Examine the way conflict between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is portrayed throughout the course of the play, paying particular attention to the way Shakespeare shows the development of their characters and the changing nature of their relationship. During the play, Shakespeare presents the theme of conflict in various ways. From the conflict between the characters and their innermost desires to the disagreements between characters and their different opinions and furthermore the dispute between good and evil.
In this essay, however, I will be investigating and analysing the conflict between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth throughout the course of the play. In particular, I will be exploring how numerous circumstances affect and influence the different aspects of their relationship. Macbeth and Lady Macbeths’ relationship is first displayed in Act 1 Scene 5 which is subsequent to the witches’ prophecy of him becoming King and him being hailed as Thane of Cawdor. At this point, upon deliberation, Macbeth overcame his initial internal conflict and chose to let fate take its course, waiting patiently for the witches’ prophecy to come true.
He then reports back to Lady Macbeth the situation regarding the witches’ prophecy and reveals his thoughts to her. This letter shows his trust and love that Macbeth has for his wife. By use of complimentary language such as “my dearest partner” Macbeth indicates that he values and wants please his wife. This shows that Macbeth considers his wife as significant and that suggests she has an important role in the decisions he makes.
This is contradictory, however, to the beliefs of that period of time, as women were seen as inferior and were only married for business or becoming property By using the expression “partner”, Shakespeare. nsinuates that the relationship is a partnership which could illustrate that their relationship is business-like. This may have been a participating factor in the subsequent failure of their relationship. Upon reading this letter, Lady Macbeth experiences a soliloquy in which she contemplates Macbeth’s ambition and his commitment towards the gain of the throne. She believes that Macbeth’s benevolence and loyalty will divert him from “their plan”, which, upon further reading, she had somewhat devised independently.
She discloses that she considers him to not be ruthless enough to use deceitfulness and violence in order to gain power. This is what is meant when she says he is too full of “the milk of human kindness”. This is a metaphor for a woman because it suggests the act of a baby being breastfed. This is, furthermore, a veiled insult towards Macbeth because she questions his manhood and proposes he has a feminine quality about him restricting him from being as brutal as he needs to be.
After being interrupted by a Messenger stating that King Duncan was coming to their townland, Lady Macbeth then call upon spirits which “tend to mortal thoughts”, which is her declaring that she is preparing to concoct murderous plans upon the stay of King Duncan. This could ignite conflict between Macbeth and herself. This is due to the fact that Macbeth has already decided that he would leave his fate with regards to his Kingship to chance and that he would not meddle with the forces of nature. Lady Macbeth, howbeit, does not have the same ideas as him.
This is a reference to the conflict between their contrasting opinions and this affects their relationship vastly, as shown further on. This is also a reference to the conflict between Good and Evil because as it seems now, Macbeth is being a loyal and noble subject towards his King and deciding not to kill him. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, is not and is devising plans to murder him. Later on, within Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy, she pleads with the evil spirits for them to make her cold hearted. She requests that the spirits turn her breast “milk to gall”.
This is another metaphor for womanhood and also reflects on how she considers it. “gall” is an expression commonly used for bitterness of the spirit and so insinuates that she considers motherly emotions as weak and distracting. This may show that she wants to remove all feelings of pity and mercy within herself, which is the general mind set of a soldier during battle. She also asks the spirits to “unsex me”. This means that she wants to be stripped of her feminine weaknesses and embodied with masculine properties. This gives the reader an indication towards her internal conflict with her gender.
As, at that period, women were seen as inferior, this could show that she has the same belief about herself and she feels as though her sex would conflict her in doing what is necessary. Lady Macbeth also appeals to the spirits to “fill me from the crown to toe”. This could symbolize her envisioning herself as being a ruler. She states that she wants to “chastise with the valour of my tongue”, which indicates that she is going to do everything within her power to convince Macbeth to take the crown. This will cause conflict, obviously because of their different notions.
When Macbeth arrives, Lady Macbeth states she can read in his face what he wants to do. This is her specifically saying what he is thinking in order to manipulate him into believing that he was the one who initiated the idea0. She tells him to look like “th’ innocent flower but be the serpent under it”. This is creating an appearance vs reality theme and is her saying that in order to deceive suspicious people, he must appear the way they expect him to look. Furthermore, she informs him that King Duncan is coming to stay for one night and he must be “provided for”.
This is a dual meaning for being taken care of and means that he should be feasted & entertained/ murdered. By using this language, Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as a manipulative woman. She also tells him to leave “the rest to her”. This enforces the view that she envisions herself as a ruler. Moving to Act 1 Scene 7, is where Macbeth has another soliloquy in which he is conflicted within himself of whether he should or should not go through with it, e evaluates the positive and negative consequences of committing regicide.
Shakespeare uses sibolent phonemes to portray Macbeth’s positive interpretation upon King Duncan’s death. For example, Macbeth says “if th’ assassination…success” showing that Macbeth feels that if the murder was successful, then it would certainly make him King without further trouble. Despite this, Macbeths loyalty and nobility deters him from deciding to kill the king. For example, he says that Duncan has “faculties so meek” meaning that Duncan is a good King and has done well for Macbeth and that his “virtues will plead like Angels”.
This is because, at that period, killing the King was considered a grave sin, almost like killing God due to the divine right of passage. Macbeth resolves his internal conflict with himself by recognising that his only ‘justified reason for killing Duncan is ambition, which as it is, is his fatal flaw: “only vaulting ambition which overleaps itself” . . Macbeth then settles his conflict and definitively decides that he will not kill King Duncan. Almost, straight after this, Lady Macbeth arrives. Macbeth then tells her to “proceed no further into the business”.
By using the term business, Shakespeare puts a certain coldness to the situation and takes out the emotion from it. Lady Macbeth then goes on to insult his manhood saying that he is “green and pale” and a “coward in thine own esteem”. By using belittling language, she provokes him into feeling worthless as he cannot please his wife. The power dimension also shifts during this scene and it is Lady Macbeth who is being the authoritative figure in the relationship. Macbeth then retorts towards her and tell her to stop urging him to kill the King.
This creates a tension and conflict in the relationship, which Lady Macbeth, being determined not to let it foil her plans, dismisses this. He explains to her that he would rather his legacy and this seems to spark passion within Lady Macbeth as Macbeth insinuates that he has chosen the King over her. She harshly asks him “why have you suggested it? ” feigning that Macbeth was the one whom advocated the scheme. She furthermore goes on to virtually call him a coward by saying she would have rather killed her own child than go back on her word. By accentuating her own masculinity and querying his, she creates a conflict between the two of them.
This is her attempt to reinforce his virility but this could create hostility and emotional distance between the two of them. Conversely, it is still evident that Macbeth very much relies on Lady Macbeth and wants to please her as he says “If we should fail”. This could demonstrate the emotional dominance that Lady Macbeth has over him and how emotionally vulnerable he is. Lady Macbeth responds by telling him to man up and Macbeth compliments her strength and says their children will surely be men because of her strength. At this point, their relationship is passionate and obsessive almost.
Its seems also, that some potential sexual passion exists between them. At the culmination of their dialogue, Macbeth uses rhyming couplets (“fairest show…heart doth know”). Shakespeare does this as commendation towards the witches. The witches speak in rhyming couplets and Macbeth is using rhyming couplets as he and his wife decide to kill the king. Act 2 Scene 1 is where Macbeth’s thoughts turn sinister as he is certain that nature is willing him to kill. He also makes a reference to the witches and Hecate, the goddess of the moon and witchcraft, whom their main source of magical powers is nature.
Act 2 Scene 2 is when we next see Lady Macbeth which is after the murder of the King. Their attitudes towards the situation is them trying to falsely a strong we can clearly see that they are frightened. Shakespeare displays this by using cleverly illustrated broken syntax and stichomythia. These could be used to show that even though these characters have just committed a murder, they are expressing “human” emotions showing that they are less cold-hearted as Shakespeare leads us to believe. By exchanging momentary, brief dialogue it could show that they are uncomfortable with the situation at hand.
Nonetheless, it could signify the strength of their relationship as they do not need to speak to each other and can even use eye contact to communicate with each other. In this Scene, Macbeth seems to have more dialogue than Lady Macbeth, signifying that he is taking back supremacy over Lady Macbeth. The shift of power dimension in dialogue throughout the play is a demonstration of the conflict between them. They are both resilient characters and by putting them into a relationship, Shakespeare automatically creates a conflict between them, a clash of varying opinions.
At a later time in the speech, Macbeth seems to be emotionally distressed by his actions. He believes that he has committed a grave sin (by killing the King, it was virtually as if he had killed God himself) and that he cannot be acquitted: “all the water from Neptune”. Lady Macbeth, alternatively, tries to portray herself as calm and confident, but the irony in her dialogue almost makes her appear cocky. This is a change from earlier on in the scene, where she is scared and paranoid. This shows her innermost conflict between her appearance vs reality and her true emotions.
She tries to deflect Macbeth from emotionally losing control. She ironically says that she has blood on her hands (indicating that she also committed a sin) but she is not a coward, and add that she could not kill the King because he resembled her father. This is her reinforcing her attempts to increase his emotional strength. She believes that “a little water” will clear them of their deed. She is endeavouring to calm him as he desires settlement of his innermost conflict and he regret his decision.
The next time we see the couple collectively is in Act 2 Scene 3 in which Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy to depict the mood and atmosphere of the play immediately after the murder of the King. Macbeth evidently appears to be dismayed & instinctively kills the grooms as a way of protecting himself, accusing his violent and passionate love for the King for his actions. Lady Macbeth appears the faint but this possibly illustrates her alarm at Macbeth’s impulsive, abrupt violent behaviour. Nonetheless, it could be a distraction from the brutality of his actions. After Macbeth’s coronation, the power- dimension d
