Romeo And Juliet Patriarchy Analysis

571 Words2 Pages

Swati Joshi
Ms. Kilburn
9th Grade English Period 4
23 May 2014
Patriarchy in Romeo and Juliet
“The power of patriarchy has been to make maleness feared and to make men feel that it is better to be feared that to be loved” (Hooks). Patriarchy demands fear and control, and love cannot satisfy the conditions for this ideology. This proves true in the case of Romeo and Juliet, who disregard William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, societal patriarchy and conventions are disregarded by the protagonists.
The extent of patriarchy is a large contribution to conflict in interpretation.“And you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend/ And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets” (4.5.193). Lord Capulet wants and has complete control over Juliet and her actions. In these lines, he proves the social belief that patriarchy is required to keep order. Without Lord Capulet’s control, Juliet would be starving on the streets like a peasant. Romeo, however, declares,“It is enough that I may but call her mine” (2.6.8). By using “call”, he shows that he does not require dominance-rather, the decla...

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