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Representation of women in Shakespeare
Shakespeare history plays
The relevance of Shakespeare to the contemporary world
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There is a certain sense of modernity in most of Shakespeare's plays, as if he is writing far beyond his time, and perhaps that has to do with what Stone qualifies as the Closed Domesticated Nuclear Family. Although the time period used by Stone to distinguish this family structure from the other ones is technically after Shakespeare would have written this play, there are, once again, quite a few overlapping ideas that seem to further contradict Stone’s “set” time lines. For example, greater autonomy for wives and children is a factor of this family structure and the idea of Titania the queen of fairies as well as Hermia, and perhaps Hippolyta are all examples of women and daughters who demonstrate autonomous thinking and actions. The inclusion …show more content…
Many of the characters portray moments of individualism even when there are heavy consequences. Each of the members of the mechanicals have quite a bit of individualism even though they are categorized together as a cast of fools. Yet readers see each of these men’s characters and personalities shine when they’re performing in Shakespeare’s play as well as the play in the play. Another character representing individualism is Hippolyta’s character because of her extensive history in classical literature. Hippolyta historically comes from an island of women and doesn’t conform to the social identities and roles of early modern English women. Her character is “tamed” by Theseus in Shakespeare’s play, but the choice of Hippolyta specifically directs readers’ attentions to the individualism and freedom inseparable from Hippolyta’s …show more content…
The absence of male characters in this exchange between woman reveals a level of honesty that is present as these women gossip and discuss their personal lives. They are each talking about this previous and/or current relationships in a setting where there are not many obstacles to stop them from sharing their honest experiences with men and with family life. I think that this ballad demonstrates at the level of mass population how incorrect and overgeneralized Stone’s three family theory is because in this ballad, and many of the other ballads we have read, the women do not follow the stereotypical roles of an obedient wife and the men are often cuckolded or challenged. Obviously the husband and wife dynamics do not fit into the very limited boundaries and regulations that Stone has set up with his theory. The relationships between each of the women and their husbands vary so widely that it is impossible to make a general claim about all of their marriages and the marriages of everyone in this time period. There are a few elements that one could mix and match from any of the three family structures, but it is obvious from these discussions between the women that there is not a unanimous standard of what the family structure is. It is also noticeable that the women portrayed in ballads often do not fit into Stone’s theories at all and
It solidified the truth unacknowledged to them earlier--their friendships among each other were valued above their less than satisfactory marriages in their minds, something that if uncovered by their husbands would have surely placed them under detrimental suspicion. Throughout the story, after surviving the odds and preserving a dangerously unsteady life, the female characters proved that their devotion to each other could conquer the power struggle against the forced commitments they lived in. Society deemed their marriages to be untouchable and unable to be disputed in any way, but with the sturdy connections among them, wives found a way to tamper with the stereotypes and secure a better future for their fellow struggling
... of the families display aspects of feminine and masculine cultures, but not each in its entirety. For example, John takes on the role of the feminine culture because he states he will not marry Joanna unless her parent’s approve, attempting to use compromise and negotiation to come to a solution. Joanna takes on the role of the masculine culture because she expects her parents to approve and deliberately confronts the conflict by inviting John’s parents over for dinner. She faces the situation head on, without reservation - forcing both sets of parents to deal with the decision directly.
Before the Middle Ages, women were societally submissive to male supremacy. As the Middle Ages progressed, one develops a sense that women sought a change in societal order. Upset that they are not able to share their beliefs due to their position, women began to become more vocal. In comparing two great poets Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare, one sees a connection in their most well known works. Chaucer's view on women, demonstrated by the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” and the Wife’s belief that all women desire sovereignty, is welcomed by William Shakespeare but not achievable by Hamlet’s female protagonists, Gertrude and Ophelia.
In Shakespearean time and even up to the turn of the 20th Century men were expected to be the sole provider of the family, entailing them to be either well educated or hard working. They were also expected to be good with the handling of finances and property. It was also acceptable for them to be barbaric, boisterous and socially well connected. This has given the men of this time an overwhelming sense of power, respect and freedom; rights which were not given to women at this time. Far from what was socially acceptable in regards to men, the gender identity of women was of a somewhat weaker nature. Women during Shakespearean time were regarded as docile, quiet and non-opinionated. Their socially acceptable role in many cases was to be domestic, entailing them to spend countless hours in the home, tending to basic familial needs, such as cooking and cleaning. This position prevented many women to receive an education or to socialize outside of the home. As a result of their inferior social status, they were expected to be submissive and to cater to her husband’s needs at all times. Women in Shakespearean time were also treated as property, either by their husbands or fathers, which diminished any sense of self-worth they may have possessed. This gender ideology ultimately paralyzed women, as the majority were helpless to alter their social standing or designated familial role.
From ancient empires to the inheritance of simple family farms, the passing down of kingships and property has depended on patrilinearity. Maternity is essential to maintain this patrilineage. In Macbeth, Shakespeare vilifies Lady Macbeth as the anti-mother because she rejects patrilineal expectations. By both vilifying her maternal agency and using Lady MacDuff as a foil to Lady Macbeth’s anti-maternal attitudes, Shakespeare endorses traditional maternal values of Early Modern England.
"We may say that the dominant ideas in most societies are the ideas of the dominant sex, associated and mingled with those of dominant class." (Chedgzoy, pg.50) During the Elizabethan time men dominated society. Historically speaking males have always held more power then females in most cultures. Although a few cultures were Matriarchal societies. Yet even in these cultures women were not the superior power but were valued as equal to men. Most of the matriarchal societies viewed women as the embodiment of the goddess. Women have never been the sole dominant sex in a society. The fall of the Matriarchal societies occurred mostly from the organization of Christianity. The Christian ideals taught that women were not intended to have influential roles in society. In the Elizabethan era women were in a weak social position. In addition when Shakespeare writes about women he encompasses the complex issues that socially surround females. Shakespeare allows the audience to observe issues that effect their own factual society acted out on stage. At this time the society was definitely patriarchal, where women were viewed as inferior. In addition women had little to no power over there own lives. Fathers viewed their daughters as their propriety. Which left daughters in a powerless position. The power that women did have was their personal sexuality, virginity was prized and seen as a jewel. Once daughters were married their husbands also valued them as propriety. "Marriages were still arranged, as they had been in the Middle Ages, to further the interests of land-owning families. On marriage all the girl's legal rights ceas...
Centuries ago in Elizabethan England there were many traditions about marriage and the treatment of women. One strong tradition of these times was the practice of marriage between races. Interracial marriages were considered extremely taboo. (High Beam). In this era marriages were arranged by the parents with strong help from the local church. The individuals had little choice as to who they would marry. (Elizabethan England Life). Yet another example of these traditions was the respectable treatment of women. While the husband was in charge of his wife, as was the father, the husband were expected to treat the women right (Elizbethi). In spurning all of these traditions, Shakespeare demonstrates a view of marriage far different from that of Elizabethan England, in doing this he is trying to plant new ideas in the people who read or view the play.
A woman during the 16th century did not have the freedoms that a woman today enjoys. During Shakespeare’s life wives were not allowed the independence they take pleasure in today. Therefore, the role of the mother for Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is not commanding or authoritative because of the time period Shakespeare lived.
Gender roles are one of the most controversial topics in the history of humanity. Some people approve of them, while others disagree with them. Gender roles are defined as “the behavior learned by a person as appropriate to their gender, determined by the prevailing cultural norms”. There are times throughout history where gender roles were very unfair. However, some individuals still defied them in both open and discreet ways. One of these individuals was the famous literary figure, William Shakespeare. Although Shakespeare may have defied gender roles in some of his other literary works, the scope of this essay will be limited to his stellar play, Macbeth. In Macbeth, Shakespeare mostly uses three characters to defy gender roles: The Three
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.
While most Anglo-Saxon women were very controlled by their husbands, one would wish to be single. They were allowed to carry out their day on their own without being told what to do. During the Viking Age however, women gained their freedom. Even thought they were still married, their husbands were not so controlling and had the ability to attend different activates if they wished. On the other hand, Shakespeare did not view his women like this. His women were very cold hearted women who had the absolute power and control. Women during these times periods were completely different from the way Shakespeare viewed his women.
Throughout the historical literary periods, many writers underrepresented and undervalued the role of women in society, even more, they did not choose to yield the benefits of the numerous uses of the female character concerning the roles which women could accomplish as plot devices and literary tools. William Shakespeare was one playwright who found several uses for female characters in his works. Despite the fact that in Shakespeare's history play, Richard II, he did not use women in order to implement the facts regarding the historical events. Instead, he focused the use of women roles by making it clear that female characters significantly enriched the literary and theatrical facets of his work. Furthermore in Shakespeare’s history play, King Richard II, many critics have debated the role that women play, especially the queen. One of the arguments is that Shakespeare uses the queen’s role as every women’s role to show domestic life and emotion. Jo McMurtry explains the role of all women in his book, Understanding Shakespeare’s England A Companion for the American Reader, he states, “Women were seen, legally and socially, as wives. Marriage was a permanent state” (5). McMurtry argues that every woman’s role in the Elizabethan society is understood to be a legal permanent state that is socially correct as wives and mothers. Other critics believe that the role of the queen was to soften King Richard II’s personality for the nobles and commoners opinion of him. Shakespeare gives the queen only a few speaking scenes with limited lines in Acts two, four, and five through-out the play. Also, she is mentioned only a few times by several other of the characters of the play and is in multiple scenes wit...
In the plays Medea and Hippolytus, both by Euripides, the female psyche is a point of focus that is not explored in many other Greek tragedies. Through these plays, we can discover the way women were viewed in Ancient Greek society, as well as their concerns. We can also pay attention to how women are portrayed differently between the two plays. In Medea and Hippolytus, the women we spend the most time with are Medea and Phaedra. These women have vastly different values, but the cunning and determination they use to get their way are not as different as one may believe.
"Women have been taught that, for us, the earth is flat, and that if we venture out, we will fall off the edge." This particular feminist's belief, exposes a typical attitude that many women during the Elizabethan Era felt: restricted, dominated, and suppressed. John Knox stated in 1958 that a "Woman in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man", thus defining the term patriarchy. In a patriarchal society, the "authority in the family is vested in males through whom descent and inheritance are traced" (Ivan 00), and women are expected to conform to the social restrictions by demonstrating reverence and obedience to the males in their lives; they are merely commodities and dealt with as possessions. Shakespeare's tragic play, Romeo and Juliet, explores the effects of patriarchal authority exerted over women and the responses to it. Through Juliet, Lady Capulet, and the Nurse, he establishes a common understanding of this type of society, but illuminates three different reactions to the social oppression by portraying the responses of a passionate lover, an idyllic housewife, and a vociferous attendant.
Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997. 366-398. Neely, Carol Thomas. “Shakespeare’s Women: Historical Facts and Dramatic Representations.”