Lady Macbeth

Women may be the weaker sex, but that does not mean that they don’t have a tremendous amount of power. Lady Macbeth is an example of how women can wield their feminine power for good or evil ends. She was so consumed with ambition, pride and greed that she had to renounce her womanhood in order to accomplish the desire of her heart. “Unsex me here.” She turned her back on her feminine attributes in order to gain the nerve to be an accomplice to murder.
When women turn their back on their natural inclinations there is a coarsening in the fabric of society. I can see how the women’s liberation movement has destroyed respect and admiration for women’s role. Motherhood and raising children at home is looked upon with contempt. I have been infected with this ideology because we are led to believe that our net-worth is equal to our self-worth, therefore if you are not bringing in an income, you are worthless. There are certain roles and qualities that are ascribed to women. I believe that women have an inborn desire to nurture, and are naturally inclined to foster growth and cultivate relationships. There is a gentleness that can soften and refine human beings when a woman is fulfilling her role and magnifying her abilities. When a woman realizes her privilege of being a caretaker then she is fulfilled and home is a place of peace which develops happy children and a content husband. This in turn creates the moral fabric for a strong and stable society.
There is confusion about roles and duties in our culture today. Women are bombarded with conflicting messages from many different sources which creates bewilderment and perplexity in her mind. For example, from the media and school and friends, girls are expected to grow up and get a job and perhaps have 1.6 children if it fits into their career path when they are successful and mature. If asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, and a girl replies, “A mom”, then she is derided. But the same girl is told at Sunday school to be a wife and mother. It is clear to see how a young lady grows up with a muddled mind concerning her role as a woman. But if we will go back and study our core books then the confusion will be cleared up. God has stated that a man is to be the protector and provider and woman is to bear and raise children. I need to remember this during times that I don’t feel appreciated or valued for the things I do and the life I have chosen. I may not have initials beside my name, but I know that the work I do in my own home will have impact on generations.
When Lady Macbeth was overpowered with ambition she chose to abandon her feminine qualities and disown her womanhood in order to gain her desire. Yet she could never escape the guilt which consumed her. All ended tragically because of her drive for power and her husband’s glory. She could have looked to her natural attributes and persuaded her husband to be patient and steer him away from coveting unearned grandeur. Unfortunately, she didn’t listen to her womanly virtues and tragedy unfolded at every end. Copyright L.L. Williams