Macbeth & Lady Macbeth's Relationship

Macbeth & Lady Macbeth's Relationship

1. a complex portrait of love, illustrating layers of utter devotion alongside overwhelming resentment

2. The couple begins the play unnaturally strong within their marriage

   • Macbeth describes is wife as "my dearest partner of greatness" -Act 1, Scene 5
     • Emotive superlative adjective "dearest" is a term of endearment & acts as a clear depiction of how valued Lady Macbeth is by her husband
     • Noun "partner" creates a sense of sincere equality
       • equality within marriage would have been unusual in the Jacobean era
       • this illustrates to a contemporary audience the positive aspects of their relationship
     • Lexical choice "greatness" may connote ambition
       • As they are "partners", Shakespeare suggests That Macbeth & Lady Macbeth are equal in their desire for power and control
         • Confirms their compatibility while also potentially hinting that said compatibility will serve as the couple's harmartia