How Does Shakespeare Present Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s Relationship in Act 1?
There are several interactions between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth which give us an idea of the relationship between them. The pair first meet in the play in Act one, scene four.
The first interaction between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the play is at the start of scene two. Lady Macbeth reads aloud the letter that Macbeth had written to her about meeting the witches: “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor and shalt be, What thou art promised”.
Lady Macbeth understands his plight; she knows that what he wants the most is to become king. She sees Macbeth as a coward who is too afraid to grasp what he wants. Therefore, Lady Macbeth feels she must encourage Macbeth to abandon the scripts that prevent him from seizing the crown. She says “Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness”. Meaning that in her opinion Macbeth ‘too full of the milk of human kindness’. We really do see how differently Lady Macbeth talks to her husband when she knows he wants, so she disrespects him knowing that he will understand her point of view.
All the way through Act 1, Lady Macbeth appears to be the more powerful person in the relationship. Lady Macbeth: “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the top, top-full of direst cruelty”. When she calls for the spirits here I believe that she is asking them to help her commit this crime. Fill her head to toe with deadly cruelty. This really reveals what Lady Macbeth is. A psychopath. Lady Macbeth being the sly and evil woman tells Macbeth to “Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent underneath”. Here is another example of Lady Macbeth telling Macbeth what to do, she is taking control of the situation and acting as if she knows what she’s doing.
Later on in the play at Macbeth’s castle both husband and wife start talking again about murdering Duncan. Macbeth resists his wife’s persuasion by adding: “we will proceed no further in this business”. At this point Macbeth
The first interaction between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the play is at the start of scene two. Lady Macbeth reads aloud the letter that Macbeth had written to her about meeting the witches: “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor and shalt be, What thou art promised”.
Lady Macbeth understands his plight; she knows that what he wants the most is to become king. She sees Macbeth as a coward who is too afraid to grasp what he wants. Therefore, Lady Macbeth feels she must encourage Macbeth to abandon the scripts that prevent him from seizing the crown. She says “Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness”. Meaning that in her opinion Macbeth ‘too full of the milk of human kindness’. We really do see how differently Lady Macbeth talks to her husband when she knows he wants, so she disrespects him knowing that he will understand her point of view.
All the way through Act 1, Lady Macbeth appears to be the more powerful person in the relationship. Lady Macbeth: “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the top, top-full of direst cruelty”. When she calls for the spirits here I believe that she is asking them to help her commit this crime. Fill her head to toe with deadly cruelty. This really reveals what Lady Macbeth is. A psychopath. Lady Macbeth being the sly and evil woman tells Macbeth to “Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent underneath”. Here is another example of Lady Macbeth telling Macbeth what to do, she is taking control of the situation and acting as if she knows what she’s doing.
Later on in the play at Macbeth’s castle both husband and wife start talking again about murdering Duncan. Macbeth resists his wife’s persuasion by adding: “we will proceed no further in this business”. At this point Macbeth