Lady Macbeth Relationship

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are first seen together in Act I, Scene v after Macbeth has received a prophecy from the witches claiming that he will become King of Scotland. Their mutual ambition to fulfil the witches' prophecy is a driving force of their relationship. However, while Macbeth is happy to wait for fate to take its course, Lady Macbeth has a clear fervour to usurp the crown; unfortunately, this ambition warps their relationship as both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change into completely different people. Macbeth goes from being a strong, well respected man to a cold, heartless, fearless murderer while Lady Macbeth goes from being strong willed and controlling to a scared, paranoid child.

These changes are the direct result of murdering

However, when Macbeth greets Lady Macbeth he says "My dearest love." using affectionate and loving words; there is a clear imbalance in terms of dependence within their relationship. In the beginning their relationship is seen to be quite strong, but it is also clear when they start discussing the prophecy that Lady Macbeth is very strong willed and has a compassion for controlling Macbeth, "My dearest partner of greatness". When they are discussing the witches' prophecy, they plan how they are going to make the prophecy come true; "Stars, hide your fires/Let not light see my black and deep desires."

Furthermore; Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, by telling him "Look like th' innocent flower, But be the serpent under't." She wants Macbeth to win Duncan's affections so that when he is killed, Macbeth will not be implicated. When Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle, she enacts such a ploy, saying "For those of old, and the late dignities heaped up to them, we rest your hermits." This is then to highlight her ability to control Macbeth and his

She suggests this when she says "It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman. I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry." This makes it clear that she is uneasy about the murder and the sounds she hears are ominous signs of death and punishment. Eventually Lady Macbeth's personal goading "Wouldst thou have that, which thou esteem 'st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem..." having once again criticised his personality "When you durst do it, then you were a man..." she eventually gets her own way. The turning point in their relationship is when Lady Macbeth says (in Act II, Scene ii, 67-68) "My hands are of your colour, but I shame, To wear a heart so white", when Lady Macbeth criticizes her husband's apparent lack of composure and masculinity.

Shakespeare shows her lack of support for her husband as white is traditionally a pure colour, associated with innocence; these colour associations portray Macbeth as an image of weakness, dependence and cowardice. The concept of guilt is symbolised through the blood on Macbeth's hands and despite his wife's protestations he believes his hands and soul are forever stained with the guilt of Duncan's murder: "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one