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Representation of women in Shakespeare's plays
Shakespeare's representation of women
Shakespeare's representation of women
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Although Shakespeare’s female parts may have major roles in his plays, he manages a submissive way of treating his female parts throughout his play. He portrays his female roles as followers not leaders. His female characters are also delineated as property of the male characters. The female roles also are viewed as weak in comparison to males. Shakespeare creates his males dominant and his females submissive. Firstly, Shakespeare’s women are witnessed as follower, unlike men who are the leaders. This is shown in act 3, scene 5, pages 6-7, Lady Capulet, Juliet’s mother, speaks to Lord Capulet as if he is in power over her. Normally, a woman does not speak to her husband in such a way for it to seem as he controls her: thus him being her
One clear representation of the reverse gender roles displayed throughout the novel is when Juliet proposes the idea of marriage to Romeo. On the balcony, following Romeo’s profession of love, she states, “Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow” (Rom.2.2.146). During the time of Romeo and
In Shakespearean time and even up to the turn of the 20th Century men were expected to be the sole provider of the family, entailing them to be either well educated or hard working. They were also expected to be good with the handling of finances and property. It was also acceptable for them to be barbaric, boisterous and socially well connected. This has given the men of this time an overwhelming sense of power, respect and freedom; rights which were not given to women at this time. Far from what was socially acceptable in regards to men, the gender identity of women was of a somewhat weaker nature. Women during Shakespearean time were regarded as docile, quiet and non-opinionated. Their socially acceptable role in many cases was to be domestic, entailing them to spend countless hours in the home, tending to basic familial needs, such as cooking and cleaning. This position prevented many women to receive an education or to socialize outside of the home. As a result of their inferior social status, they were expected to be submissive and to cater to her husband’s needs at all times. Women in Shakespearean time were also treated as property, either by their husbands or fathers, which diminished any sense of self-worth they may have possessed. This gender ideology ultimately paralyzed women, as the majority were helpless to alter their social standing or designated familial role.
William Shakespeare 's play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, (Romeo and Juliet) includes two very rash, passionate characters who refuse to listen to the demands of their families. This ends with them paying the ultimate penalty, death. In Pamela Berkman’s story, “Duty”, there is a grieving mother who is not grieving as much as one usually would over the circumstances involving the death of their child. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and "Duty" by Pamela Berkman, there are two main female roles that are progressively changing along with the plot and as they interact with other characters and are thus labeled as "complex characters". These characters would be Juliet, from Romeo and Juliet, and Lady Capulet, from "Duty".
Imagine being a woman in sixteenth century Europe. Females were raised to believe that they were subservient and that men knew better on any subject. Basically, women had no rights. They were considered property, first “owned” by their fathers and then control was “transferred” to the husband chosen for them. Marriage was not about love, but in most cases, it was a business deal that was mutually beneficial to both families – an interesting fact is that like young women, most young men had no choice in the selection of their future betrothed. These traditions and the gender roles assumed by men and women at that time had an impact on Shakespeare’s writing and performances and a great example of this is evident in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
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.
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.
...These characters all show traits of wittiness, determination and strength. The traits Queen Elizabeth expressed as she ruled England, a single woman taking on a man’s job. Shakespeare included these characters in his play because he knew the Queen would enjoy seeing characters that portrayed her; it showed a sign a respect towards her. The Queen supported the theatre and Shakespeare in his work. Shakespeare thanks her by giving her females characters leads in his play with characteristics of her reflected in them. Queen Elizabeth ruled throughout Shakespeare’s life so it would influence him in his writings. She showed him through her rulings that she was a feminist. She did whatever it took to get what she wanted and to rule her country, she showed fierceness and compassion. Shakespeare took these characteristics and portrayed them in his female characters.
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.
Shakespeare conveys various aspects of the social disparities regarding men and women in his tragedy play Hamlet. Despite the play only portraying few female roles, the impact of the male-controlled Shakespearean world is evident. Hamlet tackles the divide between females and males by showing the workings of the patriarchy, the stereotypes surrounding women, and the misogynistic views held during the play’s timeframe. Despite having few female roles, Hamlet still illustrates the hardships, expectations, and roles of women in a world revolving around the importance of men.
Shakespeare shows how the women characters are not strong minded, but shows how their love and deception towards the male characters leads them to their behavior. Lead to their own demises due to the flaws such as dependence they have. The male characters bossed the women around and the women did as they were told. Shakespeare used Gertrude and Ophelia to show how the men seemed to do as they wished and women were forced to follow. It provides the power that the male towards the woman. The dependence of women on men may have traditionally been a factor in their lives; however, in today's ever-changing society, women have become more and more independent to overcome circumstances such as these. Not only were the women manipulated by the male characters, but they were also controlled by their beloved ones.
The Elizabethan era gender roles were much different than they are today. Women were regarded as the weaker sex, and men were always dominant. These “rules” are shown prominently throughout Romeo and Juliet, and paved way for obstacles they went through in their relationship. The gender conventions for women and men were prodigiously stereotypical and unreasonable, as they made men out to be the superior gender. Women should not have been perceived as inferior to men, and these unwritten rules for masculinity and femininity were shown throughout the play. Romeo acted very feminine which contradicted his gender conventions while Juliet did not abide by rules and disobeyed her parents. Romeo and Juliet had many ways in which they followed and
...uld not be provide through any other character in the play as Martha Andresen-Thom states, “Though forced by sad circumstances that gesturer of trust frees them both…such is the “model” at the heart of this little society.. the ascendant of traditional feminine values” (Thinking About Women And Their Prosperous Art: A Reply To Juliet Dusinberre's Shakespeare And The Nature Of Women, 269-270). Andresen-Thom advises that in the farewell scene Richard is softened and shows emotion to his wife which frees him in the end to take a stand to fight at the end. Also, the Queen trust him as she lets go to be sent back to France, thus Shakespeare is keeping her in her domestic role of wife by obeying her husband. Once more, Shakespeare makes it clear that he uses the women characters like the Queen in the play as instrument to thicken the emotional depth and plot of his work.
Shakespeare has written some of the most outstanding pieces of literature throughout history that have lasted through out the ages. But, critics often criticize Shakespeare as being sexist towards women in his work. He often portrays them as weak minded, evil, or as sexual objects. Ophelia, Queen Gertrude, Lady Macbeth, and Juliet Capulet are just a few female heroines that are accused of being feeble or heinous. Shakespeare's Othello represents Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca as weak characters that do not become triumphant by the end of the play.
As Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, the fiction was set in the Renaissance era and therefore the persona of women was reflective of that period. The natural stereotype of that time viewed women as weak, fickle, and dependent of the men in their society and subject to the decisions that men make for them. It was an exceedingly common depiction and very rarely was it proven wrong to the men of that time. Women’s rights were nonexistent in this time period so it wasn’t unusual for the portrayal of women to be so negative and offensive. Given that women of that age had known nothing else they attempted to fit the stereotype to please the ‘natural order’.
The portrayal of gender roles in William Shakespeare’s play Othello, demonstrates the inferior treatment of women and the certain stereotypes of men placed on them by society. Both the male and female characters in the play have these certain gender expectations placed on them. In a society dominated by men, it is understood that the women are to be seen rather than heard. The women are referred to and treated much like property. If indeed they do speak up, they are quickly silenced. One woman’s attempt to be the perfect wife is what ultimately led to her demise. The expectations of men are equally stereotypical. Men are to be leaders and to be in control and dominant especially over the women. The male characters compete for position and use the female characters in the play as leverage to manipulate each other. Shakespeare provides insight in understanding the outcomes of the men and women who are faced with the pressures of trying to live up to society’s expectations, not only in the workplace, but also in the home. The pressure creates jealousy issues amongst the men and they become blind to the voice of reason and are overtaken by jealous rage, leads to the death of many of the characters.