There are not a lot of similarities between
historical Lady Macbeth and the fictional
Lady Macbeth.
 Lady Macbeth was married to Macbeth
 She comes from a royal family.
 Both had a goal of gaining back what
they lost the right to.

In the play, Macbeth was her first
husband. The historical, Lady Macbeth
was married before to a man named
Gille Coemgáin mac Maíl Brigti
 Historical Lady Macbeth was known as
Lady Grouch.
 Historical Lady Macbeth remarried
Macbeth who was her cousin in-law.
Both of her marriages were arranged.
 Fictional Lady Macbeth did not have an
arranged marriage
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In the early stages of the play, the Macbeths seem to be a devoted
couple. Their love and concern for each other remains strong and
constant throughout the play, but their relationship changes
dramatically following the murder of King Duncan in Act 2.
Macbeth’s devotion to Lady Macbeth is immediately apparent in
Act 1, where he calls her his greatest accomplishment and his
“dearest partner of greatness.”
 The Macbeths' relationship is presented in very strong terms in Act 1
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Lady Macbeth’s power is also shown through how she taunts Macbeth,
‘too full of the milk of human kindnesses.’ She thinks her own husband is
too feminine to be able to commit murder.
She is also very cold hearted, which is shown through her willingness to
help plot Duncan’s death.
Lady Macbeth becomes very passionate when plotting Duncan’s
murder, unlike her husband who is hesitant to go through with it.
Lady Macbeth influences her husband in a negative manner, she makes
him more ambitious which is a common theme among Shakespeare,
ambition kills.
Lady Macbeth doesn’t think that Macbeth lacks the ambition to kill
Duncan, she believes he lacks the heart and the malice to commit
murder. Which is why Lady Macbeth asks to be rid of her feminine
qualities so she can kill like a man.
Bloom, Harold, and Janyce Marson. Macbeth. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2008. Print.
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