Power Of Women In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

Furthermore, Feminist Criticism provides a better view of literature because it shows that women can be powerful. When Emilia finds out that her husband has been plotting an evil plan she says,” Tis proper I obey him, but not now”(Othello V.2.195). Emilia refuses to help her husband after she finds the cruel intentions he has despite the expectation of women always being submissive to their husbands. Women also have a voice and feelings, they are capable of defying their husbands commands when they know what he expects is simply wrong. In a literary article,The Role of Women in Othello: A Feminist Reading states that,” Society weighs heavily on the shoulders of women; they feel that they must support the men and defer to them, even if the actions of the men are questionable” (Literary Articles).

In the Wife of Bath’s, she broke all the stereotypes Medieval society thought a wife is. She tells the people that being married intercourse is part of marriage and God has made privates parts to make generations, not to waste in doing nothing. Being categorized or stereotyped in Medieval society was hard for married women in the Medieval era because often they were portrayed as disloyal, uncontrolled sexual beasts because of the lack of marriage

Jane hated that Mr. Rochester bought pretty jewelleries and dresses for her;” the more he bought me, the more my cheek burned with a sense of annoyance and degradation” (Brontë, 321). One can interpret this as Jane worries that the marriage would lessen her independence and put her at an inferior position. The fact that Mr. Rochester buys her all these things makes Jane feel objectified, and she could not tolerate it. Once again, this signals the feministic opinions that the character of Jane is associated with. Jane and Mr. Rochester does not get married during this section of the book, due to the fact that he is already in a marriage.

Make thick my blood.” (1, 5, 47-50) Shakespeare uses this powerful soliloquy to reveal Lady Macbeth’s innermost desires: to be freed from her menstrual cycle, frailty of womanhood, and feminized traits of pity. Ruthlessness would replace these traits, transforming her into a more masculine identity that is able to gain access to power. However, Lady Macbeth’s power depends on her husband’s, due to her disempowerment in the realm of the political. She believes her husband’s political power relies on him conforming to a more masculine identity. In order to convince Macbeth to undertake this transformation, like she did, Lady Macbeth must subvert the stereotypical role of a submissive wife and become domineering.

In contrast, her sister Antigone presents the “women power”. She dares to challenge the arrogant tyrant Creon by expressing her points bravely and furiously, trying to warn him that women do not always have the obligation to do what men command; she dares to protest the balance between duty and law, “…for it was not Zeus made such a law; such is not the Justice of the gods.” (Antigone), making her decisions in an equitable way and promise to find the real justice so as to give respect to her brother, Polyneices’ burial. Even though in the end Creon tries to give Antigone a lesson by putting her to prison, Antigone did not escape, for she understood that her action and pride would bring about these consequences, and she did not regret for doing this. In addition, we can also observe women power by seeing Creon’s words and behaviors. Creon’s hubris as a men affects how he thinks about women, he considered women as secondary creature.

Although they view each other as equals, "my dearest partner of greatness," it's Lady Macbeth who is established as the dominant partner in the dynamic, inverting typical 17th century gender and social roles. (Since husbands were supposed to rule their wives in the same way that kings ruled countries, Lady Macbeth's plan is just another version of treason: taking power that doesn't belong to her.) Upon reading the letter, she worries that Macbeth is too kind-natured to be able to take the crown and is determined to assist him through the, "valour of her (my) tongue." She emasculates Macbeth and challenges his bravery, which to him is the essence of a being a man, "coward." Compelling her husband by giving him an ultimatum, be a coward or kill the king.

A women is expected to be submissive and not question the man. “The first time we quarreled, he said to me accusingly, ‘You don’t cry.’ I realized that his wife cried, that he could handle tears but not my cold defiance” (Adichie 4). Even as a mistress, which is not seen as moral and is not deemed how a woman should act, women are expected to be subservient to men. When she raises her voice and calls him a bastard, she is openly defying her expectations. She insults him when she calls him a bastard but even more she is insulting this power that he has over her.

With the knight's quest fulfilled, the old woman tells him of her request, that they must become husband and wife. Reluctantly the knight marries the old woman, yet he constantly complains about how old and hideous she is. Therefore, the old woman offers her husband a deal: either she can become young, beautiful, and a cheater, or she can remain old and faithful. The knight tells his wife that he wants her to choose whatever shall make herself happy, for that will make him happy as well. The old woman becomes young and beautiful, while also remaining faithful to her husband.

He does not reveal what his problems are to his wife, showing he no longer wants Lady Macbeth involved. Lady Macbeth then gradually begins to bear the guilt "where our desire is got without content 'tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy". She says in a soliloquy, which Shakespeare uses to portray her deepest thoughts as she is afraid of killing more. Lady Macbeth feels that nothing was gained by killing Duncan because even though she and Macbeth got the crown, it wasn’t worth it because they can never be truly happy about it. She thinks death is better to have than living a life with questions of their future

When Benvolio suggest that they go to the party Romeo should've said no because he knew that it was wrong because he's a Montague and it was Capulets party. Also, Romeo should of stayed away from Juliet when the nurse told him she was a Montague. By doing so, he could of avoided being banished and trying to get back together with Juliet which ending with them killing themselves. Last, romeo shouldn't of fought Tybalt. When he fought Tybalt to avenge Mercutio he ended up getting banished.

“For that noble princess pushed and pressed him” (Line 1770). This line from “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” suggests to readers that the woman of the story is dominant over Sir Gawain. This theme is unusual considering the time period it was written in. During this period, women were subordinates to their male counterparts. Men found them to be inferior to their power.