According to the clichéd nursery rhyme, "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the stroller." » But what happens if the “baby in the stroller” never comes true? Millions of couples suffer from infertility every year. Despite tireless efforts and sometimes even therapy, many relationships are strained by the curse of infertility. Both partners in a childless (but wanting) couple feel the tension of the struggle to become parents. Shakespeare's Macbeths are a literary couple who struggle with infertility. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth long for a child and react to their failed attempts to become parents in psychologically understandable ways. The inability to have children haunts Macbeth, the husband and provider of the relationship. Throughout this tragedy, one of Macbeth's greatest fears is that his legacy will disappear with him. Without the presence of a son to carry on the Macbeth name, the rule of the kingdom will be in the hands of another man's family. At one point in the play, prophesying witches reveal to Macbeth the image of a line of kings, all of whom resemble not Macbeth, but Banquo, in what Macbeth calls a "horrible sight" (4.1.137 ). Characters such as Banquo, who “should be the root and father of many kings,” arouse enormous jealousy in Macbeth (3.1.5-6). On numerous occasions throughout the tragedy, Macbeth verbally expresses his horror at the thought of never having a son, exclaiming: "On my head they have placed a barren crown/And put a barren scepter between my hands,/From there, to be snatched away by a non-linear hand. ,/ None of my sons succeeds” (3.1.66-69). Clearly, Macbeth is heartbroken at the very idea that others could reproduce... middle of paper ... the beginning of humanity, procreation served not only as a means of consummating a relationship, but also as the assurance that his lineage will continue. The despair and emotional stress felt by infertile couples such as Shakespeare's Macbeth and Lady Macbeth produce the expected, but certainly not desired, effects. Works Cited “The emotional effects of infertility on the couple’s relationship”. IVF.com. Reproductive Specialists in Georgia, 2007. Web. March 22, 2010. “Managing Infertility.” USNews.com. Stanford University Medical Center, March 31, 2007. Web. March 22, 2010. .Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Macbeth. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square, 1992. Print. The new Folger Shakespeare Library.