The Yin and Yang of Macbeth & Lady Macbeth
The characterization of Lord and Lady Macbeth represents a symbolic yin and yang relationship that is completely reversed during the course of the play. In the beginning Lady Macbeth must steel the courage of Macbeth in order to infuse him with the capacity to commit murder. Macbeth, in contrast, wavers with respect to his course of action. By the end of the play, Lady Macbeth will have descended into madness due to remorse and fear over their heinous deeds, while Macbeth becomes consumed with the passionate conviction he can fight and win. In other words, though their particular strengths and weaknesses create a yin and yang balance between the couple, their personalities completely transfer from the beginning to the end of the drama. Nonetheless, this yin and yang balance is maintained.
In the opening scenes of the play, Macbeth’s ambitions are stirred when he is praised for his victories against the traitorous Macdonald. The praise of the king is demonstrated in a practical manner, Macbeth is provided with a new and significant title: Thane of Cawdor. This is a significant advancement for it puts him one step closer to the throne. Macbeth’s ambitions are further fueled by his encounter with three witches on the heath. The witches predict that great rewards will come to Macbeth. The words of the witches play heavily on Macbeth’s mind. He beckons for more information, “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more” (1047). Eventually he begins to imagine himself the better man for the role of King of Scotland than either the present son or his king represent. The witches have informed him that he will one day be king of Scotland. Macbeth knows his only hope of fulfilling such an ambition is to help things along by his own deeds. Macbeth hears the sounding of a bell and also sees it as a reason to further his own ambitions, “the bell invites me/Hear it not, Du...