Do the Macbeths love each other?

Thesis:

Near the opening of his play, Shakespeare introduces the strive for power in Macbeth as the forcing factor of his love for Lady Macbeth; rather, as the play continues, Macbeth loses his grasp on power along with his love for Lady Macbeth.

Quotes said by Lady Macbeth

“Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor, Greater than both by the all- hail thereafter” (1.5.61-62)
“Consider it not so deeply” (2.2.41)
“Give me the daggers” (2.2.69)
“Come on, gentle my lord” (3.2.30)
“Question enrages him. At once, good night” (3.4.145)
“My worthy lord” (3.4.100)
“My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white” (2.2.82-83)

Quotes said by Macbeth

“My dearest love” (1.5.67)
“We will proceed no further in this business” (1.7.34)
“So shall I, love” (3.2.33)
“Let your remembrance apply to Banquo” (3.2.34-35)
“O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife” (3.2.41)

Key ideas

At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare displays the love between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as an aspect that is forced.
Shakespeare portrays that in order for Macbeth to gain power and become King of Scotland, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have to work together and therefore, they must love each other.
First task they must complete together is killing Duncan.
after the murder is done, Lady Macbeth is forced to comfort Macbeth because if she doesn’t his guilt could possibly get in the way of Macbeth obtaining the throne
Shakespeare displays that without their love for each other, they would not be able to carry out tasks that were needed in order for Macbeth to gain power and eventually become King of Scotland.
Lady Macbeth shows her love by comforting, protecting, and reminding Macbeth of his end goal.
Macbeth shows his love by showing his affection to her.
Macbeth has a great strive for being the King of Scotland and he knows that he must support and love Lady Macbeth if he wants to achieve that success.
lady macbeth is forced to love Macbeth because in order for Macbeth to be strong enough to obtain power, he needs the support of Lady Macbeth. In this way, Lady Macebeth is shown to be a loving, supporting wife.
In the middle of the play, Macbeth is gaining power and he is detaching himself from Lady Macbeth since he does not need her anymore.
Macbeth is starting to show that he does not love Lady Macbeth anymore because he doesn’t need her support.
Towards the end of the play, Macbeth loses his power as he is killed by Macduff in the last scene.
As he is losing his power, he is told that Lady Macbeth dies and he reacts in a way that leaves the effect on the reader that he does not care much about her death.
When Macbeth loses his power, he loses his love for Lady Macbeth.
Power and love are related?
Lady Macbeth is portrayed as loving Macbeth throughout the entire play.
She protects Macbeth many times and does many actions for Macbeth just so that he can gain power and become King of Scotland.
The ‘madness’ Macbeth has gained from all the power and him being King could lead to his mistreatment of Lady Macbeth and the fact that he may be trying to take advantage of her.
power is the key to the love between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Without the need for power, neither would find the need to show any sign of affection or love.

25-30 Line Passage:

(5.5.10-35)

SEYTON

    It is the cry of women, my good lord.

    Exit

MACBETH

    I have almost forgot the taste of fears;
    The time has been, my senses would have cool'd
    To hear a night-shriek; and my fell of hair
    Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir
    As life were in't: I have supp'd full with horrors;
    Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts
    Cannot once start me.

    Re-enter SEYTON
    Wherefore was that cry?

SEYTON

    The queen, my lord, is dead.

MACBETH

    She should have died hereafter;
    There would have been a time for such a word.
    To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
    Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
    To the last syllable of recorded time,
    And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
    The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
    Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
    That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
    And then is heard no more: it is a tale
    Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
    Signifying nothing.

    Enter a Messenger
    Thou comest to use thy tongue; thy story quickly.

Messenger

    Gracious my lord,
    I should report that which I say I saw,
    But know not how to do it.

MACBETH

    Well, say, sir.

Messenger

    As I did stand my watch upon the hill,
    I look'd toward Birnam, and anon, methought,
    The wood began to move.

MACBETH

    Liar and slave!

In this passage, Macbeth finds out about the death of Lady Macbeth.
Through this passage, Shakespeare leaves a surprising effect on the reader as the reader expects Macbeth to be angered and saddened by the death of his wife, Lady Macbeth.
Shakespeare displays Macbeth as reacting in a way that portrays he is indifferent about the timing of her death.
Shakespeare personifies 'life' in this passage and he uses this to show how Macbeth feels that there is an insignificance in life.
Shakespeare personifies life in the words of Macbeth to show that Macbeth does not see any significance in the death of Lady Macbeth, rather Macbeth sees an insignificant aspect in the life of Lady Macbeth.
In this passage, it is clear that Macbeth is not feeling any forces of love towards Lady Macbeth.
In the beginning of the novel, Shakespeare displays love between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as a forceful act because they are both seeking the same end goal of gaining power and eventually making Macbeth king of Scotland.
However, towards the end of the play (like this passage), Macbeth loses his power and this relates to the lost love between him and Lady Macbeth.

By: Dhir Patwa and Tulsi Patel