Macbeth gets quite agitated about what he has just done, and once again Lady Macbeth establishes her role as the more dominant figure, and tries to diffuse and calm the situation down. She tells Macbeth “Consider it not so deeply”, which means that the deed has been done, so just try and forget about it.
Although Lady Macbeth seems to be very calm and calculated, I feel that she is not only trying to convince Macbeth that the part they played in Duncan’s death is not so significant, but she is also trying to convince herself. Perhaps this is the first sign that Lady Macbeth is not the dominant ruthless, unemotional person that she thinks she is, and cannot cope with taking charge of the situation. What is ironic is the fact that Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth “These deeds must not be thought after these ways: so, it will make us mad”. This is issued as a warning to Macbeth, but in fact this is what happens to Lady …show more content…
Once Macbeth becomes king he quickly comes to terms with the part he played in Duncan’s death. This leads to their roles in the relationship quickly swapping, and Macbeth firmly establishes control. Macbeth is now so confident with his newfound dominance that he takes it entirely upon himself to hire the Murderers. This is stark contrast to earlier, when Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth “Leave all the rest to me,” and takes it upon herself to mastermind Duncan’s murder. Macbeth is very confident in control, and shows great power and manliness.
When Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo, he momentarily loses control. Lady Macbeth then briefly regains the stature of being the dominant figure. She shows great power in swiftly ordering the Lords to leave. She very authoritatively tells them “At once, good night:- stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once.” This shows us that she is still, at this moment, capable of being the dominant powerful figure in the relationship.
In Act 5 we can see how each have become affected by their actions.