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How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth in Act 1, scene 5?

In this scene, Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a manipulative, ruthless, and diabolical woman. When she reads Macbeth's letter that acquaints her with his news from the Weird Sisters, she becomes anxious for him to come home. She believes that he is too good and kind to "catch the nearest way" to the throne, and she wants to "pour [her] spirits into [his] ear" and make him see her way.


She also prays to murderous spirits to come to her and remove any sense of remorse or compassion from her and fill her up, from her toes to the top of her head, with ruthlessness and strength so that she can go forward with the evil plans she's already making. Although she desires to be completely remorseless and without feeling, the fact that she has to pray for it makes it seem as though this is not really her natural character. She is ambitious, clearly, but if she were already totally ruthless, she wouldn't have to pray for assistance to be ruthless. Therefore, Shakespeare presents her as manipulative and ambitious, someone who wants to be tougher than, perhaps, she really is.

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