Who is the Dominant Partner between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth? Essay

The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is very strange. In the relationship, throughout the play, both take turns to assume the role of being the dominant partner. What is unusual about this is the fact that at this period in time, the man typically was the one controlling the relationship, but in this case, for a lot of the time it is in fact Lady Macbeth that is the dominant force in their relationship. In Act 1, Scene 5 we can see that Lady Macbeth is very ambitious for Macbeth. I believe that the reason she is so eager for the prophecies about Macbeth to come true, is because she knows that if Macbeth becomes a more important figure in society, so will she. Lady Macbeth declares, â€Å"Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be what thou art promised.† This tells us that she is very optimistic and confident of the prophecy coming true, and Macbeth succeeding Duncan as king. Although this statement shows that she is confident of Macbeth becoming King, she then goes onto show some signs of uncertainty over Macbeth’s kind and gentle nature, by confessing, â€Å"Yet do I fear thy nature†. This tells us that she is concerned that Macbeth lacks the evil ruthless streak that is needed for him to kill Duncan and succeed him as king. In order to enhance any evil and ruthlessness that Macbeth does possess, Lady Macbeth tries to make Macbeth feel that he deserves to be king more than Duncan by using flattery. She says to Macbeth â€Å"Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor! Greater than both†, which through sarcasm suggests that he is above these titles, and thoroughly deserves to be king. In this scene we can clearly see that Lady Macbeth is t... ...d helped each other in their time of need. Before they became king and queen they worked together as a team, this is shown by the way that Macbeth calls Lady Macbeth his â€Å"dearest partner of greatness,† however this is not the case after they gain the crown, as they both work as individuals. This may be a contributing factor to the deterioration of their relationship. Although parts of this play go against the way men and women behaved during relationships at the time, the final outcome is in keeping with the traditions of the time. This moral of this play is that women cannot handle a role of powerfulness and dominance, with Lady Macbeth yielding to the effects of her powerfulness, and eventually becoming insane, whereas men prosper with power and dominance, with Macbeth now stronger and more powerful than ever before.