In Act 1 of Macbeth, how does Lady Macbeth use her opinion of her husband to convince him to kill Duncan?

Lady Macbeth's opinion of Macbeth's character is that he is not manly enough. She even asks him if he is afraid to be a man. She insults Macbeth's manhood. She uses manipulation and control to get Macbeth to act upon his desire to become king. She ridicules Macbeth, hoping to strike a nerve which will help Macbeth follow through with his intention to murder King Duncan.

Macbeth does feel pressured by Lady Macbeth. At one point, he had decided to call off the murder of King Duncan:

We will proceed no further in this business.
He has recently honored me, and I now have the
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which I want to enjoy for a bit longer, and
Not cast them aside so soon.

Lady Macbeth responds by insulting Macbeth's manhood:

Are you afraid
To be the same man in reality
As the one you wish to be? Would you have the crown
Which you believe to be the ornament of life,
And yet live like a coward in your own self-esteem,

Clearly, Lady Macbeth asks Macbeth if he is afraid. She asks him if he wants to live like a coward. She is determined to talk Macbeth into following through with the murder. She uses manipulation and control to her advantage. She will not take "no" for an answer:

When you “dared” to do it, then you were a man;
And, in order to be more than what you are, you would
Be so much more the man.

Lady Macbeth uses terms such as"then you were a man" to try to get Macbeth focusing on his manhood. Lady Macbeth is shrewd, very clever. She is used to getting what she wants. After she tears down Macbeth's so called manhood, she is attempting to shame him into being brave. She is determined to become the queen of Scotland.

Macbeth is still uncertain and has questions about the success of his mission which is to kill King Duncan:

If we should fail?

To this question. Lady Macbeth responds:

We fail!
Only dig deep for your courage,
And we'll not fail.

Finally, Macbeth gives in and decides to follow through with the murdering of King Duncan:

I’m convinced, and I commit
Every part of my body to this terrible event.

In Macbeth, act 1, scene 7, how does Lady Macbeth convince Macbeth to kill the king?

When trying to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth does what all loving wives do to their husbands in similar situations.  She insults and berates him.  Lady Macbeth questions his ability to do what he said he would do.  In other words, she calls him a liar.  Then she really lays into Macbeth and calls him a coward.  

Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,'
Like the poor cat i' the adage?

Of course that's not the worst of it though. Lady Macbeth then questions his manhood.  

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.

Basically, Lady Macbeth is saying "I thought you were being a man when you told me you could do it.  Now you're not a man."  She is being deadly serious, but it does remind me of a scene from the movie "The Sandlot."  Ham Porter and the ball player from the other team are in a name calling argument.  The name calling is gross and funny, but turns "deadly" serious when Porter says "you play ball like a girl."  Lady Macbeth is doing a similar name calling by telling Macbeth that he must not be a man.  

Macbeth still isn't totally convinced, which is why he asks what will happen if they fail.  Her response is as follows: 

But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail.

Lady Macbeth simply tells her husband to "man up" and grow some guts.  If he does that, then they cannot fail.  

When does Lady Macbeth flatter Macbeth to persuade him to kill Duncan in Act 1, Scene 7?

In this particular scene, Lady Macbeth uses a great deal more insult that she does flattery to sway her husband.  However, after calling him a coward and saying that he's not really acting "like a man" at this point -- now that he's ambivalent about committing the murder of Duncan -- she does say, "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.  Nor time nor place / Did then adhere, and yet you would make both" (1.7.56-59).  In other words, she says that the decision Macbeth had made earlier, to kill the king, was a really manly decision, and he will be even more manly if he goes through with that decision now.  At the time, when he'd initially conceived of the plot to murder Duncan, nothing was ready -- it wasn't the time or the place -- and yet he still thought of and determined to enact this plan.  She seems to admire this and think it courageous and masculine.

Further, Lady Macbeth claims that if Macbeth can just pluck up the courage to move forward, there is no way that they will fail to succeed.  She says, "screw your courage to the sticking place / And we'll not fail" (1.7.70-71).  She makes it sound as though the whole plan hinges on him: if he can muster his courage then there is no possible way for things to go wrong.  This is relatively complimentary.

In Act 1, Scene 7 of Macbeth, how does Lady Macbeth persuade her husband to murder Duncan?

In Act 1, scene 7 of Shaksepeare’s tragedy Macbeth, Lady Macbeth emerges as stronger than her husband in a number of different ways. As the scene opens, Macbeth is contemplating the murder of Duncan, his king, but is hesitating about actually committing the deed. However, while Macbeth spends the first half of the scene pondering and feeling ambivalent, Lady Macbeth, when she arrives, is full of energy, determination, and questions.  Her sentences are initially brief and clipped: “He [that is, the king] has almost supped. Why have you [that is, Macbeth] left the chamber?” (1.7. 29). There is already a hint of rebuke in her opening question here, as well as in the question that immediately follows (1.7.30).

Notice, in fact, how many of her opening sentences are quick questions; she is clearly annoyed with her husband, implying that he is insufficiently resolute (1.7.35-38). She even implies that if he is slack in his ambition, he must also be slack in his love for her (1.7.38-39). Her taunting questions continue when she implies that he is timorous or fearful:

. . . Art thou afeard

To be the same in thine own act and valor

As thou art in desire? (1.7.39-41)

She actually raises the possibility that he may be a “coward” and literally likens him to the proverbial “fraidy cat” (1.7.41-45). Of course, by rebuking her husband in this way, she implies that she herself possesses all the traits he apparently lacks: ambition, resolution, determination, fearlessness, and manly courage.

Indeed, she challenges Macbeth’s masculinity, implying that he is no longer a “man” (1.7.49). She reminds him of his earlier ambitions and upbraids him for being fickle (1.7.51-54). Then, in some of the most famous lines Shakespeare ever wrote, she claims that she would be willing to dash out her own baby’s brains if she had to do so to achieve announced ambitions. Ironically, these lines make her sound like the very “beast” she had earlier accused Macbeth of being (1.7.47).

When Macbeth asks what will happen if they should fail to kill the king, she responds with another very abrupt question: “We fail?” (1.7.59). It is as if she cannot even imagine that possibility. It is Lady Macbeth, in fact – not her husband – who now outlines the details of the practical plot that will allow them to succeed (1.7.61-72).

She thus shows the kind of initiative and inventiveness she finds sorely lacking in her husband, whom she regards with a kind of contempt but whose ambitions she also seeks to re-arouse. In essence, she takes command, and she speaks so forcefully that Macbeth’s response implies that he is simultaneously intimidated, astonished, and impressed (1.7.72-74).

He also now seems to accept her plan of action and adds to it – a practical plan he might never have considered if she had not first proposed it (1.7.74-77). It is he who is now asking questions, and she is the one who provides ready, confident answers (1.7.74-79). She even elaborates upon her plan (1.7.77-79), once again showing initiative and inventiveness. Urged on by his powerful, almost over-powering wife, Macbeth now agrees to commit the murder, but even his resolution seems somewhat irresolute, as when he refers to the planned murder as a “terrible feat” and when he alludes to his own “false heart” (1.7.80, 82). Even as the scene concludes, then, he seems far less powerful than his wife.

How does Lady Macbeth control Macbeth in act 1, scene 7?

In Scene 7 of Act One, Lady Macbeth finds that her husband is wavering in his plan to kill Duncan. After a soul-searching soliloquy, he tells his wife that they will "proceed no more in this business." Lady Macbeth is outraged, and responds by essentially questioning her husband's integrity, his courage, and his masculinity. She asks him if he is afraid "to be the same in thine own act and valour/As thou art in desire" and claims that she would dash "the brains out" of her own newborn child before she violated, as her husband was proposing to do, her pledge to carry out the act. She then shifts to encouragement, urging him to "screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail." Her tirade is effective, as Macbeth gains a new resolve to carry out the murder of Duncan. So in this way she is certainly controlling--she seems to know that she can best motivate her husband to commit even the most heinous of crimes by challenging his courage and his manhood. 

What techniques does Lady Macbeth use to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan?

The techniques that Lady Macbeth has used to manipulate her husband have been well identified and explained in the above answers. I believe the question remains of why Shakespeare chose to have her use all her persuasive powers to make Macbeth go through with a murder he did not want to commit, a murder he deplores even while he is committing it. He tells her:

We will proceed no further in this business:
He hath honor'd me of late, and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon. (1.7)

Just prior to that, in a soliloquy, he has gone over all the reasons why he should not kill Duncan. It is obviously against all his instincts and inclinations to do what his wife wants. It would seem that Shakespeare was trying his best to make Macbeth a somewhat sympathetic figure by casting the blame for the murder as much as possible on his wife. We feel that Macbeth would never have gone through with the bloody deed if his wife hadn't talked him into it. She uses "sexual blackmail" when she says:

From this time
Such I account your love.

She is suggesting that she will withhold her sexual favors if he doesn't do as she wishes. She will be be cold, indifferent, uncommunicative, moody, unapproachable.

So if Shakespeare succeeds in making us feel a little bit sympathetic for the poor man, we also despise him commensurately for being such a wimp. He is a good example of an uxorious husband, one who is dominated by his wife. By the time he faces Macduff on the battlefield in the last act, we have had enough of him. He does not have just one Aristotelian fault but a dozen. He is a murderer, a tyrant, an incompetent ruler, a bully, a psychopath, and a henpecked husband. The only thing he has in his favor is his courage. He is actually determined to fight with Fate itself, personified as an enemy warrior.

Rather than so, come, Fate, into the list,
And champion me to the utterance! (3.1)

In fact, the main conflict in the play might be described as "man against fate."

What techniques does Lady Macbeth use to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan?

When Macbeth states that "We will proceed no further in this business," Lady Macbeth uses rhetorical questions to persuade her husband. She questions his ambition and asks whether Macbeth was drunk when he expressed the desire to assassinate Duncan. She questions his courage, asking if that which he had previously so bravely declared has now been overtaken by a lack of courage and conviction. She uses the words "green" and "pale," enquiring whether the idea of murder has now made him sick and cowardly.

She then states that she would from then on measure Macbeth's love for her in terms of how he acts. She continues asking rhetorical questions and wants to know if her husband is now afraid of putting his words into action. She questions his ambition to obtain "the ornament of life" (the crown) - would he rather live a coward the rest of his life than obtain that which he so much desires? She uses a reference to the "poor cat in the adage" referring to the fact that a cat likes fish, but does not want to wet her paws. Is Macbeth prepared to take risks to achieve his ambition?

When Macbeth states that he is not a coward and would do anything to prove his masculinity, Lady Macbeth then asks him what beast had made him break the promise that he had made her. When he made the promise he was more of a man than he currently is. She uses another comparison, this one a vile example of her determination. She states that if she had promised to murder her suckling babe she would do so and rip her own breastfeeding child from her breast and dash out its brains. This horrendous image indicates how determined Lady Macbeth is to go through with Duncan's murder. She would be remorseless. Obviously, she is using a very persuasive technique and wishes her husband to feel embarrassed and cowardly about not wishing to go through with the planned assassination.

When Macbeth expresses the concern that they could fail, Lady Macbeth tells him to "screw your courage to the sticking place," suggesting that her husband pluck up enough courage to continue with the deed. To encourage him even more, she suggests that she would get Duncan's guards drunk so that not only would they be able to kill Duncan without fear of being discovered or disturbed, but also that they would implicate the guards in their king's murder. They will then weep and wail to make their grief about Duncan's death known to all - a further indication that they were not involved but are shocked by the travesty.

Macbeth is now convinced and expresses his determination to commit the deed. 

What techniques does Lady Macbeth use to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan?

In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth chides Macbeth's manhood in order to persuade him to kill King Duncan.  When Lady Macbeth receives the letter from her husband explaining the witches' prediction, she immediately realizes that Macbeth is too "full of the milk of human kindness" to go after his ambitions.  At this point, Lady Macbeth decides to become a motivating factor in helping Macbeth gain the throne.  She sets up a plan and presents it to Macbeth.  He, however, finds Duncan a good man and a good kings, so he wavers in his decision to carry out the murder.  Lady Macbeth steps in and tells Macbeth that he would be more of a man if he would just go after his ambitions and carry out whatever actions are necessary to make his goals reality.  She tells him that he would be a coward to let this opportunity pass him.  With this, Macbeth is persuaded to act.

What arguments does Lady Macbeth use to convince Macbeth to commit murder?

live a coward in thine own esteem,

Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would" . . . .

What arguments does Lady Macbeth use to convince Macbeth to commit murder?

Throughout the play, it is Lady Macbeth who plans and urges her husband to kill King Duncan. In Act One, Scene 7, Macbeth agonizes about whether he can kill Duncan and doesn't feel like his ambition is worth committing regicide. Shortly after, Lady Macbeth enters and Macbeth tells her that he cannot go through with the murder. She then begins to question his manhood and asks Macbeth if he is a coward. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that if he follows through with the plan, he will be considered more than a man. She also makes Macbeth feel ashamed by telling him that if she had known he was such a coward, she would have "dashed" their baby's brains out. Macbeth then considers the possibility of failure, but Lady Macbeth quiets his concerns by assuring him that if he has courage they won't fail. She goes on to explain the plan which includes framing Duncan's two chamberlains then acting like they grieve Duncan's death. Lady Macbeth finally succeeds in giving her husband confidence to go through with murdering Duncan. 

How does Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to execute their plan?

As well as attacking Macbeth's masculinity, Lady Macbeth also coaches Macbeth in the art of deception. This is shown clearly in act 1, scene 5, when they are preparing for Duncan's arrival at their castle. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he should look like an "innocent flower" but be the "serpent" underneath it. In other words, he should act in a very friendly and warm manner towards Duncan, so that nobody suspects that he is planning on committing the murder. By providing this coaching, Lady Macbeth ensures that Macbeth does not let his nerves get the better of him. 

Lady Macbeth also persuades her husband to go through with the murder by taking care of the planning. She makes sure that Macbeth has access to the daggers, for example, and frames the servants afterward by leaving the murder weapon on their persons.

By doing this, Lady Macbeth takes control of the situation, making it impossible for Macbeth to change his mind.

How does Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to execute their plan?

Lady Macbeth, in Shakespeare's Macbeth, is able to persuade her husband to go through with the plan to murder Duncan by insulting his masculinity.

Lady Macbeth states that her husband is a coward, "and live a coward in thine own esteem".  She does not hold anything back when belittling him. She knows that by doing this she will be able to get Macbeth to do anything that she believes needs to be done.

She holds the prophecy of his throne to be true. Once she is tempted by the hope of the crown, she insures that she will do anything that needs to be done to insure that the prophecy will come true. By her husband gaining the crown, she gains the crown as well.

In a conversation between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, Lady Macbeth goads him into thinking that only through his murder of Duncan will he be considered a man to her:

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.

During this period, men were admired and held up based upon their manhood. To question ones manhood, as Lady Macbeth does, is simply saying that the man is worthless- similar to that of a woman during the time. Lady Macbeth knows that it is important to be seen as a powerful and noble man- this is the way that she is able to persuade Macbeth to fulfill his destiny and claim the crown.

How does Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to execute their plan?

Lady Macbeth comes across as more unscrupulous and ruthless than her husband, but since he had decided been connived by the witches into believing that he would become king by greeting him with the title 'thane of Cawdor' and saying that he shall be 'king hereafter,' it did not take too much for her to persuade him to commit the most grievous of crimes - the ultimate betrayal.

Macbeth expressed doubt about murdering his king and cousin since, as he reasoned, he was too close to him - Duncan was his kin. Added to that was the fact that Duncan was a guest in his castle and needed his protection, not his rancor. He had been such a good and noble king, that there would be a terrible outcry if he should be found murdered. Macbeth then told his wife: 'We will proceed no further in this business.' She however, was insistent.  

At first she asked what had happened to the hope that Macbeth expressed when he first decided to perform his evil. She rhetorically ask whether it was borne out of inebriation. Was he not at full composure when he declared that he would kill Duncan? She stated that she would henceforth adjudge his love on that basis. She thus placed him in a very uncomfortable situation: in order to prove his love for her, he had to carry through what he had promised.

She then questioned his courage by asking him if he had more nerve to speak about murdering Duncan than in actually performing the act? She asked whether he would rather obtain the crown than live thinking about his cowardice. She compared him, in this sense, to the cat in the adage who desired to have fish but was too afraid to wet its feet. Macbeth, in his defense said that he would do everything that a man is supposed to do, and even more. There was none who would do more than he.

Lady Macbeth was unrelenting and asked him what 'beast' had possessed him to break his promise. She stated that when he had made the promise, he was more of a man than he was at that point, and for him daring to be more than what he had been, would make him more of a man. She mentioned that when he made the vow to kill Duncan, neither the time nor the place had been an issue, but now that the conditions were ideal, he suddenly relented. She said that his fear had made him a coward and, using a horrific metaphor to illustrate how strongly she felt about making a promise, she said that she would pluck a suckling babe from her nipple to bash out its brains if that is what she had promised to do. 

Macbeth still expressed doubt and she guaranteed that they would not fail. Lady Macbeth showed just how wicked and scheming she actually was by describing a carefully constructed plan for the king's murder. She told Macbeth that she would get Duncan's personal bodyguards drunk by plying them with wine and ale. They would then be indisposed and the king would be fast asleep after a long journey. This would give them the ideal opportunity to commit their treacherous deed.

Macbeth expressed pride in his wife's 'undaunted mettle' (bold resolve) and was finally convinced. He suggested that they smear Duncan's blood on the daggers of the sleeping guards to implicate them. His wife added that they would make a loud clamor at the discovery of Duncan's death so as to avoid suspicion falling on them. Macbeth then expressed his determination to proceed and asked her to put on an appearance of goodness and conviviality, for: 'False face must hide what the false heart doth know.' 

What arguments does Lady Macbeth use to persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan?

Lady Macbeth strengthens Macbeth's resolve to kill Duncan in Act 1, scene 7, when he's told her that "We will proceed no further in this business" (1.7.34).  She does so by insulting his masculinity and implying that he will not be a real man if he does not go forward with the murder.  She asks him, "Was the hope drunk / Wherein you dressed yourself?  Hath it slept since? / And wakes it now, to look so green and pale / At what it did so freely?  From this time / Such I account thy love" (1.7.39-43).  She asks if Macbeth's earlier hope was simply drunk and how it can wake now and seem too be afraid of what it would have dared before.  She says that, from now on, she'll think the same way about his love: that both he and it lack commitment and resolve.  Further, she implies that he'll have to think of himself as a "coward" forever if he will not pursue the crown now (1.7.47).  Lady Macbeth says that when he dared to do it, "then [he was] a man," and that he would be "more the man" now if he will (1.7.56, 1.7.58).  She even claims that she would rather kill her own baby, had she promised him she would do so, than to go back on her word to him.  She wounds his pride over and over, tearing down his manhood and even insisting that she is stronger and more committed than he.

Further, Lady Macbeth argues that no one will be able to suspect them when "[they] shall make [their] griefs and clamor roar / Upon his death" (1.7.90-91).  She plans to get Duncan's grooms so drunk that they won't be able to remember anything about the night before, so she and Macbeth can basically do whatever they want to the sleeping king.  Then, the couple will seem to grieve and mourn so much that no one will think they had anything to do with the murder.  After insisting that Macbeth will not be a man unless he takes the throne by force, she assures him that he is safe to do so because no one will suspect them.

In Macbeth, how does Lady Macbeth persuade her husband to kill Duncan, beyond questioning his manhood and love?

In addition to questioning his manhood and his love for her, Lady Macbeth also bombards her husband with rhetorical questions loaded with innuendo and suggestion about his supposed feebleness. Her tone is thick with sarcasm when she, for instance, asks:

Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valour
As thou art in desire? 

In this case, she wants to know whether Macbeth is afraid to exercise the same courage and willingness to perform the deeds that he so desperately feels he wants to commit. She immediately follows this up by asking him if he would have the crown but then, by not acting, see himself as a coward.

Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,

She alludes to a popular adage in support of her question and wants to know whether Macbeth would rather choose not to take the risk than just do what he wants to. In the saying, the cat wants to eat fish but is afraid of getting into the water.

Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,'
Like the poor cat i' the adage?

Lady Macbeth later states that when Macbeth previously expressed his desire to kill Duncan, he was not limited by time nor place. He was prepared to create the ideal conditions to perform his dastardly deed. Now, however, when these ideal conditions do exist, it seems as if they have driven fear into him.

Nor time nor place
Did then adhere, and yet you would make both:
They have made themselves, and that their fitness now
Does unmake you.   

She questions his integrity and suggests that he cannot keep a promise. She uses a most horrific example to illustrate her determination in maintaining a pledge. She states that she would remove her breastfeeding baby from her nipple and bash out its brains if that is what she has promised to do. She is urging Macbeth to do the same because he has made a vow to kill Duncan.  

I have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this.

Macbeth, though, is still not entirely convinced and expresses doubt by asking what would happen if they should fail. Lady Macbeth responds as follows:

But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail.

Her allusion here could be military or musical and can refer either to the setting of a bowstring or the screwing of chords on a musical instrument. What she means is that Macbeth should be resolute and determined enough to go through with the murder. She will ensure the success of their devious endeavor. 

Lady Macbeth describes how she will ply Duncan's two guards with wine and potions until they are in a drunken stupor. They will be so fast asleep during the murder that they won't see or remember anything afterward. The guards will then be held responsible for the killing.  

At this point, Macbeth compliments his wife and seems willing to proceed. He suggests that they should use the sleeping guards' daggers to kill Duncan and then smear his blood on them. Duncan's sentinels will immediately be implicated in his death.   

Lady Macbeth agrees that it is an excellent addition to their plan for there will be no doubt about the guards' guilt. For their part, she and her husband will put on such a great show of grief that no one will question their love and loyalty for the then slain Duncan.  

Who dares receive it other,
As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar
Upon his death?

Macbeth is finally convinced and states:

I am settled, and bend up
Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.

He is finally prepared to commit his entire being to the execution of their foul plot. 

In Macbeth, how does Lady Macbeth persuade her husband to kill Duncan, beyond questioning his manhood and love?

Lady Macbeth uses several other psychological weapons on Macbeth to persuade him to follow through in Duncan's murder. She shames him by asking if he is afraid to act on his desires. She tries to make him feel guilty, asking why he would even raise with her the possibility of gaining the throne if he did not plan to act on it, implying that he had been unfair to her to raise her own hopes. She tries to reason logically with him, pointing out that he wanted to kill the king, but now when the time and place were right for such a deed, he suddenly didn't want to. She emphasizes the disgraceful thing he is doing by backing out when she says that she would rather kill her own nursing infant than do what he is doing now. Finally, she assures him that they will not fail because she has a perfect plan. Macbeth bows to her persuasion: "I am settled . . . ."

How does Lady Macbeth motivate her husband when he doubts murdering Duncan in Macbeth?

After Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle at Inverness, Macbeth develops second thoughts about murdering him. In act 1, scene 7, he tells Lady Macbeth "we will proceed no further in this business" because Duncan has honored and promoted him, and he is enjoying his new renown. Lady Macbeth's reaction is instantaneous and angry. She asks him a series of questions that all imply that if he fails to act, he is in her eyes, a coward. She calls into question his manhood and loyalty to her, claiming that if she had made a promise to him to kill their infant, she would have done so without fail. Lady Macbeth also reassures her husband that if he can summon his courage, they will not fail, detailing how she will do her part to frame the guards. She convinces him that the plan is foolproof.

The emotions that Lady Macbeth plays on are her husband's masculine pride, and guilt and shame should he disappoint her. At the end of the scene, she works to build up his confidence in what they can accomplish as a team.

How does Lady Macbeth motivate her husband when he doubts murdering Duncan in Macbeth?

Lady Macbeth tells her husband exactly what to do and says he is a coward if he doesn’t do it.

Lady Macbeth is thrilled when she gets a letter suggesting that Macbeth might be promoted to king.  She does not seem to wonder about the fact that the witches were the messenger for this.  She just goes with it.

In order to convince Macbeth to act, she talks sweetly to him.  She tells him exactly what to do.

To beguile the time,

Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,

Your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower,(70)

But be the serpent under't. (Act 1, Scene 5, p. 20)

Macbeth does not seem convinced.  At this point, he tells her they will talk about it later.  Lady Macbeth won’t take “no” for an answer.  She tells him, “Leave all the rest to me.”

When Macbeth decides he doesn’t want to go on, she gets angry and basically calls him a wimp.  She seems to indicate that she is more of a man than he.

Art thou afeard

To be the same in thine own act and valor

As thou art in desire? (Act 1, Scene 7, p. 23)

She is asking him if he is afraid to act for his desires.  She asks him if he is a coward, too.  Then she says she would be willing to nurse a baby and then bash its brains out.  When he asks he if they should fail, she scoffs and dismisses him.

But screw your courage to the sticking-place,

And we'll not fail. (Act 1, Scene 7, p. 24)

She is basically telling him that if he can get his act together and not be scared they will succeed.  She pushes and pushes until he finally relents.  She has convinced him.

Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth in a number of ways.  She insults him, flirts with him, and prods him on.  She basically lays out all of the groundwork, plans everything, and tells him he is a fool and a coward if he doesn't follow it.