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How women are portrayed in Shakespeare plays
Shakespeare's representation of women
Shakespeare's representation of women
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Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in the 16th century, at a time where the role of the woman was to be subservient to men and act as a wife to their husband and a mother to their children. Women were expected to conform to the expectations of society, and were seen as possessions by their fathers and husbands. Fathers arranged their daughters’ marriages, usually for financial or social gain for the family. In Romeo and Juliet, the unfair treatment of women is conveyed through characters such as Juliet, a young girl who is growing into the expectations of society, and Lady Capulet, who represents a traditional side of love and values social position rather than men themselves.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet centres on the relationship between two young protagonists, but much of what occurs during the play is as a result of the inequality between men and women. Juliet’s arranged marriage with Paris, as well as the ancient feud between Capulets and Montagues eventually contributes 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 naïve to decide on her future. They are arranging her marriage for her, which implies that men were 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.
Throughout the scene, we are given the impression that Capulet is ki...
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...t will accept his proposal. Lord Capulet takes it for granted that his daughter will do what he tells her, saying ‘I will make a desperate tender / Of my child’s love’, taking responsibility away from Juliet and perhaps suggesting that she can’t decide for herself. Juliet’s parents appear understanding of her grief at first, but then plan the wedding in only 3 days, not giving her time to grieve.
Capulet is shown to be very authoritative over his wife, asking her to ‘Go you to Juliet’ and ‘Prepare her’ for the wedding. This shows us that Capulet has no doubt his wife will do what she tells her, and the use the imperative verbs such as ‘go’ and ‘prepare’ imply that women were forced to obey their husband’s instructions. We are also shown that the role of the mother was to prepare her daughter for her wedding day.
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Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare, where a boy and a girl fall in love with each other during a party hosted by Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet. The two teenager decide to get marry, despite their family's hate for each other and only meeting each other a few hours ago. However, the Montagues (Romeo’s Parents) and the Capulets end their feud after they discover that their children killed themselves. Romeo and Juliet’s death was caused by Juliet’s parents, Juliet, and Friar Lawrence.
In the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, a quintessential pair of teens fall in love, but their fate ends in misfortune. The pair falls in love in a time where women are seen as unimportant and insignificant. In spite of this, Romeo breaks the boundaries of male dominance and shows a more feminine side. Throughout the play, there is an interesting depiction of gender roles that is contrary to the society of the time period.
Capulet's Treatment of Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet During the time that Shakespeare was writing Romeo and Juliet, the roles of people in society and the family were very different. Men were superior to women in every way; the father had full control over every aspect of his marriage and family. Children, especially girls, would have been expected to everything their father bid them – from chores to marrying a suitable husband. Men controlled every aspect of his family. He also owned everything his wife owned.
Lord Capulet was far more concerned about Juliet and Paris getting married than Juliet personal opinions. Lord Capulet is obsessed with Paris and likes him a lot more than Juliet does. He is desperate to get them married and will do anything to make it happen. “Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch!/ I tell the what: get thee to church o’ Thursday/ Or never look me in the face (III v 160-162). Juliet pleads to Lord Capulet to let her say one thing, and he is so wrapped up in her marriage that he wont let her say one thing. Lord Capulet is truly obsessed over the marriage and wants Paris and Juliet to get married as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Lord Capulet is still so obsessed with his daughter’s marriage that he is complain that he will have no heir to his thrown. “Death is my son-in-law. Death is my heir/ My daughter he hath wedded. I will die/ And leave him all. Life, living, all is Death’s (IV v 39-41). In this quote, Capulet finds out Juliet is dead at her bedside, and he doesn't immediately mourn for her. Instead, Lord Capulet is upset because he has no heir to his throne. He was so desperate for his daughters marriage that he couldn't think about anyone but himself when Juliet died. Capulet is so wrapped up in this marriage that he doesn't even consider her opinions, disowns her, and cares only about himself when his only daughter
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.
Although Capulet wanted the best for Juliet, he didn't give a thought on how she felt and had forced her to marry Paris which had caused problems that led to her tragic end. She didn't want to marry someone who she did not love and wanted to escape this marriage. Her method of escape was death. Capulet's controlling actions appeared as early as Act I Scene 2, when he was arranging Juliet's marriage to Paris without her consent. Paris wondered if Juliet would like him and Capulet responded with, "Of my child's love: I think she will be ruled. In all respects by me; nay, more, I doubt it not." (IV, 3, ln. 13-14). stating that he doesn't just think Juliet will like him but that he knows she will like him. When Juliet refuses to marry Paris, he shouted, "To go with Paris to Saint Peter's Church, Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither." (V, 3, ln. 154-155). making her agree to go to the church. Although she did agree to go, her thought of, "I'll to the friar, to know his remedy; If all else fail, myself have power to die." (V, 3, ln. 241-242). showed that she did not plan on marrying Paris and that she would die first. Juliet's arrangement to Paris had brought her death because it had resulted in the potion plan which had caused Romeo and Juliet to die. If Capulet had never forced Juliet to marry Paris, she would have been living happily with Romeo.
Considerable expectations are placed on Juliet due to her gender. As a female, Juliet was expected to marry the man of her family’s choosing, granting her no control over her future. Capulet and County Paris discuss whether Juliet is fit to be a bride. Although age plays a factor in this decision, Capulet is deciding his daughter’s fate based on the expected gender roles of her being the sole female daughter of the family, “ She hath not seen the change of fourteen years;/Let two more summers wither in their pride/
Youth and family play a big role in this tragic story. "Shakespeare delineates the hold of the patriarchal family on its children" (Kahn 18). This statement is true both then and now. Parents and elders will always have a hold on the children, but only to a certain extent. The two "noble" families of the play feel control and protection over both Juliet and Romeo; yet in the end, the only effect they have on the two lovers is that they have pushed them to the drastic measure of self-slaughter.
Romeo and Juliet has different roles for different genders. During the Shakespearean period, when Shakespeare writes, most women had to marry when they were teen, when they were in adolescence or even before. However, the men who they were marrying were in their early to late twenties. In the household that the women lived in, the men basically owned them. The women always followed men’s word, which says that the male was the dominant gender of the society. Romeo and Juliet reflects this in a number of ways. Juliet was forced to marry Paris, by the word of her father, who said that if she did not marry Paris, she would go to the streets(Shakespeare, 3.5.154-62). Women were thought to be weaker and less important than men in Romeo and Juliet because men are trying to be the strongest out of everyone, women have a lower social status, and men think they owned women in Romeo and Juliet.
Lady Capulet is very materialistic and she wants Juliet to gain wealth and status by marrying Paris ‘’Share all that he doth possess’’. In addition, because she got married at a young age, therefore she thinks it’s right for Juliet to be married at a young age ‘’I was likely your mother at just about your age’’. Moreover, she constantly urges Juliet to marry Paris without any sense of consideration for Juliet’s opinions or feelings, about the alliance of the marriage. Furthermore, this illustrates her cold attitude towards love and marriage as she only talks about Paris Social position and wealth.
Lord Capulet is a loving father who deeply cares for Juliet. When he arranges the marriage between her and Paris, he is just trying to do what he feels is best for her. He knows Paris, being handsome and rich, will make a good husband to Juliet. When she refuses to marry Paris he goes into a violent rage, saying things he doesn’t mean. “Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch! / I tell thee what: get thee to church o’Thursday, / Or never after look me in the face.”(3.5.166-168). He feels that the marriage of the two will be beneficial for Juliet and he loves her so much that he doesn’t mean to hurt her feelings. When Juliet “dies” he laments. “Despised, distressed, hated, martyred, killed! / Uncomfortable time, why cam’st thou now/ To murder, murder our solemnity? / O child! O child! My soul and not my child! / Dead art thou! Alack, my child is dead, / And with my child my joys are buried.” (4.5.65-70). He cries out in a pain and anguish for his lost daughter Juliet. By showing emotion on account of her death and for her disobedience, Capulet shows that he really does care for Juliet and that he is a good father, wanting the best for her.
While Juliet is not as overzealous with love as Romeo is, his effect on her expresses a different side about herself even she did not know. Romeo’s influence on her takes a completely different direction in which she was raised. ‘O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore are thou Romeo? 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’ – (Act 2, Scene 2 L. 33-36). Juliet grows up in a very patriarchal society and that means the father is the head of the house. What he says, go. When Capulet, Juliet’s father, hears of her refusing to marry Paris he retorts ‘How, will she none? Doth she not give us thanks?’/ ‘Is she not proud? Doth she not count her blessed,’/ ‘Unworthy as she is, that we have wrought’/ ‘So worthy a gentleman to be her bride?’ – (Act 3, Scene 5 L.142-145).
Considerable expectations are placed on Juliet due to her gender. As a female, Juliet is expected to marry the man of her family’s choosing, granting her no control over her future. Capulet and County Paris discuss whether Juliet is fit to be a bride. Although age plays a factor in this decision, Capulet is deciding his daughter’s fate based on the expected gender roles of her being the sole female daughter of the family, “ She hath not seen the change of fourteen years;/Let two more summers wither in their pride/ Ere we
Throughout Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, there is an overlaying presence of the typical roles that men and women were supposed to play. During Elizabethan times there was a major difference between the way men and women were supposed to act. Men typically were supposed to be masculine and powerful, and defend the honor. Women, on the other hand, were supposed to be subservient to their men in their lives and do as ever they wished. In Romeo and Juliet the typical gender roles that men and women were supposed to play had an influence on the fate of their lives.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy of an ancient feud where the children of two families at war fall deeply in love with each other. Set in the 16th century William Shakespeare’s play has many different themes running throughout it, which include love, hate, death and conflict. The play opens with a fight but ends with suicide that creates peace between both families who unite from their losses. The conflict, violence and aggression in the play happen from revenge and an ancient family grudge. An audience from the 16th century would have enjoyed Romeo and Juliet because of the real life drama and tragedy the play goes through. The patriarchal society gave women absolutely no rights and they had to obey their man’s ordering a patriarchal system. The theme of conflict is revealed as the characters argue over Juliet’s disobedience.