Gender has played a critical role in history. Different societies at different times in human history have had varying notions of what it means to be a man, and what it means to be a woman. The majority of these cultures thought that men were to lead, govern, and work in the public sphere, while women were to maintain order within their families and in the private sphere. Despite this, there have been some exceptions to this trend, such as Queen Boudica of the Celts, Cleopatra of Egypt, and Queen Elizabeth I of England. In the case of Queen Elizabeth, the fact that she was a woman was not an issue to some people, but a grave one to others. Many people (mainly clergy) often told her a woman had no right to be a sovereign ruler, while her supporters …show more content…
However, the reasoning behind said criticism could vary at times. For example, in Documents 1, 2, and 5, the sources (John Knox, Nicholas Heath, and a group of English Bishops) state that a woman has no place as a religious, as well as secular, ruler because they view men as superior to women. In contrast, Document 7 is from a Catholic priest by the name of Edward Rishton. Father Rishton thinks that the cult of personality surrounding Elizabeth, who was also head of the Church of England, is an insult to the Virgin Mary. When England was Catholic, there was widespread adoration and respect for the Virgin Mary, but Rishton thinks that Elizabeth has eclipsed …show more content…
However, he was perfectly aware of the people who did not want her to be the Queen. Despite this, she seemed to focus more on the loyalty of her subjects than her opponents in her speeches. For example, in Document 11 (an address to Parliament), she, unfazed by the skeptics who view her as weak and unable to rule, asserts her right to the throne, and that her only husband is the Kingdom of England. In Document 12, she is defiant in her stance towards Spain and Parma, even as their fleets approach the English coasts. She does acknowledge that she may be physically weak because of her womanhood, but asserts her determination to rule is that of a man. This clearly exemplifies her ability to ignore her detractors and rule
She is clearly willing to do whatever is necessary to become queen.As soon as Macbeth notifies her that King Duncan will come to their castle that night, she tells him that tonight’s event will be all under her control.
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.
In today 's society women play a number of rolls depending on what area in the world they live in. Here in the western part of the world we are lucky enough to live in a society where women are able to speak freely and to share what is on their mind. If a woman disagrees with a man 's opinion or something that he says she is allowed to voice her disagreement. However, in other societies throughout the world women do not have as much of a voice. They are expected to be submissive to their husband and respectful when in the presence of other men. The female population is thought of as inferior to the male population. This sort of thinking is very similar to that of the mindset of the sixteenth century. Women were thought of
As we know and have learned over the number of chapters, in the early history women were seen as inferior to men for the most part. Men in the early history in almost all societies were the ones with the power and say so throughout the societies. Gender inequality shows a major presents within these early societies because that is how these societies were shaped to be. Even though these societies were shaped around gender inequality it was something that had an impact on many especially the women of these times. Because not only were women always given the short end of the stick but many felt as if they were just as capable of doing exactly what the men did. And in fact many women did whatever possible within their power to be the best they
Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a sickly son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?
The power exercised by royal women in Ptolemaic Egypt fascinated me. I particularly enjoyed the example of Ptolemy XII, who was “deposed in favour of his daughter Berenike IV…” (Shipley 213) Removing a father and putting his daughter in place as ruler suggests that ancestry is more important than gender. Although the decision of who should rule was still limited to those who were descendants of the last ruler, rather than the most able member of the population being selected, the fact that Berenike IV was a daughter and not a son did not hinder her. I was also intrigued by the fact that Berenike IV “ruled initially with her sister Kleopatra VI Tryphaina II.” (Ibid) Both women had the same royal blood and neither could claim dominance over the other
A woman was not seen as being equal to a man. This is clear in the laws dealing with marriage. Women were contractually obligated to remain with their husbands only, while their husbands were permitted to have a mistress or second wife. If a woman was caught with another man, she would be drowned (“The Code of Hammurabi”). Another thing that shows that women were not equal to men is the fact that they could be sold into slavery by their husbands at any time. Women did, however, have some rights such as the right to own property and the right to inherit and pass down that property. They also played very important roles in society. Some of these roles included shop owners, bakers, or scribes (Judge and Langdon,
Catherine the Great, really was a great ruler. I think that overall, she was trying to be very fair to everybody. In 1773 Catherine the Great had an edict called “Toleration of All Faiths.” With this edict I thought she was showing how everybody should be treated fair by tolerating free practice of people’s faith. However, the main purpose she did this was she thought it was a good way to pacify frontier territory. Then there were some instances such as how she treated the Jews and when she attacked the privileges of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was not tolerating all faiths. Putting that instance behind though I think that she really was aware of what her duties were and what she was supposed to do. She made it very clear in her law code that the End of Monarchy was to “Not to deprive People of their natural Liberty; but to correct their Actions, in order to attain the supreme Good.”
During the late 1800s, Great Britain flourished. It was a time of innovation and progress, directed by the leadership of Queen Victoria. Her limited political power allowed Victoria to have a tremendous positive effect on the British Empire. She helped spread and popularize new technology by using it herself and supporting it financially. She used her limited power to avoid conflicts and wars and was seen as a relatable figure due to her middle class values.
It can easily be seen that while men were considered to be the most powerful and wisest humans and gods, women had the power to significantly influence these men. From Uta-napishti's wife who convinced Uta-napishti to tell Gilgamesh about the plant that would make him young again to the examples mentioned above, several women were put in roles that had important effects on the men they encountered. Of course, this is not much different from the society we live in today. While many may believe that women have still not reached the point of true equality, it is hard to say that they are inferior and the significance of their roles in society is undeniable.
Queen Elizabeth I’s gender appears as one of the main topics in her speeches. Elizabeth’s common mention of her own female gender, despite the fact that she could refer to herself with masculine terms, allows her to use gender stereotypes. Using these stereotypes along with mentions of motherly love and her knowledge of literature and when to manipulate her gender, she can rally others to her side, explain why she delays her answers to Parliament, and explain why she cannot knowingly harm her subjects, but by doing this, she provides people with evidence that women are unintelligent and incapable of ruling.
Born on 24 May, 1819 in Kensington Palace, Alexandrina Victoria was the only daughter of Edward, the Duke of Kent and Victoria Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg. At birth, Victoria was the fifth in line after her father and his three older brothers. Eight months after her birth, her father had died and she was the next in line as her three uncles before her had no legitimate children who survived. In 1830 after her uncle George IV died, she became heiress presumptive next to her surviving uncle, William IV. The Regency Act of 1830 made special provision for the Duchess of Kent to act as her regent just in case William died while Victoria was still a minor. King William in 1836 declared in the Duchess’ presence that he wanted to live until Victoria’s 18th birthday, so that the regency could be avoided.
Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the “Iron Queen”, was a remarkable woman of her time, she ruled with great power and longevity. She was one of the greatest feminist of time. Coming to the throne in 1558, she took the place of her father, Henry VIII. She was given one of the most difficult jobs fit for a man or King, ruling England. At the time women were second class citizens, they could not vote nor own properties and such. Surprising England with her intelligence and fierce rulings, she changed herself to make better decisions. She proved through her rulings, to everyone that females were strong and could rule just as well as a king. She refused to marry, giving a feeling of “I don’t need a man for anything.” The Queen was responsible for giving females a voice in literature and it is shown through Shakespeare’s writings.
Queen Elizabeth the first was one of the first woman monarchs to rule alone in the history of Europe. Her character, the way she ruled, and even her gender transformed her country’s go...
In the Elizabethan society, it was expected for women to be obedient and to be in her place.