In the novel Wuthering Heights and the play Macbeth, you see this through Catherine and Lady Macbeth point of view. Catherine and Lady Macbeth want complete and total control over their spouse. They have a way of convincing the men that love them to do whatever makes them happy, no matter how tragic and horrible the situation may be. The control they have over these men destroy both of their lives, eventually drive the couple away from each other and drives them insane. In the time of Macbeth, women wanted complete control over their loved one. In the story Macbeth you seen this show through the characters Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth is an evil character, she still has passion, drive, and intellect, all admirable qualities. The queen remains our sympathy and respect because her crimes are done in the service of being a good wife who wishes to advance her husband” (pg 82. Thomas). The characters eventually become evil due to wanting too much ambition and demanding control of one another. Lady Macbeth uses the technique of making him question his manliness. “Of tyrannical usurpation of the monarchy and the usurpation of control within her marriage” (Thomas). Wuthering Heights is a struggle between men and women also.
The struggles in Wuthering Heights is different than the play Macbeth. “I love him more than you ever loved Edgar; and he might love me, if you would let him! ” (pg. 243 Galef). These lovers overtime destroy one another by hurting each other. These two use to not be able to stay away from each other. “Whereas everything else becomes vain, the ironic subject does not himself become vain but saves his own vanity” (pg. 243 Galef). Catherine has loved Heathcliff ever since her father brought him to Wuthering Heights as a present, but the love is not strong enough.
Lady Macbeth knows how to get control by persuading her man and uses that to her advantage. “She verbally manipulates gender values and expectations to suit her purposes” (pg. 81 Thomas). The power Lady Macbeth has causes Macbeth to question his manliness and causes him to break people’s trust. “Lady Macbeth’s strong will breaks as well” (Foster). Macbeth has done horrible things to please his wife so she will think he’s a man. Catherine has a lot of power over Heathcliff which drives him crazy and destroys him. “A period of unpleasantness, of disappointed love” (pg. 43 Thomas). Catherine chooses another man for the wealth and truly forgets her love for another man. The wealth that Edgar has makes Catherine think she is way better than Heathcliff while he thinks no one could love Catherine like he does. “Evincing a sudden and irresistible attraction” (pg. 242 Galef). No matter how much Catherine knows Heathcliff loves her and how much Catherine loves Heathcliff, they could never be together because it would be nothing but misery. One significant other having too much power in the relationship can lead to horrendous situation.
Lady Macbeth ends up driving herself crazy and ends up not being able to control it. “Lady Macbeth relative success is through associations with demonic forces and the faithful powers of the notorious three witches” (pg. 81 Thomas). Lady Macbeth ends up resulting to death because her guilt takes over. “Her guilt-filled sleepwalking scene and later suicide register therefore as bodily signs of her corruption and a self punishment for her transgressive “evil” ways. (pg. 81 Thomas). Catherine has complete control over Heathcliff’s feelings and it ends up ruining her mentally.
She wants to be with him but thinks she is above him and is doing better than him. “The reputation of deliberate heartlessness” (pg. 243 Galef). Although Catherine loves Heathcliff, she chooses to marry a wealthy man who she doesn’t love for her image. “It demands another person to whom it can communicate it’s result” (pg. 244 Galef). Catherine ends up losing her mind after she married Edgar, she ends up giving up on her life because she is so unhappy with her choice. Macbeth has a very tragic ending also, he has created a monster he can’t get rid of and never thought of being.
He was told “No man born of a women could hurt him” (Shakespeare). Therefore, he thought he was unstoppable and that’s what exactly ends his life. The man who killed him was not naturally born of a woman, “From his mother’s womb, he was ripped” (Shakespeare). Macduff kills Macbeth but Macbeth does accept his consequence and dies even though he knows he does not have a choice. After Catherine marries Edgar, Heathcliff makes a complete lifestyle change. Heathcliff ends up leaving for a few years, where nobody knew where he went and came back with a lot of money.
He seemed very happy on the outside but on the inside he was very miserable with whom he became. “Evincing a sudden and irresistible attraction” (pg. 243 Galef). He hopes to never lose his love for Catherine. After Catherine dies, he asks her to follow him as a ghost. “I can not live without my life! I can not live without my soul! ” (Bronte). Having too much power over your significant other can cause murders, arguments, and disasters, like they did in the play Macbeth. “Further her suicide is portrayed in more detail” (Shakespeare).
After the apparitions tell Macbeth that “No man born of a woman can harm you’ Macbeth thinks he is untouchable and can not die. Lady Macbeth had to be in control with every situation her husband was in, causing her to go crazy mentally. “She achieves her ambitions and advances her and her husband’s political interests while working within a stringently patriarchal society” (pg. 81 Thomas). Catherine left Heathcliff to start a family with Edgar because of his wealth but wants to die because she’s so unhappy with him while Heathcliff wanted everyone to die who got in his way of loving Catherine.
The couple turned into people they never thought they would be. “I’m very unhappy” (Catherine, pg. 78 Bronte). Too much control and power in the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine physically, mentally, and emotionally destroyed the people they used to be. “With your husband’s money, miss Catherine? You’ll find him not so pliable as you calculate upon: and though i’m hardly a judge, I think that’s the worst motive you’ve given yet for being the wife of young Linton” (Bronte pg. 83). In order to have a good relationship, the power has to be equal between the two lovers.
Lady Macbeth always found a way to make Macbeth do whatever she wanted him to do. This eventually drove the couple insane causing both to die at the end of the story. Catherine didn’t love Edgar but married him anyways and loved Heathcliff very much and destroys herself and Heathcliff with her decision. The point is in both of these relationships in Macbeth and Wuthering Heights the relationship was one sided and the women controlled them. Catherine, Heathcliff, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth all die due to the woman having too much control and driving them all crazy and becoming people they never thought they’d become.