Final Answer:
Lady Macbeth's initial portrayal reveals her ambition and manipulation for power, contrasting starkly with her latest scene, where she grapples with overwhelming guilt and descending madness.
Explanation:
Lady Macbeth's entrance in the play showcases her as a determined, ambitious woman unafraid of bending morality to her will. Her soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5 demonstrates her willingness to shed societal constraints for power, urging supernatural forces to strip her of her femininity and fill her with cruelty. This underscores her unyielding ambition and calculated nature.
Conversely, her evolution in the latest scene illustrates a profound change. Consumed by guilt over the murder of King Duncan, she descends into madness, depicted through her haunting sleepwalking scene in Act 5, Scene 1. Her desperate attempts to cleanse imaginary bloodstains symbolize her overwhelming remorse and psychological torment, marking a drastic departure from her earlier confident and manipulative persona.
In essence, Shakespeare masterfully contrasts Lady Macbeth's initial drive for power with her eventual mental disintegration due to guilt, offering a poignant portrayal of the tragic consequences of unchecked ambition. This transformation underscores the complex interplay between ambition and morality, serving as a cautionary tale about the perils of unbridled pursuit of power.