Act 3 is the last time Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are seen together. This is also a turning point in there relationship. Both of their characters have developed since the beginning in different ways, In act 2, scene 2 once Macbeth builds the courage to kill Duncan because he feels that fate would bring him to be King anyways, he instantly feels remorse and guilt and it’s Lady Macbeth who keeps him together. After killing Duncan with his hands covered in blood Lady Macbeth puts the daggers back for Macbeth because he can’t bare to go back into the room. Lady Macbeth begins to question Macbeth’s strength and manliness.
“Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures. ‘Tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil.”
Lady Macbeth appears to not be affected by the killing done by Macbeth and states that he is “infirm of purpose”. This is implying that his cowardly actions show how he isn’t manly enough and the now dead Duncan is just a picture in his mind and can’t do harm. Shakespeare uses the symbol of the blood on Macbeths hands as the death of Duncan. While Macbeth’s actions weigh heavily on his conscience, Lady Macbeth says that
“A little water clears us of this deed.
How easy is it, then!”
By Lady Macbeth saying that it’s easy to clear Macbeth of the deed just by washing his hands shows how the killing is nothing more than another death to Lady Macbeth, but Macbeth still feels the remorse and guilt of killing Duncan despite what the witches said.
However in Act 3, the separation of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is evident from as early as act 1: scene 1 when Macbeth starts to feel the power of being King. In act 2 Macbeth appears to lost the feeling of guilt for Duncan’s death and now only wants to solidify his position as king. He is willing to do anything that stands in his way. He decides to hire murderers to kill Banquo because he is afraid his killing of Duncan was for nothing if the next in line is Banquo’s children. The concept of power corruption is evident because it was argued that it was okay to kill Duncan because the witches said that was his fate anyways, however Macbeth’s choice to kill Banquo simply because he fears him shows the loss of his own morals that he once represented. And his choice to hire murderers rather than kill them himself also represents his loss of strength and morals.
“If you get what you want and you’re still not happy, you’ve spent everything and gained nothing.”Lady Macbeth says this and demonstrates the fact that after killing Duncan, Macbeth is still not satisfied. This shows that his inability to achieve satisfaction and his potential craving for killing.
Eventually the audience realises that Macbeth hasn’t told Lady Macbeth about his plan to kill Banquo. This is the beginning of the separation of the 2 of them. Keeping the truth from his wife and the queen shows how the power of being king has also affected their relationship.
“We have scorched the snake, not killed it. She’ll close and be herself whilst our poor malice Remains in danger of her former tooth.”
Macbeth describes his situation as slashing a snake but not killing it. The snake is a symbol for the people who can stand in his way, however the snake is driven by his own desire to kill and his satisfaction of killing. Macbeth is fearful of the thought of the snake biting back.