In this scene we can clearly see that Lady Macbeth is the driving force of the relationship. She says “unsex me here” which tells us that she wants to break free of the usual role that women played in relationships at the time, and longs to be the more dominant and manly partner. As the more dominant and ruthless of the two, it is Lady Macbeth that devises the plan for killing Duncan, and tells Macbeth to “Leave all the rest with me.” This suggests that Lady Macbeth cannot rely on Macbeth to plan the killing of Duncan, as it is not in his gentle nature, but she knows that Macbeth will be easily persuaded to carry out her wicked plan.
After Macbeth kills Duncan he feels very guilty, and says, “will great Neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” This suggests that although he can physically wash the blood off his hands, he cannot wash away the bad feelings of guilt that comes with it. Macbeth gets quite agitated about what he has just done, and once again Lady Macbeth establishes her role as the more dominant figure, and tries to diffuse and calm the situation down. She tells Macbeth “Consider it not so deeply”, which means that the deed has been done, so just try and forget about it.
Although Lady Macbeth seems to be very calm and calculated, I feel that she is not only trying to convince Macbeth that the part they played in Duncan’s death is not so significant, but she is also trying to convince herself. Perhaps this is the first sign that Lady Macbeth is not the dominant ruthless, unemotional person that she thinks she is, and cannot cope with taking charge of the situation. What is ironic is the fact that Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth “These deeds must not be thought after these ways: so, it will make us mad”. This is issued as a warning to Macbeth, but in fact this is what happens to Lady Macbeth.
When Duncan is found dead, Lady Macbeth acts as though she is horrified, as most women of that time would be, and uses this act to manipulate the situation to her and Macbeth’s advantage. She uses this act to great effect, and when things get a little out of hand, she faints, to take the focus away from the accusations aimed at Macbeth.
Once Macbeth becomes king he quickly comes to terms with the part he played in Duncan’s death. This leads to their roles in the relationship quickly swapping, and Macbeth firmly establishes control. Macbeth is now so confident with his newfound dominance that he takes it entirely upon himself to hire the Murderers. This is stark contrast to earlier, when Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth “Leave all the rest to me,” and takes it upon herself to mastermind Duncan’s murder. Macbeth is very confident in control, and shows great power and manliness.
When Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo, he momentarily loses control. Lady Macbeth then briefly regains the stature of being the dominant figure. She shows great power in swiftly ordering the Lords to leave. She very authoritatively tells them “At once, good night:- stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once.” This shows us that she is still, at this moment, capable of being the dominant powerful figure in the relationship.
In Act 5 we can see how each have become affected by their actions. We can see that Lady Macbeth cannot cope with her position of importance and dominance. She cannot get over the part she played in the death of Duncan, and the gentle woman says about Lady Macbeths simulated action of washing her hands, (washing the blood off them) “I have known her to continue in this a quarter of an hour.” She is obviously suffering from some sort of insanity, and has lost all of the power and control that she once had.
When Macbeth is informed of Lady Macbeth’s death, although he seems distressed, he is still strong enough not to let it affect him a great deal. This is what we have now come to expect from the now dominant and powerful Macbeth, but is a great dissimilarity to earlier, when he was described by Lady Macbeth as “full o’ the milk of human kindness.”
From this essay I have come to the conclusion that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were so successful in achieving their goal of becoming king and queen, as they both took it in turns powerful role in the relationship, and helped each other in their time of need. Before they became king and queen they worked together as a team, this is shown by the way that Macbeth calls Lady Macbeth his “dearest partner of greatness,” however this is not the case after they gain the crown, as they both work as individuals. This may be a contributing factor to the deterioration of their relationship. Although parts of this play go against the way men and women behaved during relationships at the time, the final outcome is in keeping with the traditions of the time. This moral of this play is that women cannot handle a role of powerfulness and dominance, with Lady Macbeth yielding to the effects of her powerfulness, and eventually becoming insane, whereas men prosper with power and dominance, with Macbeth now stronger and more powerful than ever before.
