daggers in Duncan’s room as Macbeth brings them back with him. ‘Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t’. Here, we see some emotion displayed in Lady Macbeth. Despite this, Lady Macbeth is the one who stays calm after Macbeth has murdered Duncan and takes control of the situation. He is feeling delirious and full of guilt that he does not have the strength to take back the daggers. Not only does she take back the daggers but also has the wit to think rationally of smearing the servants with Duncan’s blood so they may be accused of the crime: ‘I’ll lid the faces of the grooms withal, For it must seem their guilt.’ Again, lady Macbeth is presented as the one with more control and is able to steady Macbeth’s nerves. She repeatedly commands him to let go of his guilty thoughts otherwise they will drive him mad.
What is interesting to note is that it is Lady Macbeth herself that becomes mad. Shakespeare creates a slow change in Lady Macbeth from someone who is in supreme power and is heartless to someone who becomes fragile and delicate.
In Act 3 we can see that there is a growing separation between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth as she begins to feel the emptiness of her achievement, seeing only “doubtful joy’. Lady Macbeth appears increasingly isolated and this is evident in her change of language, in Act 3 Scene 2 , where she says “where our desires is got without consent” followed by rhyming couplets “line 6-7” where she gloomily talks about her feelings. When Macbeth enters, her language and tone changes- either she is trying to appear positive and strong or this is all because the relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth has deteriorated and is being sawn in half. At the beginning of the play, the Macbeths were close and loving, but after Macbeth has been crowned King he goes off and becomes occupied in his own duty and lady Macbeth is left alone, so she needs the comfort of Macbeth as without him she just falls apart turning her from independent to dependent. However, she does not let Macbeth know this as she goes back to her commanding ways when he is around.
As Shakespeare creates the impression that Lady Macbeth is still more powerful and dominant in her relationship, by changing the line structure. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have a conversation in Act 3 scene 2- where lady Macbeth interrupts with Macbeth twice, showing she is still more overpowering- and perhaps Macbeth is like a magical object which seems to make her powerful when he is close but when Macbeth is gone she becomes very weak.
This explains why in Act 5 scene 1 Lady Macbeth is no longer the devious and dominant person she was in Act 1,2 and 3/: she is now afraid of the dark” she has light by her continually. Tis her command.” And demands to have the light by her at all times.
Lady Macbeth turns from overwhelmed with power to overwhe