MACBETH - SHAKESPEARE PLAY - QUESTIONS

After first one, then more, murders take place, Macbeth and his lady are united through their crimes, their mutual madness, and their mounting alienation from the rest of humanity. Most of the romantic love in Shakespearean plays began and ended with courtship and marriage. The Macbeths’ marriage is atypical, particularly by this standard. The Macbeths share an odd power dynamic, where they seem surprisingly attached to one another. Discuss how this couple are partners in the truest sense of the word.

Consider some of the following:

·       Though Macbeth is a brave general and a powerful lord, his wife is far from subordinate to his will. Indeed, she often seems to control him, either by crafty manipulation or by direct order.

·       Is it Lady Macbeth’s deep-seated ambition, rather than her husband’s, that ultimately propels the plot of the play by goading Macbeth to murder Duncan.

·       Would Macbeth have murdered Duncan without his wife’s powerful taunts and persuasions?