The Alarming Dilemma of Gender Inequality
Even with the many demonstrations and campaigns advocating for women’s rights, women still do not receive the same treatment men do. In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream–written by William Shakespeare–a young maiden, Hermia, wants to marry Lysander, but her father holds a different opinion, choosing Demetrius, who is also in love with Hermia, as her future husband. Hermia runs away with Lysander to the forest, where they get wrapped up in the fairy rulers’ conflict. None of the female characters in the story had authority over their male counterparts, which reflected the injustice towards women encountered during Shakespeare’s time. It is quite apparent in the interview “Gaming for Change” by Scholastic
Stephanie Robertson might assume that “most of the arguments [made by women’s rights activists] are speculative and not based on reality...Further, the con arguments are based on emotion...” (Iskra 1) However, the U.S Army’s fitness test includes these prerequisites: “The minimum requirement for 17- to 21-year-old males is 35 pushups...and a two-mile run in 16 minutes, 36 seconds or less” while “For females of the same age, the minimum requirement is 13 pushups...and a 19:42 two-mile run.” (Williams 1) Therefore, the reality is that women are held to lower standards compared to men. This is simply because most people believe that female soldiers are less capable than male ones, but as Williams points out, “How much respect can a male soldier have for his female counterpart, who is held to lower performance standards?” (Williams 3) In addition, Theseus explains how he convinced Hippolyta to become his wife: “Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword/ And won thy love, doing thee injuries,/ But will wed thee in another key,/ With pomp, with triumph, and with reveling.” (I. i. 17-20) Hippolyta was the queen of the Amazons, who were known for their dominance over men, which was an unusual system in their time. Yet it is Theseus who manages to conquer Hippolyta and her people, which certainly defies the logic of “not based on reality” since the Amazons are infamous for their extreme actions. There is no use in attempting to convince people that these contentions are not established on
With society’s past and present it is apparent that women are still not equal even if they have the title. Men are observably stronger and have a different mentality in situations than women. This is not to say that women should not be in the military but they should have the choice that way they can accept the responsibility and train themselves mentally and physically to achieve the responsibility and respect needed to fight for our country.
As a general rule, Women throughout history have not been highly regarded. This was especially true of the women in ancient Greece. In fact, “women were,” as Foley States in her article “Sex and State in ancient Greece,” “universally legal minors; citizen women participated at best indirectly in the political and intellectual life of the city” (31). This is the society in which the original Theseus was created, so it stands to reason that all of the major heroes passed down from that society would in fact be male. He...
Throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream the theme of conflict with authority is apparent and is the cause of the problems that befall the characters. It also is used to set the mood of the play. The passage below spoken by Theseus in the opening of the play clearly states this theme.
Society needs order because it is the keystone that keeps modern civilization from collapsing in on itself. Once removed, society succumbs to its most basic state: emotions. Pure, raw emotions fill the void where logic once dictated and the world falls into chaos. It is this very situation where Shakespeare drew his inspiration for his play, A Midsummer’s Night Dream. In a world with four lovers, hoodwinked by the lord of the fairies and his loyal servant Robin, disorder ensnares the human race and chaos ensues. Through the use of prosody, Shakespeare was able to juxtapose the Athenian nobles, the working class, and the fairy world to create a sense of disarray that demonstrated the human need for order.
William Shakespeare’s writings are famous for containing timeless, universal themes. A particular theme that is explored frequently in his writings is the relationship between men and women. A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains a multitude of couplings, which are often attributed to the fairies in the play. Each of these pairings has positive and negative aspects, however, some relationships are more ideal than others. From A Midsummer Night’s Dream the optimal pairings are Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, and Oberon and Titania; while the less desirable pairings are Theseus and Hippolyta, Hermia and Demetrius, Lysander and Helena, and Titania and Bottom. Throughout A Midsummer
Stereotypes are commonly held beliefs that most are all individuals sharing a given trait also should or do share other attributes to be associated with aspects such as race, religion, and physical qualities. In Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, he uses stereotypes to embody the characteristics of the stereotypical female according to society’s liking. The women in both “Othello” and “A Midsummer NIght’s Dream” are loyal and faithful. Women are bound by respect and loyalty to the men they love. Shakespeare has drawn a line concerning gender roles and the consequences of violating these positions (Bevington, 2014). Women seem to be victimized by society’s influence as they yield to these stereotypes that shape the
What types of dreams really impress you in your life? Would that be funny dreams, weird dreams, scary dreams, risque dreams, dramatic dreams, life-changing dreams, and even lucid dream stories. As a matter of fact, people’s dreams can be a kind of illusion because dreams skew their daily life into confusion—people cannot recognize reality and unreality easily. Similarly, love not only can be imagined, but also can make people get confused just like a dream.
Women have always been the backbone of human civilization, whether it be in ancient times or even in the modern era. However, they are oppressed and not given the same fundamental, human rights as men, like access to education, leaving this discrimination and sexism to span over prolonged periods of time. Specifically, sexism is seen during the Elizabethan Era of history when William Shakespeare writes his prominent dramatic piece, Macbeth. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, the prevalent theme of sexism is depicted in the play when Lady Macbeth, a character of strength and ambition, is shown as manipulative and inevitably weak when Shakespeare portrays her eventual downfall and suicide. Throughout the world today, the many different forms of sexism
Societal issues are problems that a small community of good people find disagreeable. Societal issues occur anywhere, everywhere, and at any time. The exposure of societal issues within a community may affect the relationships of the inhabitants of that community. In one of his most famous plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare presents many developing controversies that evolve through time. These constant disagreements in society include: gender roles, change, and love. Gender roles play an important part in society because men are portrayed as more influential and powerful than woman. Change is another substantial issue because some people can willingly accept change, but others disagree with the concept of change. . Love
The portrayal of gender roles in William Shakespeare’s play Othello, demonstrates the inferior treatment of women and the certain stereotypes of men placed on them by society. Both the male and female characters in the play have these certain gender expectations placed on them. In a society dominated by men, it is understood that the women are to be seen rather than heard. The women are referred to and treated much like property. If indeed they do speak up, they are quickly silenced. One woman’s attempt to be the perfect wife is what ultimately led to her demise. The expectations of men are equally stereotypical. Men are to be leaders and to be in control and dominant especially over the women. The male characters compete for position and use the female characters in the play as leverage to manipulate each other. Shakespeare provides insight in understanding the outcomes of the men and women who are faced with the pressures of trying to live up to society’s expectations, not only in the workplace, but also in the home. The pressure creates jealousy issues amongst the men and they become blind to the voice of reason and are overtaken by jealous rage, leads to the death of many of the characters.
During the Elizabethan era women had a status of subordination towards men. They had a role to marry and oblige to their husband’s wishes. Shakespearean literature, especially illustrates how a woman is psychologically and physically lesser to their male counterpart. The play, Othello, uses that aspect in many different ways. From a Feminist lens others are able to vividly examine how women were subjected to blatant inferiority. Being displayed as tools for men to abuse, women were characterized as possessions and submissive; only during the last portion of the play did the power of women take heed.
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest provides dialogue that portrays the social expectations and stereotypes imposed upon women in Elizabethan times. Even though the play has only one primary female character, Miranda, the play also includes another women; Sycorax, although she does not play as large a roll. During many scenes, the play illustrates the characteristics that represent the ideal woman within Elizabethan society. These characteristics support the fact that men considered women as a mere object that they had the luxury of owning and were nowhere near equal to them. Feminists can interpret the play as a depiction of the sexist treatment of women and would disagree with many of the characteristics and expectations that make Miranda the ideal woman. From this perspective, The Tempest can be used to objectify the common expectations and treatment of women within the 16th and 17th Centuries and compare and contrast to those of today.
In his novel, Othello, he uses the courage of the women in his literature to depict how women should be treated, and to contrast from how little respect they once obtained. The society in Shakespeare’s Othello is strongly dominated by men who were the political and military leaders of their homeland during the Elizabethan era. These men are expected to stay loyal to their reputations and to uphold the strong sense of character that earned them their positions in the first place. In contrast, during the Elizabethan period of time women were viewed as weak second-class citizens and inferior to males, with their only job being to serve their men.
Night's Dream, one will notice an immense difference in the way that a noble woman compared
William Shakespeare’s famed tragic, Hamlet, is a story centered around sin, suffering, and death. This popular piece is a highly controversial work of interest for critics concerned in regards to gender rights. Hamlet is a play, written from a male-centered viewpoint, and that which primarily stresses the male characters and their experiences as a replacement instead of assimilating the views and impacts of the women as well. Gender inequality is a dominant theme in Hamlet, in which women are considered and labeled as feeble and submissive because control and manipulation use them, by male dominance.