Macbeth Carol Ann Duffy Analysis

In both Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and the anthology of poetry written by Carol
Ann Duffy, many strong feelings about partners are presented. In both pieces of literature, traditional preconceptions are challenged throughout and I am going to explore some of the different ways that this is achieved.
At the beginning of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are depicted by
Shakespeare as in a loving relationship “my greatest partner of greatness”.
The use of the word “partner” suggests fairness and equality within the relationship which would have been a foreign concept in Jacobean literature and to a Shakespearean audience of the time. This affectionate relationship can be compared to Mr and Mrs Midas’s which is described as “halcyon” suggesting a …show more content…
Similarly Macbeth wasn’t satisfied with his title as thane and life as a “worthy gentleman” but sought more power and in doing this, lost everything he had once valued so preciously before. Macbeth had succumbed to his “vaulting ambition” which also has similarities with Faust who gave up his life where he originally “flourished” because he “wanted more.”
In Macbeth, one of the most striking aspects of their relationship is the power shift between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth’s dominant attitude and fierce determination is a sharp contrast to the meek and obedient mindset of most women at the time and is portrayed through the use of many imperative verbs “drink the water” and also the use of iambic pentameter which gives the impression that Lady Macbeth is finishing Macbeths sentences in order to direct him into thinking and doing what she wants. This is comparable to the way that Mrs Faust is the more authoritative figure in her relationship which is portrayed through the switch to hers and his rather than the traditional his and hers suggesting another power shift within the relationship. Lady Macbeth is very controlling and manipulative and uses