Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's Relationship

Macbeth loved his wife very much. At the beginning of the play, she participated avidly in his life and he informed her of everything that was going on. He widely accepted her advice and ideas and they were both avid partners in the murder of Duncan. Macbeth was very affectionate with his wife and when hee was speaking to her he often used words of such endearment, for example, "Dearest love" and "Sweet remembrancer". Although, the force and power that Lady Macbeth possesses over her husband is clearly established in Act 1, Scene 7. Upon hearing of Macbeth's decision not to kill Duncan, she is outraged and starts to work her force and power upon him at his manhood and courage. This of course works on Macbeth and she knows that it will. No one calls Macbeth a coward. She says that he is a coward and attacks his manliness. "to be more than what you are, you would be so much more the man". She challenges his love for her and says that she would rather "dash the brains out" of her own child than break such a promise as Macbeth has to her. Whether she was bluffing, the imagery that Macbeth would have had in his own mind at this point would have been freighting. To have the brains "dashed out" of his own child. Macbeth is so awed by this woman who is his wife, who has so much power that he cannot believe it. At this point in the play, Shakespeare reconfirms just how close the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is and that she has the power and he listens to whatever she has to say. Lady Macbeth is a major influence on Macbeth, but this of course changes later.

After the murder, Macbeth is still carrying the daggers and he seems to be quiet and uneasy. Lady Macbeth has to clean up what he has done wrong and has to return the daggers herself. Lady Macbeth is still very much in control. Here, Shakespeare defines both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth's strong and weak characters. Lady Macbeth being the strong one yet as a duo, he tones them down to be nothing but two whispering, frightened villains.

Later on, when Macduff discovers the body of Duncan, Macbeth acts suspiciously and draws attention to himself. It is then that Lady Macbeth has to help him out and draw the attention away from him and to her by fainting. She does this later on too, during the banquet scene. Lady Macbeth is always there to clean up after Macbeth and it shows that she is very concerned with him and he must not reveal himself. She tells him not to let himself be revealed.

The further deterioration of Macbeth and in particular, his relationship with Lady Macbeth is emphasized in Act 3, Scene 2. Here, Lady Macbeth's character is shown to be a lonely women who once knew everything that was going on in her life with Macbeth; she played a part in everything. She longs once again to have the relationship that she had with her husband, having a strong influence on him. She wants to know what is going on. He does not specifically tell her what is to be done but just hints that a "deed is to be done". This scene clearly shows what has become of their relationship. It is on a decline. They are no longer partners as Macbeth once said; his "dearest partner". They have swapped positions. She has lost the power that she once had and Macbeth has gained a power in which he never had.

Apart from showing the guilt that Macbeth carries with him presents once again, in the banquet scene, that Lady Macbeth is very alert and knows how to draw attention away from Macbeth, who fears the ghost of Banquo. She tells them to leave and she has once again saved him from revealing himself, she has protected him again and this presents us with the fact that she still loves him and cares for him and wants to protect him. Something that Macbeth cannot give to her in return.