Does Lady Macbeth Actually Love Macbeth?

This is a question that has long sparked debate among Shakespeare fans and scholars. The text itself, in its ambiguity, leaves room for interpretation. While Shakespeare didn’t explicitly reveal whether Lady Macbeth is truly in love with Macbeth, modern interpretations offer a rich spectrum of possibilities. A performance can be compelling whether she is deeply in love with him or simply exploiting his ambition.

Opportunities for Interpretation in Shakespeare

Shakespeare provides a unique platform for directorial choices and critical debates. Traditionally, his works offer characters whose motivations and relationships are open to interpretation. For the relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, this ambiguity can lead to fascinating and varied stagings. A better question might be: "What relationship makes the best version of the play? What should a director choose and why? What are the costs and benefits for each option?"

Harold Bloom on Lady Macbeth

Harold Bloom, in his seminal book Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, considers the dynamics of their relationship. Bloom describes Lady Macbeth and Macbeth as 'profoundly in love with each other,' even suggesting this with 'surpassing irony.' Bloom wrote, 'Shakespeare presents them as the happiest married couple in all his work.' This perspective challenges the more common view that their relationship is one of manipulation and ambition.

Lady Macbeth's Complex Motivations

However, it is also possible to depict Lady Macbeth's actions as rooted in her own desires rather than pure love. She appears to love the idea of being Lady Macbeth, especially if Macbeth is more ambitious. Shakespeare’s text raises the question: does she truly love her coconspirator, his ambitions, or herself? Macbeth did not love his king until he was no longer needed; similarly, Lady Macbeth was a devoted wife until she sought a more powerful and controlling role.

Lady Macbeth's ambition overrode any love she might have felt. Her thirst for power and her desire to break the social and political norms of the time overshadowed any romantic feelings. Love, in this interpretation, is secondary to her naked desire for power. The text suggests that love is not enough if ambition and power are the game. The couple's relationship was fundamentally about the pursuit of power and the subversion of the social order.

By the end of the play, love seems to be irrelevant once the game is afoot and must be won. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship was centered on their shared ambition, and as Shakespeare portrays it, this ambition was ultimately all-consuming and destructive.

Conclusion: A Play of Choices and Consequences

Shakespeare’s genius lies in the intricate nature of his characters and the deep exploration of human emotion and ambition. The relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth is a perfect example of this. It is a relationship defined by ambition, desire, and the consequences of these forces. Whether we explore it as love or manipulation, the question remains: does Lady Macbeth truly love Macbeth?