The Relationship of Macbeth and His Wife in Act 1 Scene 5 and 7
The Relationship of Macbeth and his wife in Act 1 Scene 5 and 7
From the beginning of the play, the relationship between Macbeth and his wife seem to be the expected partnership in romance, however, as the play progresses, our expectations seems to change for the worst. We are informed that Macbeth desires to be King of Scotland and initially, his wife appears to be supportive of him as a wife should be but her response to this changes quite drastically as we read further on.
We are first introduced to Lady Macbeth when she reads the letter which Macbeth sent to her recapping his encounter with the three witches. She now becomes aware of Macbeth’s wish to become king but she knows that his conscience inhibits him from partaking in any risky business. She uses the phrase “yet do I fear thy nature, is too full o’th’milk of human kindness...” in her opening soliloquy which suggests that he is a very kind and worthy gentleman. “Thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition but without the illness should attend it.” She explains how he has the ambition to become king but lacks the boldness to become violent if needed to get the crown. This helps to show how sensible and timid Macbeth can be and why Lady Macbeth has to intervene to make the situation progress further. To our surprise, Lady Macbeth appears to be the complete opposite of her husband’s supposed character. She is determined to make sure that Macbeth becomes king under any circumstances that need to be undertaken. At the end of her soliloquy, she says “Hie thee hither, that I may pour out my spirits to thine ear, and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round...” which means that she wishes to persuade and talk him out of whatever may be keeping him from seizing the crown. This furthermore emphasizes her persistence to crown him as king and shower her with glory. Throughout this act, Lady Macbeth appears to be the stronger partner and this is reflected when she
From the beginning of the play, the relationship between Macbeth and his wife seem to be the expected partnership in romance, however, as the play progresses, our expectations seems to change for the worst. We are informed that Macbeth desires to be King of Scotland and initially, his wife appears to be supportive of him as a wife should be but her response to this changes quite drastically as we read further on.
We are first introduced to Lady Macbeth when she reads the letter which Macbeth sent to her recapping his encounter with the three witches. She now becomes aware of Macbeth’s wish to become king but she knows that his conscience inhibits him from partaking in any risky business. She uses the phrase “yet do I fear thy nature, is too full o’th’milk of human kindness...” in her opening soliloquy which suggests that he is a very kind and worthy gentleman. “Thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition but without the illness should attend it.” She explains how he has the ambition to become king but lacks the boldness to become violent if needed to get the crown. This helps to show how sensible and timid Macbeth can be and why Lady Macbeth has to intervene to make the situation progress further. To our surprise, Lady Macbeth appears to be the complete opposite of her husband’s supposed character. She is determined to make sure that Macbeth becomes king under any circumstances that need to be undertaken. At the end of her soliloquy, she says “Hie thee hither, that I may pour out my spirits to thine ear, and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round...” which means that she wishes to persuade and talk him out of whatever may be keeping him from seizing the crown. This furthermore emphasizes her persistence to crown him as king and shower her with glory. Throughout this act, Lady Macbeth appears to be the stronger partner and this is reflected when she