a strong bond.
Not only does Lady Macbeth talk oI killing the child, she reIers to a brutal murder - And dashd
the brains out - in order to enIorce her strength on Macbeth and make him Ieel the extremity oI
his supposed inIeriority to her. She says that she would be willing to do this had |she| so sworn
as |he Had| done to this |the plan| Here Lady Macbeth tries to make herselI seem more
respectable than her husband - she plays on Macbeth`s male strengths. She does so because in
Elizabethan and Jacobean times, the strength and masculine qualities oI a man were greatly
respected, and Ior Macbeth to have Iewer such qualities than his wiIe would have been a source oI
shame. Lady Macbeth thereIore constantly reminds Macbeth oI this.
Macbeth deIinitely lacks the courage oI conviction. For example beIore the murder,
Macbeth becomes nervous, and says, If we should fail-. However Lady Macbeth immediately
GCSE Macbeth coursework - Jan. 2004. Hannah FulIord

jumps in and reassures her husband, saying We fail? But screw vour courage to the sticking-place
And well not fail. Macbeth appears particularly weak when he is around his wiIe. On the
battleIield he is merciless, and kills without hesitation. However when Lady Macbeth is around he
becomes almost pathetic. I Ieel that Macbeth`s Irailty when he is around his wiIe comes Irom his
deep awe oI her. For example, Macbeth says to his wiIe Bring forth men-children onlv For thv
undaunted mettle should compose Nothing but males showing that he thinks oI Lady Macbeth
with utmost respect. He reIers to her courage as undaunted which conveys a strong Ieeling oI
admiration. It is clear that this admiration stems Irom Macbeth`s recognition that his own courage
is Iar Irom undaunted. Lady Macbeth`s extreme power and strength gives Macbeth as much Iear
as it does motivation. Although Macbeth sets Lady Macbeth up to overshadow him in the Iirst
place, she does so so thoroughly that Macbeth`s own imperIections are made very obvious to him.
The signiIicant diIIerence between the two is more apparent to Macbeth now than ever.
AIter Duncan`s murder Macbeth begins to dominate the dialogue, mainly with speech that
is laden with guilt and regret. He begins to worry that he is now condemned and damned to hell
because oI the murder. He says, To know mv deed twere best not to know mvself. Lady Macbeth
proves more diIIicult to read. She speaks very little, and when she does so it is only to reassure
Macbeth. There is a sense however that she too regrets the murder. Yet she maintains her mask oI
strength, as, despite her worries, she still scorns Macbeth Ior his doubts. She says: Mv hands are
of vour colour, but I shame To wear a heart so white.
Initially Lady Macbeth is extremely on edge, which I think is a mixture or her paranoia oI being
discovered and her inability to cope with the guilt oI the murder. An example oI her nervousness
is: Alack' I am afraid thev have awaked, And tis not done, the attempt and not the deed
Confounds us.As Lady Macbeth talks to reassure Macbeth I get the impression that she also
attempts to reassure herselI. She speaks with great dramatic irony. For example: These deeds
must not be thought After these wavs, so, it will make us mad
When Lady Macbeth learns that Macbeth has killed Duncan`s chamberlains she Iaints.
There are many arguments as to why she did so. It is my personal belieI that Lady Macbeth Iaints
because Macbeth has committed these murders spontaneously. Only we the audience know that
the murder oI Duncan was diIIicult Ior Lady Macbeth. She saw the need to perIorm only one
GCSE Macbeth coursework - Jan. 2004. Hannah FulIord

murder in order to IulIil the prophecy and she was prepared to sacriIice her better qualities to get
that end. She now Ieels that the situation is getting out oI hand, especially since Macbeth`s murder
oI the chamberlains was so unnecessary. It is probable that Lady Macbeth is shocked that Macbeth
is starting to act independently oI her - she Ieels that he is starting to slip out oI her control. She
begins to realise that Macbeth has become too involved in his own wrong doings, and that she has
lost him. Throughout the rest oI the play Macbeth becomes carried away with murder. Once he is
crowned King, he proceeds to kill more people needlessly and without consulting Lady Macbeth.
Also he begins to ignore his human conscience as Lady Macbeth tried to do beIore Duncan`s
murder.
It would seem thereIore, that, as the play progresses, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth lose their
love Ior one another. Their relationship starts to deteriorate. Lady Macbeth begins to lose her
power over Macbeth and Macbeth his respect Ior his wiIe. For example, he begins to become
resentIul oI Lady Macbeth`s indiIIerence` to Duncan`s murder; You make me strange Even to the
disposition that I owe, When now I think vou can behold such sights, And keep the natural rubv of
vour cheeks, When mine is blanchd with fear. Once Macbeth is King Lady Macbeth makes Iew
decisions. Macbeth arranges to kill Banquo, and when Lady Macbeth becomes suspicious oI this
she asks;
Whats to be done? to which Macbeth replies
Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck .
Not only does Macbeth reIuse to involve Lady Macbeth in his plans, he also patronises her by the
use oI this term which was oI endearment, more suited to a child or young lover. He begins to
isolate himselI Irom other people and Lady Macbeth has diIIiculty communicating with Macbeth -
reverting to enquiring aIter him through servants. She is no longer by Macbeth`s side as his
dearest partner of greatness. Most aIIectionate terms are lost by this point in the play, and Lady
Macbeth has reverted to addressing her husband as mv Lord.
At the start oI the Ieast in which Banquo`s ghost appears, Lady Macbeth is isolated Irom
the rest oI the group. This isolation, which is more mental than physical, comes Irom her
dejection. Lady Macbeth`s misery is reIlected in her speech - it becomes brieI and perIunctory.
For example when she tries to console Macbeth aIter the appearance oI Banquo`s ghost, she says
GCSE Macbeth coursework - Jan. 2004. Hannah FulIord

things such as Almost at odds with morning, which is which rather than the lengthy, persuasive
speech she used prior to Duncan`s murder. Also, Lady Macbeth ceases to boast oI her own
strength and no longer reIers to Macbeth`s weaknesses. I think that Lady Macbeth is able to see
that Macbeth is ignoring his conscience, but she is lacking the spirit and Ieels that she is no longer
close enough to him to change his actions. During the ghostly illusion at the banquet Lady
Macbeth deIends her husband against exposure. However eventually she is unable to deIend him
Iurther and asks their guests to leave. The last words Lady Macbeth ever speaks to her husband
are: You lack the seasons of all nature, sleep. This is the speech oI a depressed woman. She
regrets the murder oI Duncan, as she realises that because oI it, she has lost both Macbeth and
herselI. Lady Macbeth does not appear in the play again until her sleepwalking scene, and until
he hears oI her death Macbeth does not seem to consider her.
There is a reversal in character towards the end oI the play - Macbeth becomes more like
Lady Macbeth; dismissive, controlling and impulsive, whereas Lady Macbeth no longer Iights Ior
power over her husband. Also, at the beginning oI the play Macbeth displayed obvious aIIection
Ior Lady Macbeth, whereas she showed little Ior him and was very powerIul and domineering.
However now, towards the end oI the play, Macbeth is the one who disregards Lady Macbeth, and
Lady Macbeth`s love Ior her husband becomes more apparent. This is evident in the psychology
oI her speech in her sleepwalking monologue. She oIten talks to Macbeth, reverting to reassuring
him; No more o that, mv lord, no more o that. vou mar all with this starting and I tell vou vet
again, Banquos buried, he cannot come out on s grave. This sleepwalking soliloquy conveys
Lady Macbeth`s true opinion oI Macbeth, as she is unconscious and thereIore unable to maintain a
Ialse personality. Thus she speaks her true Ieelings. So despite all the corruption the pair had
suIIered, Lady Macbeth still loves her husband. I think that Shakespeare was trying to convey a
point here - that love can prevail throughout the most diIIicult times.
There is a lot that can be deduced Irom the sleepwalking scene. Lady Macbeth repeatedly
washes her hands, signiIying her attempts to wash Duncan`s blood Irom her hands. It is obvious
that his murder strongly aIIects her, and it is now clear, at the end oI the play, that she truly regrets
it. It is quite ironic that it was Lady Macbeth who pushed Macbeth into committing the murder,
and that it is she who comes to regret it the most. Lady Macbeth also makes reIerence to the bell
GCSE Macbeth coursework - Jan. 2004. Hannah FulIord

which she rang to signal to Macbeth when to commit the murder. Lady Macbeth is aware that it is
due to her own actions that Duncan`s murder came about, destroying that which she loved. It is
this selI-induced misIortune that sends her mad.
When Macbeth is inIormed oI Lady Macbeth`s death, he shows no obvious signs oI grieI.
In Iact he seems almost irritated at it`s inconvenience, as he says: She should have died hereafter,
There would have been a time for such a word. However closer examination oI Macbeth`s
language reveals another layer oI meaning. Macbeth is mournIul oI his wiIe`s death, and says that
his Lifes but a walking shadow. When he is told that Dunsinane Wood is moving, and thereIore
his prophecy is being IulIilled and it is probable that he will die, Macbeth does not react as he did
regarding Duncan`s murder - with Iear and uncertainty. Instead he says, Blow, wind' come,
wrack' At least well die with harness on our back. This recklessness shows that he has given up
the will to live - without Lady Macbeth his liIe is meaningless. And so, although Macbeth seemed
to grow unaIIectionate and hard towards his wiIe at the end oI the play, he must still have loved
her. Macbeth ends his soliloquy; it is a tale Told bv an idiot, full of sound and furv, Signifving
nothing. The last line, signifving nothing is very dramatic as it does not Iollow the rhythm oI the
rest oI the lines. Rather than having Iive strong beats (the pattern that the rest oI t he paragraph
Iollows) this line has two strong beats and then a sudden stop with the word nothing. This draws
attention to the word nothing showing Macbeth`s Ieelings - his liIe has come to an abrupt and
unexpected halt with Lady Macbeth`s death, and Macbeth is leIt with nothing`. The loss oI Lady
Macbeth`s love was the worst thing that could have happened to him, and thereIore the only thing
that could break down the wall which he had erected to shield himselI Irom the consequences oI
his actions.
Although it was not always apparent, I believe that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth loved one
another strongly throughout the play. Their relationship deIinitely deteriorated as the play went on,
due to the acts committed and the conscience oI each person. The deeds which the pair carry out in
the play meant that the public opinion oI them deteriorated dramatically. Macbeth, who was
considered to be a worthy man, became a treacherous Iiend, and Lady Macbeth, the doting wiIe`,
became a selI-created devil. Shakespeare adds dramatic irony here regarding the opinion oI
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as Duncan, who thought most highly oI the pair, was murdered by
GCSE Macbeth coursework - Jan. 2004. Hannah FulIord

them. This sense oI the betrayal oI a Iriend contributed to the ill opinion oI the pair at the end oI
the play.
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth` very cleverly. He established a strong sense oI moral justice
in the play a wrong deed will always catch up with you. In the case oI Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth, it was through loneliness, heartbreak and death.