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Representation of women in Shakespeare
Characterization of women in Shakespeare
Characterization of women in Shakespeare
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The Elizabethan era gender roles were much different than they are today. Women were regarded as the weaker sex, and men were always dominant. These “rules” are shown prominently throughout Romeo and Juliet, and paved way for obstacles they went through in their relationship. The gender conventions for women and men were prodigiously stereotypical and unreasonable, as they made men out to be the superior gender. Women should not have been perceived as inferior to men, and these unwritten rules for masculinity and femininity were shown throughout the play. Romeo acted very feminine which contradicted his gender conventions while Juliet did not abide by rules and disobeyed her parents. Romeo and Juliet had many ways in which they followed and …show more content…
However, throughout Romeo and Juliet, Romeo possessed little to none of these traits. “Men in Renaissance society were expected to engage in public affairs in the way of soldiers, politicians, and other leaders; to be talkers, decision makers, and move events forward. Their lives were duty-bound to the state and were aggressive and self-satisfying.” (Leann Pettit 1). When Romeo is upset about having to be away from Juliet, he goes to friar Lawrence for help. When Friar Lawrence is talking to Romeo, he says that he is being preposterous and not acting like a man for sulking around and crying. Men were supposed to be valiant, and it was not very brave of Romeo to talk about attempting suicide as Friar Lawrence points out. Friar Lawrence says “Hold thy desperate hand! Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art.Thy tears are womanish; thy wild acts denote the unreasonable fury of a beast. Unseemly woman in a seeming man,Or ill-beseeming beast in seeming both!” (3.3.118-123). Friar Lawrence tells Romeo he is being very feminine, and that instead he should be brave and act how an Elizabethan man should. Another way in which Romeo breaks gender roles is when he blames Juliet for his lost manhood. Prior to meeting Juliet he has always been feminine, yet he blames it on the fact that because he was hanging out with Juliet all the time he became womanly. Romeo cries “O sweet Juliet. / Thy beauty …show more content…
Pleasing their husbands, parents, and families were all things women should aspire to do. At the beginning of the play, Juliet follows gender conventions. She always obeyed her parents and did what they wanted her to do. After Juliet meets Romeo, things change dramatically. Juliet breaks gender conventions by denying her parents request for her to marry her suitor Paris, something that was unheard of in Elizabethan times. It is said that “Marriages were usually arranged by the families of the bride and the groom in order for both sides to benefit from one another” (Women's Rights in Romeo and Juliet 1). When Juliet's father finds out she does not want to marry Paris, her father says “Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch!
I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday, Or never after look me in the
Romeo develops the theme of gender roles by being an example of society’s view of a male during this time period, Romeo also shows that he is aware of his masculinity when he states that by being around his lover,Juliet, he has become “womanly” and non-masculine, “This gentleman, the Prince 's near ally,My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt In my behalf. My reputation stain 'd With Tybalt 's slander—Tybalt, that an hour Hath been my cousin! O sweet Juliet,Thy beauty hath made me effeminate. And in my temper softened valor 's steel!”(3.1.114-120). In Verona, in Romeo and Juliet, the world of men and the measure of a man was determined by violence, sexual domination, and also conquest, Romeo displayed these characteristics with his first motive to go to the Capulet’s Ball, he went after Rosaline, Juliet’s cousin, whom he was trying to seduce, and this shows that Romeo saw Juliet by accident because he was only at the ball due to his determination to sexually dominate Rosaline and make her his. Romeo has given countless examples of the claim of masculinity through violence, but one example comes from when Romeo kills Tybalt, who had previously killed Romeo 's best friend Mercutio, and restates his masculinity as well as getting revenge on the behalf of his slain friend, “ Alive in triumph, and Mercutio slain!Away to heaven, respective lenity,And fire-eyed fury be my conduct
Juliet rejects all previous standards for women. She will not be confined to a relationship with Romeo that adheres to the courtly love tradition.
One clear representation of the reverse gender roles displayed throughout the novel is when Juliet proposes the idea of marriage to Romeo. On the balcony, following Romeo’s profession of love, she states, “Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow” (Rom.2.2.146). During the time of Romeo and
The Manipulation of Gender Roles in Shakespeare’s Othello. Of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, the story of the rise and fall of the Moor of Venice arguably elicits the most intensely personal and emotional responses from its English-speaking audiences over the centuries. Treating the subject of personal human relationships, the tragedy, which should have been a love story, speaks to both reading and viewing audiences by exploring the archetypal dramatic values of love and betrayal. The final source of the tragic action in Shakespeare’s
Lady Capulet abides by these rules when dealing with her daughter. She knows her husband is planning to marry their daughter to Paris. It is she that must prepare Juliet for the news because one of her duties is to take care of the household. However, Lady Capulet has no say of who Juliet should marry, because that is left to the husband who is lord of the manor.
Juliet decided to marry Romeo Montague, the only son of her family's enemy. "So smile the heavens upon this holy act. That after hours with so now chide us not." (2.6.5-10). Friar Laurence did not like the idea of marrying a Capulet and a Montague in the beginning, but the thought of ending the rivalry between them caused him to change his mind. Although Juliet knew all the problems and troubles off marrying Romeo, she still went for it since she was "in love". "Chopped logic! What is this? 'proud' and 'I thank you' and 'I thank you not' and yet 'not proud'. Mistress minion you!" (3.3.155-150). Lord Capulet was very disappointed to Juliet, but Juliet was in love and was willing to do anything for Romeo. Friar Laurence also ordered Juliet to leave and go back to her home since she was desperate for something to keep her from marrying Paris. "Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it./ Do thou but can my resolution wise. And with this knife I'll help it presently." (4.1.50-55). In desperate of going back to Romeo, Juliet was willing to do anything even killing herself if she didn't have Romeo back to her.
Juliet’s character is a collection of innocence, youth and naïveness. Her portrayal, however, did not fit well with the stereotypical view of how an Elizabethan women should have been. Women back then had to obey their fathers and husbands. They weren’t granted free will and so Juliet initial portrayal is girl who is an obeying daughter but when she discovers love she becomes a disobedient daughter to be faithful to her husband (Romeo).
Men in Romeo and Juliet want to be the strongest out of everyone. They think they are becoming stronger because of their attempt to be men. This is called masculinity. According to Appelbaum, masculinity says to reach a certain goal which one has set(Appelbaum, 251). In Romeo and Juliet, masculinity is largely prominent. As Romeo is about to commit suicide, Friar Laurence scolds him, saying “Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art. Thy tears are womanish; thy wild acts denote the unreasonable fury of a beast. Unseemly woman in a seeming man”(Shakespeare, 3.2.18). In essence, Friar Laurence is asking Romeo if he is a man, and saying he is acting like a woman in the form of a man. Friar Laurence is scolding Romeo for not acting like a man, or following masculinity. The men in Romeo and Juliet are trying to get to a goal, but sometimes it is impos...
Juliet’s arranged marriage with Paris, as well as the ancient feud between Capulets and Montagues, eventually contributed to the deaths of their children. In Act 1 Scene 2, Paris asks Capulet, ‘But now, my lord, what say you to my suit?’ which shows that Capulet and Paris are discussing Juliet’s possible marriage without consulting her, perhaps implying they think she is too nave to decide on her future. They are arranging her marriage for her, which implies that men are very controlling of women’s lives, especially those of their daughters. The scene establishes how Juliet is subject to parental influence, and how she is very constrained since her father can force her to marry whoever he wants. Juliet’s status as a woman leaves her with no power or choice in the decision of whom she should marry.
It is expected of her to do as her father declares, as the good obedient daughter she is. In this day in age, it was unheard of for the woman to choose the man they wanted to marry. These strict gender roles inhibit Juliet from choosing her own path, and holds an influence in her rebellion against her family. Juliet understands what is unfairly expected of her as a female, but continues to fight a losing battle of breaking free from those stereotypical duties. In a conversation with her mother, she inquires what Juliet’s position is on marriage, “Lady Capulet: Tell me, daughter Juliet,/How stands your disposition to be married? Juliet: It is an honour that I dream not of” (I.iii.64-66). This is one of the first and only times where anyone considered that Juliet may have a say in signing away her future. Perhaps it is Lady Capulet who asks as she too was expected to marry at a young age, so she can best understand what Juliet is going through and the pressures put on her. Juliet realizes that an arranged marriage into a good family is an honour, but it does not seem to be something that she is looking for in life. She does not want to marry a man simply because it is expected of her. Later in the play, Juliet is the
To begin, Juliet challenges her family expectations in favour of living a life where she can express her love to Romeo, who is her family’s enemy, freely. For example, as Romeo and Juliet speak with each other on the balcony, she states “Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (II, ii, 100-102). Juliet understands society will not allow her to be with Romeo, a Montague, because he is the family’s (Capulet’s) enemy. But due to her intense love toward Romeo, she is ready to give up her family ...
Romeo as a Typical Courtly Lover in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is portrayed as a typical courtly lover. In my essay I will be examining the first act of the play and exploring Romeo as a courtly lover and his transition from loving Rosaline to loving Juliet. In traditional medieval literature there were often fictional characters who were known as courtly lovers. At the start of the play Shakespeare has portrayed Romeo as a traditional courtly lover because he follows the rules of courtly love.
"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.
The Impact of Gender on Shakespeare’s Othello. In the book “Gender Trouble” (1990), feminist theorist Judith Butler explains “gender is not only a social construct, but also a kind of performance such as a show we put on, a costume or disguise we wear” (Butler). In other words, gender is a performance, an act, and costumes, not the main aspect of essential identity. By understanding this theory of gender as an act, performance, we can see how gender has greatly impacted the outcome of the play in William Shakespeare’s Othello.
In the Elizabethan society, it was expected for women to be obedient and to be in her place.