The Relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

The Relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

In Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth', deception plays a very large part in

the relationships and thoughts about and towards others. There are

phrases thought or talked about by Macbeth and his wife which signify

the similarities between them and deceive other.

'Fair is foul and foul is fair' The witches say this at the very

beginning of the play (1.1.11) and it is written to confuse us as two

phrases that are together and have a link yet are mysterious and have

a hidden meaning that is that Macbeth can seem very kind and loyal but

actually is evil and treacherous or the opposite with other

characters. They are then repeated later on by Macbeth who phrases it

differently but means it in the same manner "So foul and fair a day"

(1.3.38). Confusion persists when the characters hide behind their own

masks and hide what they are really thinking about and feel, Macbeth

is a master at hiding what he feels, in this case he is hiding his

true personality, a personality that at the beginning of the play we

thought to be good-natured and kind but it is actually one full of

evil and deceit.

In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth enlightens us by telling us about what

she is thinking and what she wants to do. Macbeth has never seen this

side of his wife before and is shocked and cannot believe that she is

telling him all of this: 'Look like th'innocent flower, but be the

serpent under't' (1.5.63). This quote shows us that all her life she

has actually been evil and just hidden it by looking and acting

innocently around others. The difference is that we can see that what

she is telling Macbeth is a very good...

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...t want to hear and made

him think that they were really happening. Macbeth then pours out his

inner feelings about how scared he was and how he felt to his wife

whom he thinks will help him rid these images from his mind. The odd

thing is, is that Macbeth can and has killed many times on the battle

field with out a thought about it and now one death to an important

figure when there is little chance that he can be harmed scares him

witless so much that he has to go to his wife for support.

The relationship between Macbeth and his wife is a strong yet very

bizarre one. They rely on each other for support when they have done

something wrong or are afraid but never convey their normal lives to

each other or their achievements as this makes them look like a normal

couple of which they don't want to be and aren't seen as.