We see Lady Macbeth's absolute willingness to manipulate Macbeth even before he returns to their home. After she receives his letter, in which he acquaints her with his interaction with the Weird Sisters and his subsequent reward with the title Thane of Cawdor, she laments that he is only mildly ambitious and lacks the "illness" that would compel him to "catch the nearest way" to the throne (i.e., killing the current king). She wishes him home so that she can begin her manipulation of him to this end:
Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear
And chastise with the valor of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round (1.5.28–31)
In expressing her desire to pour her spirits into his ear, she makes it clear that she intends to persuade and cajole him—to do whatever is necessary to get him to do her bidding.
When he does arrive home, she immediately begins to issue instructions to him on how he should look and behave when the king arrives. She says,
To beguile the time,
(The entire section contains 3 answers and 983 words.)
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