Renaissance Court Case Study

All throughout history, women often were held to a different set of expectations from that of their male counterparts. This is something that is seen all over the world, during various time periods and in different societies. Renaissance Florence, is no different in this social aspect, because women were expected to do and act a certain way, so that they could hold their distinct place in society. There are three areas that are really important to a woman’s sphere during the Renaissance time period: The first being, her family’s status in society, to her her ability to bare children, and finally her chastity leading up to and during her future marriage. These are all aspects of a woman’s scope that are portrayed in the court case of Giovanni

Desdemona and Emilia can be perceived as a foil to each other because of their different beliefs for women’s roles in marriage. Her obedience toward her husband causes her to steal the handkerchief and give it to Iago, so he can falsely set Cassio up with it. Without Emilia, Shakespeare could not have exposed his view on women’s roles and marriage, and the storyline for his tragic play Othello could not have been achieved. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Othello.

You could marry first cousins, but attitudes changed towards the end of the 19th century, and this became frowned upon. * Victorians were encouraged to marry within the same class (remember the views on social mobility!). They could marry up, but to marry down meant marrying beneath yourself (Soames). * A woman entering into the institute of marriage had to be equipped with a dowry. The husband-to-be had to prove that he could support his new bride in the lifestyle she was accustomed to.

In the quote: “There would be no one to live for her during those years: she would live for herself.” Chopin expresses her thoughts regarding women’s role. In this case, the life of Mrs. Mallard was taken away from her when she got married, probably causing her a heart trouble. Her husband was living her life and thanks to his death, she got it back. Nevertheless, the author also expresses: “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” She implies that not only women are oppressed in a marriage, but men are as well. Humans are constantly trying to force their ideas into those around them, so it is inevitable for one in the relationship to be subjugated, women being the most

Marriage is a complicated topic and even more complicated when it ends in divorce. When entering a sacred union, such as a marriage, the person is entering uncharted water that can end up in happiness or divorce. For females in the 1900s, it became more of a chore than happiness. From an early age, the female mind has been trained, by their parents and society, to automatically take the role of a mother and a wife. Many married women understood that by marrying a man, they would have to understand the need of their husband as well as being the proper wife.

Additionally, as a daughter, Desedmona was required to ask permission to be married, and because she did not she turned away from society’s expectations. However, by saying that she is now loyal to her husband more than to her father, Desdemona sticks with society’s expectations. But the shock of her marrying without permission was enough to anger and sadden Brabantio, the symbol for society in the beginning of the play. Once Iago has poisoned Othello’s mind with lies about an affair between Cassio and Desdemona, Othello becomes suspicious and distrusting of Desdemona. He is convinced that his wife is a whore, but never speaks to her about his suspicions.

For example in Pride and Prejudice marriage is highly sought after throughout the book, although it can become a controversy like when Mr. Bennet tells Elizabeth that “an unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins,” (pg. 52). Women were pressured by law that once you get married you basically become your husbands property, as where all their things now belonged to their husband and if anything happened to him you’d be left with nothing.

Before this incident, Katherina is unintentionally given the power to determine when Bianca marries. Their father has said Bianca will not be married until he has “a husband for the elder.” This gives Katherina a kind of hold over Bianca, she knows there are a lot of potential suitors for Bianca and hardly any for herself because of her reputation and so as Bianca says in act 2 Katherina seems content in her sister’s discontent. Katherina uses violence and shouting to get her point across, this gives her power because even her father keeps out of her way. People are scared of her because she is unstable and unpredictable. This means that she has control over many things going on around her, and having control means having power.

Once a woman was married the rest of her life was planned out for her: the social status of her children, the daily tasks she had to perform, property relations, companionship and particularly her financial stability were all dictated by who she married ( ). Because of these reasons it was especially common at the time to marry a man who would provide the most luxurious lifestyle, or marry a wealthy man. In Sense and Sensibility, Austen proves this to be true when she retorts that, “Certainly there can be no difference; for Robert will no... ... middle of paper ... ...decision. Despite the popular belief in Regency Era England that marriage was only for financial reasons, readers of Austen’s novel can recognize that marrying for love was not a bad thing. At one point in her life Jane Austen was faced with the option of marriage to a handsome young man who was “the heir to a large estate” (Sullivan 109).

Penelope’s manipulation of her suitors is in reaction to her unfortunate situation. Without knowledge of her husband’s whereabouts, she faces being forced to marry another man. For this reason, Penelope both seduces her suitors and avoids them. She acts this way because she is trying to prepare for her future whether it be with or without Odysseus. She entices the suitors in case her husband never comes home and also in order to receive their gifts.