In Macbeth, love is a destructive force because it is inherently tied to honor. Assuming that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do genuinely love each other, the two have their feelings of love intertwined with their feelings of honor, both of the self and of the other. For example, at first Macbeth does not want to murder King Duncan because he loves the King and finds honor in being one who protects him. Yet Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he will be more of a man if he were to kill the king and take the crown:
"When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And, to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man."
Macbeth is persuaded by her words partly because he cannot take having his manhood challenged, and partly because his love for Lady Macbeth compels him to want to be manly for her. In this case, the loving relationship has a destructive nature because of its close ties to honor.
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