1. Lady Macbeth’s Relationship
How would a modern audience react to Lady Macbeth’s relationship with Macbeth
How might a Shakespearean audience have reacted to Lady Macbeth’s relationship with her husband?
What message does Shakespeare give through his presentation of the relationship of Macbeth and his wife?

2. How were women treated and expected to behave in Elizabethan times?
A modern audience might not be surprised about the way Macbeth treats his wife early in the play; he loves Lady Macbeth and treats her accordingly, with respect and as an equal partner. He listens to what she has to say and follows her advice. However, the way Macbeth treats his wife does not accord with the traditional views of an Elizabethan marriage. Men were expected to rule their wives and make, shape and form wives to their will. A wife had to be completely obedient to her husband and he had complete control over her. She was dependent on him financially and had little power of her own. Her role was to produce children, in particular a male heir. It was also felt that women were instruments of the devil, which justified men treating women as inferior and ‘keeping them under control’.
How were women treated and expected to behave in Elizabethan times?

3. Lady Macbeth was fortunate, in this period of history, to be able to marry someone for love. Most marriages of wealthy, noble women were arranged by the male members of the family in order to make alliances or increase wealth or status.
How is Lady Macbeth’s marriage different from those of other rich noblewomen in her day?

4. What was Shakespeare’s purpose behind his creation of LM?
It could be that Shakespeare was trying to show how dangerous and evil women could be if given too much freedom in a marriage and that a wife, like Eve in the Garden of Eden could still tempt her husband and lead him to his downfall.
What was Shakespeare’s purpose behind his creation of LM?

5. Therefore, at the start of the play the way Macbeth treats his wife is unusual. They seem to be in love and she is treated as an equal. In fact, Lady Macbeth uses her power in the relationship to control and manipulate her husband, so she seems more powerful than him. An Elizabethan audience might have been surprised and even shocked by this.
How does Lady Macbeth differ from a traditional Elizabethan wife and how would it change how an Elizabethan audience felt about her?