Macbeth and Lady Macbeth: Not Partners in Crime

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In Macbeth you could argue that Lady Macbeth and that Macbeth himself are partners in crime and are equal in the eyes of the other, however in the eyes of the audience Lady Macbeth is a useful tool just there to ensure that Macbeth kills Duncan and receives Kingship. In Macbeth the fundamental theme is Ambition, not only because it is driving the force of Macbeth’s life but also because it is the theme which gives away the Shakespearean idea of tragedy in this play. It is ambition that causes Macbeth’s fall from grace and his inevitable death. “I have no spur… but only / Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself”, This admittance comes after he has considered all the right reasons for not killing King Duncan and ambition overrules all the right reasons and his conscious. Macbeth is a fearless warrior and an important lord who defends his King against treachery but his fatal flaw is ambition which he allows to be set into motion in his mind first by the witches’ prophecy and then the amount of ambition for him from his wife soon undermines his righteousness. He is not easily won over to committing the deed of treason and has many objections to the murder, however he is easily influence by his own desire to be King. This is the starting point of a violent and ruthless nature. At the beginning of the play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship is quite strong shown by the quote “my dearest partner of greatness”, this is the acknowledgement that Macbeth considers Lady Macbeth his equal and his partner which later on in the play brings on the idea of partners in crime. She may be seen as the driving force of the relationship as she is the one who organises the Kings murder till the last detail, including ringing the “knell” w... ... middle of paper ... ...composing. Their lives are inevitably joined, but whereas her character continues to support Macbeth, Macbeth is too preoccupied with his own role to support her. Lady Macbeth is not the equal of Macbeth in the way that Cleopatra is of Anthony in Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra. Her role is important but she is just a tool to the work of the witches. Macbeth is tempted to do evil and Lady Macbeth is the key person, the one person that Macbeth trusts and loves, who makes sure that his aim is thorough and complete. This does not make her his partner in crime but rather just what he needs in order to succeed and be King. After the murder of the King Lady Macbeth wants to support her husband, but she has no further role to play in his life except to interpret the image of queen. Because of this she is left on the sidelines and breaks down eventually going crazy.

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