Final answer:
Lady Macbeth advises Macbeth to be resolute and conceal his true intent, coerces him into committing regicide through questioning his courage, and dictates a plan to frame Duncan's guards for the murder. When Macbeth becomes guilt-stricken, she takes control, ensuring their plan does not fall apart.
Step-by-step explanation:
In William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, Lady Macbeth provides crucial advice to Macbeth about his hesitation and paranoid thinking concerning the planned regicide of King Duncan. She questions his manhood and pressures him to follow through with their plot, warning that his fear is akin to letting his desires go unfulfilled, like the 'poor cat' in the adage. Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to hide his dark intentions beneath a welcoming facade, insisting that they must appear innocent and welcoming, yet be deceitful underneath, like a serpent.
When Macbeth expresses doubts about the murder, Lady Macbeth chastises him for his lack of courage and resolves, saying they will not fail if they are bold. To assuage his fears, she details a plan to intoxicate the king's guards so they can blame them for the murder. Post-regicide, when Macbeth is overwhelmed with guilt, she tells him to wash off the blood and to return the murder weapons, taking charge of the situation by smearing the guards with Duncan's blood herself.