Essay On The Role Of Women In Romeo And Juliet

Today, in the 21st century, most women are fairly respected and have the freedom to make their own choices; but when reading Romeo and Juliet, from the Shakespearean age, I have learned that women were viewed very differently. Using clues provided by this book, it is clear that whether women were housewives, royalty, nurses, or children, they didn’t have equal rights to men. Men were very masculine; they ordered their wives around and expected women to obey. Whereas women were very obedient and unfortunately were often taken advantage of. In this paper, will be examining the stereotypical role of a woman in the Shakespearean age.
Sadly, according to Shakespeare, women weren't treated like human beings, they were viewed as objects or a man’s property. They were often judged and compared to one another based on their looks. Husbands or families would oftentimes show off their wives or daughters and take pride in her beauty. An example of this is when Lord Capulet was arranging a marriage between Paris and Juliet; he didn’t talk about Juliet’s personality, he talked about her looks. Women’s thoughts and opinions weren’t valued; they were never taken into consideration by men. In Act 3, Scene 5, Lady Capulet tried to stop Lord Capulet from

Throughout this book, many men treated their wives as if they were servants or maids. Women knew that after marriage, their sole purpose was to please their husband, take care of the house, and look after their children. This is shown in the play when Nurse talks to Juliet about marrying Paris. She prepares Juliet for what Paris will want from her during the night of their wedding. Judging by female characters in Romeo and Juliet, women didn’t have jobs; with exception of being maids and nurses. It was the man’s responsibility to work and make money for his family whereas women had the responsibility to take care of the