Romeo And Juliet's Expectations Of Veronese Women

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Women in Veronese society 13th and 14th centuries are supposed to possess certain mannerisms and behaviors that are expected of them as William Shakespeare demonstrates within the play Romeo and Juliet. Within Romeo and Juliet and the time period it is taking place in there is an expectation that young women are supposed to respect their father’s wishes. Also, within this play women are very rarely allowed to be alone in public. In addition another very common role that appears within the play is that of a woman being a caretaker.

One particular expectation of women that exists in the 13th and 14th centuries when Romeo and Juliet takes place is that when women and girls are young they respect their fathers. In particular what their father …show more content…

In order to lift her spirits he arranges for her to marry Paris. When the news is delivered to Juliet however she throws a fit and breaks this particular expectation of respecting one’s father by defying his wishes. She defies her mother’s wishes and her father’s wishes to her mother by saying to her mother “ He shall not make me there a joyful bride. I wonder at this haste, that I must wed... ” (III.v.116-117). Indicating that she doesn’t want to become married to Paris which is a big disrespect to her parents specifically her father because being a young girl Juliet should listen to him and what he wants for her. She should do what her father wants her to do. In this instance she is almost fearful of her father’s reaction to the disobedience she would be committing by not doing what he would want. She begs her mother “I pray you, tell my lord and father, madam, I …show more content…

Although in this story the Capulet family is rich so they do not have to do the cooking and the cleaning and they have someone to take care of Juliet for them. They had people to do that for them such as the Nurse she takes care of Juliet and acts more like a mother figure to her than her actual mother, Lady Capulet. When Juliet is young it is Nurse who takes care of her at all times especially when her parents are away. “And she was weaned-I shall never forget it...My lord and you were then at Mantua.” (I.iii.26-30). This indicates that the Nurse was the one who fed and took care of Juliet and that her parents had virtually no role in raising her when she was young. Particularly within this play the only role Lord Capulet, her father, seems to have as a parent is to secure her a husband. Her mother is kind of a parent to Juliet but it is mostly Nurse who takes care of her. Within the play we only see women in traditional roles within the society and the household, the nurse has a traditional role of taking care of

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