Summary
Macbeth is a General in King Duncan’s army and is married to Lady Macbeth. On returning from a battle with his friend Banquo, they are approached by three witches who say the future of the kingdom to them. Lady Macbeth reads a letter her husband had written about the witches’ prophecy and manipulates him to kill King Duncan and take over the kingdom. Macbeth is convinced and after killing Duncan he becomes king and continues to eliminate all the people he feels are a threat to him. His wife suffers from plague and believes it is caused by the blood on her hands and eventually kills herself. Macbeth faces great opposition from his nobles and subjects and is finally killed in war by Mcduff.
Relationship between Macbeth and His Wife
The relationship between Macbeth and his wife portrays Lady Macbeth as a manipulative wife. Lady Macbeth is patronizing and wants her husband to do things that he is not considered as being right. For example, when she reads the letter, she persuades her husband to kill King Duncan and take over the kingdom. Macbeth is not ready to kill the king, and as he goes to kill him, he sees a ghost and says, “Had he has not resembled my father as he slept, I had done” (Shakespeare). Lady Macbeth plots how her husband will kill the King and fix two chamberlains as the ones responsible for the murder.
Their relationship is built on support. Lady Macbeth wants the best for her husband and she supports him during the hard times and embarrassing moments. An illustration is when Macbeth murdered Banquo and his ghost appeared to him at the party. He raves fearfully scaring the guests and his wife supports him by trying to cover the damage. The story describes them as close lovers. When Macbeth heard that his wife had died, he grieved in despair. “Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d,” he said (Shakespeare).
Strengths between Macbeth and the wife
According to the story, Macbeth is stronger compared to his wife. Lady Macbeth is a very manipulative woman, but in the end, she is not able to withstand the pressure from the opposition. After they had killed many people she suffers from the plague and she believed it was caused by the blood on her hands. She finally commits suicide because she cannot withstand the shame and guilt, “Come, seeling night, Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day; And with thy bloody and invisible hand Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond Which keeps me pale! Light thickens; and the crow makes wing to the rooky wood”, she said (Shakespeare).
However, her husband has the heart to keep fighting and he goes into war when his enemies attack him. Despite his wife’s death, he knows that he has to stay strong and defend himself, but finally, he is overwhelmed and is killed by Macduff.
The dagger scene shows much about their relationship and the strength between the two. This scene portrays Lady Macbeth as manipulative because her husband was not for the idea to kill King Duncan, but she is able to convince him to kill the King. In addition, this scene describes Macbeth as a stronger personality than the wife because he isn’t sorry for the murders they committed, but his wife who was suffering from a plague eventually killed herself. Finally, the dagger scene messes up their relationship because both of them had to keep fighting their rivals. Lady Macbeth kills herself and Macbeth is killed at war.
Conclusion
Lack of mutual agreement between spouses leads to wrong decisions which have dire consequences. Therefore, people living together should make decisions that are not led by selfish interests and should always seek guidance from one another.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. An Electronic Classics Series Publication. Web.