Women in 17th century had limited freedom to speak out, also opportunity for the involvement in society. They were strictly taught to maintain the household and be at the command of her husband. Any women that did not follow the criteria of these aspect were looked down upon by society.
The men had substantially more freedom than women, and was able to do whatever they pleased. They were the head of the household while the women did all the work. Men were able to become teachers, doctors and lawyers while the women could not.
In the Elizabethan era, once a woman became engaged with a man, the wife becomes “property” to their husband. Wives were expected to be submissive to their husbands. While the husband is absent from the household their
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But, let’s focus more towards the gender equality which occurs nowadays. Gender equality plays a big gap in terms of the role of women in the Elizabethan era and the present days. Furthermore, it is an important role of every woman since they gain their justice for having a job or profession they liked or wanted, they are respected by their loving husbands, and they could speak courageously and bravely since they had their freedom; the right to speak up which was not usual or present in the Elizabethan era. Today “anyone could be anything” in many …show more content…
Many corruption and injustices are happening nowadays like in the Philippines. Philippines is having a difficult time with the President. He is establishing a “peace and justice” country through the well-known “EJK” or extrajudicial killings. How can you have peace and justice if you don’t want to impose it properly? Many government officials nowadays are corrupt and too subjected to money. The people are paying tax as part of the government ordinance. However, most of the times, it only goes to the pockets of corrupt government officials. And also nowadays, Philippines has the most number of actors and actresses occupying government seats. These are actors who are not well-educated about politics and its ordinance and policies. So, how can they ran the government
The article starts off looking at the limitations and duties of a woman in the 18th century from the point of view of a man. Women were not permitted to do many professions such as law, economics or science related; these professions were reserved for men. Women were meant to be "the object of knowledge rather than its producer" (Frith 1994, 101) meaning that women were not to be educated but were to only of their responsibilities for pleasing a man, staying beautiful, and staying virtuous. Women were believed to be inferior intellectually and were therefore not to be educated and were basically forced to marry if they wished a decent life. However, Montagu feuded t...
Men and women were seen to live in separate social class from the men where women were considered not only physically weaker, but morally superior to men. This meant that women were the best suited for the domestic role of keeping the house. Women were not allowed in the public circle and forbidden to be involved with politics and economic affairs as the men made all the
Women in the Elizabethan era were presented as very obedient to their husbands and respectful to them also. They had no power and no say, they were treated badly and nothing would be done to stop the behaviour. In modern society most women have as much say as the men, they are not expected to stay at home and clean etc, and instead they go to work as well. Some women are like Katherina before she was supposedly tamed, very out spoken, yet inequality still exists.
"We may say that the dominant ideas in most societies are the ideas of the dominant sex, associated and mingled with those of dominant class." (Chedgzoy, pg.50) During the Elizabethan time men dominated society. Historically speaking males have always held more power then females in most cultures. Although a few cultures were Matriarchal societies. Yet even in these cultures women were not the superior power but were valued as equal to men. Most of the matriarchal societies viewed women as the embodiment of the goddess. Women have never been the sole dominant sex in a society. The fall of the Matriarchal societies occurred mostly from the organization of Christianity. The Christian ideals taught that women were not intended to have influential roles in society. In the Elizabethan era women were in a weak social position. In addition when Shakespeare writes about women he encompasses the complex issues that socially surround females. Shakespeare allows the audience to observe issues that effect their own factual society acted out on stage. At this time the society was definitely patriarchal, where women were viewed as inferior. In addition women had little to no power over there own lives. Fathers viewed their daughters as their propriety. Which left daughters in a powerless position. The power that women did have was their personal sexuality, virginity was prized and seen as a jewel. Once daughters were married their husbands also valued them as propriety. "Marriages were still arranged, as they had been in the Middle Ages, to further the interests of land-owning families. On marriage all the girl's legal rights ceas...
Women in this era had just begun to secure some freedom from their typical cultural expectations. They were expected to take care of the children, cook, clean, sew and be presentable to society. As jobs were made available to women, only a low percentage of these women started to work outside of the home. This means that many women had chosen to stay inside the home to remain in the role of “house keeper”. Even though the woman attained some freedom they were still considered inferior to men. Men still had the most authority in the household and
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.
Secondly, Elizabethan women were considered to be inferior to men. The life of Elizabethan women was certainly a tough - arranged marriages, subordination to men, short life expectancy, constant child bearing and no right to education, no voting, not political participation, etc. were crucial facts about Elizabethan women’s life. Elizabethan women were categorized class wise as: Upper Class, Royal Class, Lower Class Elizabethan women. Elizabethan women were considered subordinate to men and they were dependent on males. They were also used for alliance with powerful families through arranged marriages not only in the lower class, but also in the ...
Women, in general, were expected to be able to run their homes, taking care of their spouses and children in whatever form was needed at the time. They were looked down on as uneducated without the ability to understand the more intricate knowledge of politics and the running of businesses of any kind. They had no rights except for what they received from the graciousness of their husbands. Their opinions did not matter, in the long run and they were treated as inferior, expected to stay in their place unquestioning and unassuming.
Revolution, women had a very limited role in society. They were in responsible of the
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.
During the times in which Shakespeare lived, women had certain roles which ensured they were a permanent underclass to men. In Women in Shakespeare’s world by Theresa D. Kemp, Kemp states that “The roles of early modern women included daughters and wives, sisters and mothers; they learned and worked and played but for the most part they were not expected to be school girls (whining or otherwise) As women they were expected to be the slightly beautiful beloved and not the balladeer. Women were not seen as fit to play soldier or the judge. And as keepers of the homes and the households, as in our own time, women withdrawn from a “world too wide” ( 29). This quote from Kemp shows how victorian women were seen a just a pretty face to do as told. They were to be obedient and non opinionated. A woman of that time period was very objectified and used, basically women weren't real people.
“She is a woman, therefore may be woo'd, She is a woman, therefore may be won, She is Lavinia, therefore must be lov'd” (2.1.6). Demetrius’ obnoxious remark suggests that, since Lavinia is a woman, her sole purpose in life is as a sexual object for men to conquer. This is how many people during Shakespeare’s time thought of women. However, in many of Shakespeare’s writings the females are the dominating characters in the play. Shakespeare’s females, though outsiders in terms of the male-dominated culture in which they live, seem stronger, worthier, more intelligent, more interesting, more attractive in every sense, than the men with whom they are paired.
The nexus of status, gender, and societal roles are consistently topics of interest among people, and can be found throughout the plays of William Shakespeare. More evident in their original production, however, through modern renditions and personal interpretation of readings these topics reoccur often His work dictated specific roles for men and women. Through analyzing said roles one can derive insights regarding the esteem of women and how the relative devaluing of women shaped normal gender roles. However, Shakespeare provides conflicting interpretations, dependent upon the light in which his work is read. Among the possible differing interpretations of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” stands a reoccurring argument throughout history of, men vs. women in a battle of status/power. After reading the play one could make the argument that women are inferior to their counterparts, however, at the same time, the argument could be made that women have more power than men, and both positions be considered accurate.
With the loss of the equality women were no longer able to have a say in how they ran their daily lives. With the new reign of patriarchy in the agricultural societies women were merely a different type of property owned by a man. A husband would exchange his daughters for other needs and pass his property on to his sons. This brought on the importance of the fidelity of a woman to her husband. Since the man needed a true heir to inherit his land there could be no question or doubt that a son was his own. And the more property a man owned the more important this concept became. With the rise of patriarchy also came the notion of complex laws. These laws were a double standard that worked in the favor of men and disfavor of women. Men even made marriage a financial arrangement that would work in their favor. To put this era simply, a woman’s duty was to wait on her husband and do as he bid her to do and a man’s duty was to rule and control his family.
"A woman is human. She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less. Equality is a given. A woman is human.” Vera Nazarian said. Nowadays, gender equality becomes a popular topic; however, the rootstock of inequality between men and women took root since several years ago even in fiction. Shakespeare’s sister, by the name of Judith, is a fictional character that created by Virginia Woolf. Did Shakespeare have a sister? We do not know; however, if she did exist, she would be unnoticed. She definitely existed in fiction that Virginia Woolf describes a story about Shakespeare and what if he had a sister. What kind of life would she have? Would she get high level of education as same as her brother? Would she be a playwright like her brother if they had same talent? Virginia Woolf imagined Judith in “Shakespeare’s Sister” which is a story about how women are treated and what types of opportunities they have in the Elizabethan Age compared to men.