Gender Stereotypes in Literature

Throughout history women have been victims of many stereotypes. The stereotypes that will be analyzed in this essay are the ideas that women are somehow inferior to men, the weaker sex, both mentally and physically; they are self-sacrificing mothers and wives and that they are dependent on men. This is seen in the play Medea, set in Greece during a time that was dominated by men. Women could only, under exceptional conditions, obtain a divorce yet any Greek man could rid himself of a wife simply by publicly renouncing his marriage. The ideal woman was "spoken of as little as possible among men, whether for good or for ill"[1]. Hedda Gabler is set in Norway during a period of many changes. In 1854 women were given the right to inherit property. Furthermore, women were eligible for different occupations and were given the vote in local and national elections in 1907 and 1913 respectively [ 2]. Hedda and particularly Medea are portrayed as the archetype of what in the 1890s would be known as ‘new women’; characterized for being strong and independent yet it is also apparent that Hedda’s actions do not arise from an antagonism against the status quo but from personal motives, while Medea only does so once she has been betrayed by her husband.

Women are generally portrayed as weak, especially when concerning married women yet Hedda is not. Isben shows the reader how strong Hedda is through the use of contrast with what seems to be a caricature of a contemporary woman, Mrs. Tesman. Hedda participates in many activities that would not be normally performed by women such as horse riding and smoking. It is important to consider that the main reason why she is able to get away with this, as well as staying single for so long is her aris...

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...eases, not as a social act. It is the circumstances of both women, the fact that they feel trapped in lives they do not want to live, that makes them challenge that which is expected of them, making them what would later be known as “new women”, ahead of their time, without knowing it nor wanting to.

Works Cited

Euripedes, Medea and Other Plays. England: Penguin Books, 1963.

Isben, Henrik, Hedda Gabler and Other Plays. England: Penguin Books, 1961.

"Hedda Gabler: Historical Context." Drama for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 1998. eNotes.com. January 2006. 1 November 2010.

"Medea: Historical Context." Drama for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. eNotes.com. January 2006. 1 November 2010.