The length of time they have been together is evident to be a very long time as she knows exactly what makes him react and how to pull his strings to do what she wants him to do. She has a lot of power over Macbeth and this is easily demonstrated as she persuades him to commit murder. She knows how to fuel his fire of ambition, and uses this path to do what she wants.
At the start of the play we meet them separately. This is significant as it shows Macbeth away from the control of his wife and also shows what Lady Macbeth really thinks of her husband. This gives the watcher the true impression of the pair - Macbeth not under Lady Macbeth’s command and also Lady Macbeth not trying to control him. Macbeth is first described by his fellow warriors of his valour in battle. Then we meet him with his best friend Banquo. The witches scene shows Macbeth to be a loyal and strong warrior as he will not accept the hailing of King nor Cawdor. However, his fatal flaw (his ambition) starts to show through as he is disturbed by his own thought son becoming King. He is starting to contemplate murder even without his wife. When we meet Lady Macbeth she is shown to be cold and calculating who will stop at nothing to receive what she believes can be grasped by her and her husband.
I do think that the couple are very close together as they can anticipate the other’s actions. They are also seen to be very close by other characters. Duncan in particular “…and his great love (sharp as his spur) hath holp him…..fair and noble hostess…”comments on their closeness and says nothing but kindness for them. They help each other along at times when the other is lost or confused. Lady Macbeth is quite in control of the relationship but Macbeth is quite happy to let her be in command. Even though at times when he does disagree with her and they enter an argument it is always Lady Macbeth who triumphs. This may indicate Macbeth has little practise in being in command. However, control is not always in Lady Macbeth’s court as shown in the post-murder scene when she shows vulnerability “…who would have thought the old man would have so much blood….”. Macbeth enters and readily slips into the support role, helping her rally. Even though she seems to come to her senses when she realises he has brought both daggers back and begins to scold him. This shows that Macbeth has no hesitation in supporting his wife and will always be there for her. They use each other to rally around, acting as a unit, helping one another, even when the line of control is firmly pointing towards Lady Macbeth.
At the start of the play the couple are firmly a unit and act as one. However, slowly but surely a divide becomes evident. This starts right after the murder - Macbeth becoming more and more hardened towards killing while Lady Macbeth begins to doubt the point in the extremity that they went to. While Macbeth is easily prepared to kill again (his best friend and son) Lady Macbeth shows a weakness and frailty which flaws her strong image. The divide greatens as Macbeth refuses to tell his own wife about the plans to kill Banquo and then Macduff and his family. The gap between the two becomes too great at the banquet scene. Macbeth has taken a path which his wife simply will not follow, they are separated both mentally and spiritually. Lady Macbeth can see no end to the killings while Macbeth becomes more and more comfortable with the idea of killing to get what he wants. When Lady Macbeth finds out about Banquo’s death she is driven into the deep end and cannot get out. This is then further heightened when the killings of Macduff’s wife and children are revealed. The audience’s views by the end of the play, like many things in the play, have been reversed. Sympathy is given to Lady Macbeth because she can no longer cope with what both her and her husband have done. She is driven insane by guilt and wishes reconcile. Macbeth on the other hand has hardened himself. He finds killing no longer a problem as long as it benefits him and prolongs his reign. He has become ruthless, his ambition too great, an all consuming fire. Lady Macbeth’s talk while she is insane only serves to further the sadness and sympathy felt for her by the audience. Quotes from earlier in the play are picked up on, such as the post-murder. The routine of sleep walking, writing a letter, folding it and sealing it and then going back to bed leads a suggestion to the audience that this is a letter of penance, sorrow at the very least, as she is trying to sort out in her mind what has happened.
The relationship between the two, like many things in the play, is all about role reversal. Lady Macbeth plays a stereotypical male being ruthless and commanding everyone else around. Macbeth dithers and hesitates for his morals and scruples and yet quite easily has the power to be strong and powerful. At the beginning it is Lady Macbeth who is cold and calculating while Macbeth is merciful and wishes only to show his loyalty to the king. However, by the end it is Macbeth who is cold and ruthless while Lady Macbeth finally slips from her strong image into someone wracked with guilt and only wanting an escape. At the death of Lady Macbeth, he looks at his life and achievements and finds it all so pointless. Without her he is leaderless and his motivation is gone. His cold sheath is lifted and you are left with a man that is filled with remorse and sorrow for his loss. His light of his life is gone and he is questioning just what is the point in life at all. This is the good side of Macbeth returned however it is too late. Macduff then fights him to the death, and of course, he loses. He only fights for his pride and his willingness not to die an unworthy death.
The main tragedy of the play is the obvious love the pair have for each other, no matter what the type, and yet they died so far apart.
