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Women during the Elizabethan era
Gender differences in the Elizabethan era
Gender differences in the Elizabethan era
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Women in the Elizabethan Era were very limited to the rights and the roles that they had. Many of these roles and rights were all based off of if the women were wealthy or poor, or what social class they belonged to. The clothes that they wore, the rights that they had, how they were treated, who they were to marry, what activities they could participate in and if they could have jobs, what jobs they could have all depended on their social class. Although women were very limited in these areas, scholars today think that the women of this time period had a lot of freedom. The women had a lot of down time, usually because they did not hold regular jobs, however, they were limited in what they did with this down time. They were expected to clean …show more content…
She knew how to manipulate people and play clever tricks on them. She was also intelligent enough to defend Antonio and trick Shylock in the court case. Nerissa is also extremely intelligent because she helps Portia scheme, and is also able to give Portia advice. Portia was part of the wealthy class, therefore she may have had a tutor to teach her what she knows, or her parents had taught her. Either way, she was extremely intelligent and knew how to handle her own and stand up for herself. Women were not often like this in the Elizabethan era, but this had become more prominent in today’s …show more content…
Men were always the head of the marriage and had legal rights over his wife (Thomas). Women could not own property and could not inherit family property or possessions (“Daily Life…”). When married, the women “owned” the property with their husband and it was theirs if their husband died, but they could not inherit the family property, only the men could. Women had to obey their male relatives and had to ask their permission to do or go anywhere. They would obey their fathers, brothers and husbands (Thomas). There were no divorces during this time period. The only time the couple would see other people would be if one of them passed away, so most of the time the marriage lasted as long as the couple lived
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.
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.
Medieval society was completely dominated by men, making a women’s life at the time difficult. Medieval law at the time stated that women could not marry without their parents consent, could not divorce their husbands, could not own property unless widows, could not inherit land if they had surviving brothers, and could own no business with special permission (Trueman, “Medieval Women”). When a woman married a man, he would get any property she owned and she would forfeit any rights she had to him. When the husband dies she would get one third of the land to live on and support herself. Unmarried women who owned land had the same rights as men (Hull). Whenever a woman got into trouble it would be her closest male relative who would appear in court, not the woman herself (Medieval).
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.
Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a frail son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?
Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a sickly son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?
The Elizabethan era was a patriarchal society. It was a time when men were considered to be superior and women were considered to be inferior. Women were regarded as the weaker sex-physically and emotionally. It was believed that women always needed a man to look after them. If they were married, their husband had to look after them. If they were unwed, then it was their father, or brother that needed to look after them. Mary Wollstonecraft, wonders about the“…exclamations against masculine women; but [questions] where are they to be found?” (7). Wollstonecraft is calling for the strong and masculine women to come out of hiding of society’s shadow to and stand together against the oppression. However, the only per...
Even though married women could not own property or anything of the sort, single women were able to own land, make a contract, initiate lawsuits, and pay taxes. Even with the privelages bestowed upon 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.
Women in Ancient Rome did not have equal legal status as their husbands, fathers, or any other male figures in the society. Women were not allowed to make legal transactions without her husband’s or father’s consent. This showed how men were superior and controlled the money in the family. A woman was permanently attached to her family of birth and her husband’s family, if she got married.
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.
“Women could not vote, and they were not considered able to handle their own financial affairs. A women could not borrow money in their own name, and when she married, her finances were placed under the control of her husband” (786).
In the Elizabethan society, it was expected for women to be obedient and to be in her place.
To place this assumption into retrospect, in Shakespeare time, from the 1558 to the 1600s, England society was ruled by Queen Elizabeth. Although a women took ownership of the country, in Elizabethan’s society married women and minor girls were entirely in the power of their husband and guardianship of their father. None the less, even after Elizabeth I took the throne, she was expected to wed and “have her rights to rule limited or completely take up by her husband” (Wagner, 21). Women living in a society built upon Renaissance beliefs were only m...