Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Social structure in humanity
Social structure case study
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Social structure in humanity
The Changeling by William Rowley and Thomas Middleton is Jacobean tragedy that revolves around a character called Beatrice Joanna who is the daughter of the wealthy Vermandero. Beatrice Joanna is a beautiful, smart lady that has attracted the affections of Alsemero. Her troubles arise when she falls in love with Alsemero although she has already been promised to Alonzo. Beatrice Joanna tries solving her problem by enlisting the help of De Flores, a servant but it unfortunately ends tragically. Her social structure greatly impacted the choices she had and also the outcome of the events. Beatrice Joanna can be said to be a victim of her social structure with regards to her father Vermandero, Alsemero and De Flores. Beatrice Joanna is a victim of her social structure with regards to her father Vermandero. This is because Beatrice Joanna has to marry Alonzo because was told by her father to do so. "How well were I now if there were none such name known as Piracquo, nor no such as the command of parents! I should be but too much blessed."(2.2.18-21). Beatrice had no choice in choosing her who she marries. Also even though she does not love Alonzo and does not want to marry him, she cannot say no. This is because as a daughter living under a patriarchal system, she must follow her father's wishes. Being the daughter of Vermandero restricts her from breaking free from the obligations and also the perceptions that go hand in hand with being the daughter of a high status man. Since fathers and children, husband and wives, and kings and subject modeled each other in the early modern system of patriarchal social hierarchy, Beatrice-Joanna's feigned obedience to her father positions her not only as an ideal daughter and wife but as an idea... ... middle of paper ... ...serpent, who goes and tempts the "broken rib" to commit a sin. To summarize, Beatrice-Joanna is a victim of her social structure with regards to Des Flores due to her high status and her status as a woman. In conclusion, the social structure that Beatrice-Joanna lives in is rigid and rather unforgiving. Due to where she stands in the society and as a woman, her choices and actions are limited. She is also put into certain situations and instances due to this and is unable to escape. It is unfortunate for her, because no matter how hard she schemes and plans to have things go her way, her social circumstance renders her powerless at times. Although at time she seems to be the one causing trouble as she is the one who made the decision to kill Alonzo, I believe she is more of a victim. After all, she loses not only her honor, dignity and chaste but also her life.
Shakespeare represents Beatrice as a very feisty, cynical and sharp woman during the play. We can especially see this when she uses her wit to shock the messenger saying, in act one scene one, that ‘he is no less than a stuffed man.’ This is exceedingly disrespectful to fashion such a rude comment about a man who is just about to arrive back from war. One thing Shakespeare clearly shows us is that Beatrice would not be the ideal woman for most men. To emphasize this he contrasts Beatrice with a weak and quiet character such as Hero who acts upon every mans instruction, we can see this when Beatrice says to Leonato that its her ‘cousins duty’ to say ‘father as it please you.’ Shakespeare makes such a clear contrast between the two women to the extent that Beatrice steals most of Hero’s attention from the other male characters in the play. Furthermore he shows us how Beatrice is perhaps a threat to the patriarchal society at the time, we can see this on page fifty-nine where she implys that it is her duty to please herself, whether or not her father consents. This is unlike Hero, who cannot do anything unless a man is fighting her corner, however Beatrice is willing to
...d longs for her elder sister and mother. Frances is a good person – at heart – and is always looking out for her younger sister. Moreover, even though she has different views that her father and will always do the opposite of what is expected of her, it is seen that this insecurity is caused by James indeed. Frances feels that in order to gain security in her life, she must perform these actions. She feels compelled to live her life the way she does. Frances’s naughty and mischievous behaviour can be viewed as a weakness she possesses, and she longs to correct these weaknesses by her actions. She is not a role model by any means, but she is by no means the Devil’s advocate. A sincere heart – compelled by circumstances – does its best to make the situation turn out for the better than the worse, and Frances, through her love for her mother, inevitably does just that.
` Benedick and Beatrice hated each other at first. In the beginning of the play Beatrice makes a statement of “...will happily go to hell with Benedick.” This proves that Beatrice does not like Benedick, more hate. There is clearly tight tension in between them, and some background hatred as well. At the beginning of the play, Benedick and Beatrice had a hateful relationship.
She seems to be unprovoked, but very rigid in her opinion of him. In Leonato's house, the discussion of Beatrice and marriage leads her uncle to conclude that, "Thou will never get thee a husband if thou be so shrewd of thy tongue.... ... middle of paper ... ...
In conclusion, gender role in Elizabethan era is very complex with respect to women’s role. Men are the masters of the home and society; they preside over every aspect of life. They are however, expected to take care of their family and also be actively involved in politics, war, and they inherit their father’s properties. Women role varied a according to their social status. All women were raised to be subservient to men. Unlike upper class women, lower class women were denied any kind of education. And all women are expected to get married and bear children. The qualities Shakespeare gave Beatrice are very significant because it contrasts traditional Elizabethan theater. Gender role has evolved over time, especially women’s role and it will continue to evolve as long as there are women like Beatrice around.
Beatrice's courtship with Benedick greatly contrasts with the courtship of Hero and Claudio. Hero gladly and willingly submitted to marriage, and she accepted the role of the relatively powerless woman. In contrast Beatrice chose her submission after openly criticizing the institution of marriage.
In “Rappaccini’s Daughter” the dual aspects of good and evil in humans are exemplified through the use of figurative language. In the story, Beatrice is described as a beautiful young lady. Hawthorne introduces Beatrice’s beauty to the audience through, “a sculptured portal the figure of a young girl, arrayed with as much richness of taste as the splendid of the flowers, beautiful as the day (3).” These positive traits of Beatrice are presented in order to express her goodness she is compared to flowers and day. In contrast to Beatrice being beautiful Beatrice is also poisonous. Author Roy R Male Jr. suggests that Beatrice is harmful, “The poison in her system-the token of her corruption brings death into the garden” (101). Beatrice is compared to death because creatures- lizard and b...
...he other hand, Beatrice and Benedick are comedy-makers and Beatrice is not ruled by her father as Hero clearly is. It does take Don Pedro’s benevolent plot to bring Benedick and Beatrice together, however. A modern audience would prefer Beatrice to Hero as she is her own self and admirable. The relationships also differ because Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship slowly grew whereas Claudio and Hero’s relationship was love at first sight. Perhaps it was a little hasty as we see in Act 4 how their love turns sour.
From the very start of the play Beatrice shows her independence but openly admitting to everyone that she does not, by any chance, want to be married, especially to Signior Benedick. Whom it was hinted at throughout the play had a past with Beatrice and the “relationship” ended up with her being hurt and him going off to battle. She makes it clear in their battle of wits after he says “….But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love no one.” (A1; S1; L122-125). After hearing Benedick say that she then replies with “A dear happiness to women. They would else have been troubled with a precious suitor. I thank God and my cold blood I am of your humor for that. I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.” (A1; S1; L126-130). This was basically her way of telling Benedick that she does not want someone to swear the love her when in reality the love is not actually there. She would rather not deal with the nonsense of someone who is not true to their word. Even at another moment in the play, Leonato says to h...
Beatrice is Transcendentalist and are both victims of corrupt science. Hawthorne’s use of nature in “Rappaccini’s Daughter” is used in the allusion to the Garden of Eden. Beatrice was poison and forbidden like the apple in the Garden of Eden. An antidote will destroy poison, therefore when Beatrice drank it, she died.
This paper will argue that Beatrice and her cousin Hero are used to show the gender inequality of the the Elizabethan era. The first scene gives good insight into Beatrice’s character. Benedict tells Beatrice how he will never marry a woman, and he will be a bachelor forever. To this Beatrice responds: “A dear happiness to women. They would have been troubled by a pernicious suitor” (1.1.126-127).
...ce of Aragon, Don Pedro. The political systems are also shown by the fact Don John was denied claim to his family's wealth because he was born outside of marriage. Secondly, I learned about household positions in Renaissance Italy. As displayed by the play, a noble household was headed by a man (Leonato) with daughters waiting to be courted (Hero/Beatrice), and maidservants (Margaret/Ursula). A third lesson was in medieval courtship. In those times, the girls were to be wooed and events such as the dance in "Much Ado About Nothing" were thrown to do so. When a man wished to marry her, he would ask her father for permission, just as Claudio does for Hero.
...God's creature, and craves love as its daily food" (Hawthorne 625). If she is evil, it is only because she was made that way. Her heart is pure. So in the end, the beautiful and innocent Beatrice is betrayed by the man she loved, Giovanni. For Giovanni betrays Beatrice because he thought she was evil, and truly Beatrice is the one who demonstrates to have true love. Beatrice proves to be very human, but with a poisonous body and a loving soul.
...o asks Hero about Claudio she responds with: "So you walk softly, and look sweetly, and say nothing, I am yours for the walk, and especially when I walk away." (2.1.81-83). Beatrice is what a woman should be. A more modern view of feminism would have had Beatrice not only make her own decisions but follow through with them on her own. While Much Ado About Nothing seemingly questions the traditional gender roles of men and women in Messina through Beatrice's resistance to them, at the same time, the play decidedly ends Benedick saying, "Peace! I will stop your mouth" (5.4.96), silencing Beatrice with a kiss. Still, it cannot be denied that Beatrice, for a time, equates herself with men and the power they hold. Unfortunately, she gives in to love and in so doing, she relinquishes her independence and self-control in the male-dominated world of Much Ado About Nothing.
...d such harm and destruction. In the end it is Beatrice herself who says it was love that forced her to kill. She ultimately made that moral decision. She confessed to Alsemero at the play’s conclusion,