Patriarchy In The Bride By Joseph Rowlandson

Throughout history the existence of patriarchy has threatened women’s rights to equality and self-determination. Patriarchy manifested itself in the marriage practices of early modern European society and became the foundation on which couples built their love and partnership. During the sixteenth century, literature describing ideal wives and husbands was a popular genre, but works about female gender roles were more prevalent. The Bride, a poem published by Samuel Rowland’s in 1617 details the duties of a good wife and life partner.1 The duties listed in Rowland’s poem were very common for women at that time and can also be seen in Steven Ozment’s book, Magdalena and Balthasar. Ozment’s book documents the relationship of Nuremberg Merchant Balthasar Paumgartner and

In Ozment’s book he tells the reader that Magdalena suspects Balthasar might be “straying” and favoring other things over her, but she never says anything about it.8 Magdalena didn’t directly pose her opinion on Balthasar and was tolerant of the possibility that this type of affair may have happened. She does mention her concerns, however, after Balthasar believes it was in bad taste, she quickly denies her anger all together.9 She knows what to say and when to say it. In The Bride, Rowland says that a woman’s duty is to “pacify his ire, although she finds that he impatient be, for hasty words, like fuel ad to the fire, and more and more inferenceth wrath’s degree; when she perceives his choler in a fit let her forebear and that’s a sign of wit”.10 Magdalena does not want to cause a crisis in her marriage so she doesn’t add fuel to the fire when Balthasar is upset; instead, she puts aside her own feelings and tolerates his. Magdalena’s immediate concern for Balthasar’s feelings and her disregard for her own, shows that she has succumb to the behavior pattern associated with patriarchy in