Women is Shakespeare’s play are often highly underestimated. They start off being easily controlled by men and having less freedom than them, but as the play goes on, they grow rebellious and disobey the laws that the men have created for them. According to Elizabethi.org, the roles of women in society were very limited. Men were expected to be the breadwinner of the household and women had to be the housewives and mother. Women were often call the “weaker sex” physically and emotionally. It was believed that women always need someone to take care of them, if married, it was the husband, but if unwed, it was often the father or brother. Shakespeare used his work to show his feelings about women and how they are portrayed in society. The most …show more content…
She would do anything to be with Romeo. Juliet says, “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name! Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (Shakespeare 46). This quote from the play explains to us the feelings Juliet feels for Romeo. She would be willing to disobey her father and betray her family to marry Romeo and become a Montague. Juliet’s parents (Lord and Lady Capulet) believe that Juliet still wants to marry Paris up until there wedding day. When there wedding day comes, Juliet drinks a sleeping potion so she can remain faithful to Romeo, tricking her parents into thinking that she is dead, so she can finally be with her true love (Romeo) by meeting him in the …show more content…
After Hamlet murdered Polonius, Ophelia’s father, she sunk deeply into madness. “Hamlet (2000) gives Ophelia room to protest against the patriarchal order in her madness by her piercing scream and refusal to be silenced by the men around her, providing a rebellious Ophelia who is self-conscious of her suppressed position” (Li 6). This quote from the book called, “The “Rebellious” Ophelia: An Analysis of Film Adaptations of Hamlet,” explains that Ophelia had so much anger built up that she finally breaks loose and refuses to stay silent any longer, which is rebellious because women were told not to speak their mind, especially in public, during this time. This shows us that the woman in this book was very different to how women would have acted in society at that
(Shakespeare II.II.36-38). In this quote, one can see how Juliet says she will risk being disowned by the Capulet if that means she can be with Romeo. This is important because Juliet’s parents were rivals with the Montagues, Romeo’s family. When Juliet said she would “no longer be a Capulet” this was a serious betrayal to her family.
Why are you Romeo? Reject your father and refuse his name. Or if you will not, just swear to be my love, and I will no longer be a Capulet”(Act 2 Scene 2 Lines 35-38). According to the quote, Juliet is so loyal to Romeo that she would
Furthermore, Romeo and Juliet show excessive dedication in their love, especially Juliet. Moreover, when Romeo kills Tybalt in revenge for his friend Mercutio, Juliet weeps for her cousin, but then contradicts Romeo being a murderer when she realizes that if Romeo did not take action, Tybalt could have killed him. In addition, the daughter of the Capulets disputes with her parents when she is asked to get ready for her marriage with the handsome and wealthy Count Paris. Juliet’s refusal is completely understandable, because it is clear that no one can take Romeo’s place in Juliet’s heart, since he is the man she loves and most important of all, she was already secretly married to Romeo, so there was no way she could have possibly betrayed her husband.
Their tough archetypes were always present in many plays and reinforced the idea of male superiority. This fact held true, especially for a certain tragic classic by William Shakespeare. There was a misogynistic mentality towards women in Romeo and Juliet, evident through the way women were shown as objects, portrayed as weak, and made to seem unable to dictate their own lives. Men in Romeo and Juliet could be seen acting like owners towards women. Women were seen as nothing more than possessions, as illustrated when Romeo first described Juliet as, “My lady…/my love” (II.ii.10).
Women were not thought of as beneficial to their plot. Shakespeare, however, found use for women in his works and used them to make the plot of the play more interesting. In Richard II, he showed that women enriched the literary and theatrical aspects of his work. In Richard II, the women seem to be geared more toward family because family is important in the role of politics. Although the women in the play may be only minor characters, they play an important role in the development and plot of the play.
Shakespeare believes that Gender roles shouldn’t be the stereotype of any relationship because the roles can be switched, and them being switched can cause a lot of trouble. When a woman thinks for men it ends up pretty bad. The play Macbeth shows that when a man follows a women's word because they love them, that's when
The thematic idea that my group and I were assigned for Romeo and Juliet is gender role in society. This is norms created by society for different genders. Gender role in society is very relevant in the world today, with many people experiencing it in their daily lives. An example of gender role in society is believing that males have to be strong and aggressive, and females have to be petite and do all of the housework. In Romeo and Juliet, gender role in society is evident throughout with arranged marriages, such as Capulet wanting Juliet to marry Paris, and forced household rules, like Juliet not being able to leave her home freely.
You will notice that throughout the play women’s rights played a huge role in the story, mainly in Juliet’s decision making. In the play Romeo and Juliet, the submissive characteristics of Juliet, show the control men had over women at the time. Juliet allowed Lord Capulet
Gender Norms in Romeo and Juliet In Elizabethan England, women were not allowed to act on the stage, so in the play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet was likely played by a young boy, women were viewed as so much less than men that men had to portray them in plays. Nowadays you have women that can play men in plays, such as plays on broadway. Romeo and Juliet set in the 15th century was a play written about two ill-fated lovers that ended in their suicide. In Romeo and Juliet, gender played a substantial role in showing Juliet’s rights regarding her marriage and her general life. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare reveals the beliefs of traditional gender norms in Elizabethan England through Romeo's behavior when he fights with Tybalt to prove himself,
It was his affection that led to Juliet lashing out at the thought of marrying Paris. Juliet threats to kill herself if her parents don’t move the wedding. The threat displays Juliet acting more demanding and losing her innocence in the process. Another instance where Juliet begins to lose her innocence was when she was considering whether or not to take the potion. She states, “What if it be a poison which the Friar subtly hath ministered to have me dead … if I wake, shall I not be distraught, environed with all these hideous fears… Romeo, Romeo, Romeo!
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.
Do only as you’re told. Marry not who you want to, but who others want you to. Make sure to always have a man escort you down the street because you don’t want others to think of you as juvenile or disgraceful and never argue against what you’re given. These were just a few of the societal expectations for women back in the 15th century, where the play Romeo and Juliet took place. In that time, women were treated more like objects than actual people, although in the play there were quite a few female characters who rebelled against these unjust expectations and showed much more progressive mindsets for that time.
In “Romeo and Juliet,” women were expected to take care of the children and only that. The role of women in “Romeo and Juliet” is very different compared to today. In “Romeo and Juliet,” women were often disrespected and treated unfairly more
During the Elizabethan period, the role of women in society was very different from what it is today. According to the system of patriarchal society that dictated that women were inferior to men, they had to obey the male figures in their lives. The woman was seen as the weaker sex either physically or emotionally which meant that it was entirely dependent on her husband if married and members of his family if single. Moreover, in the Elizabethan theater, women were not allowed to play because of this hierarchy. Therefore, they were replaced by men disguised as women.
Shakespeare’s plays almost always surround the actions, affection, and or plot revolving around women. In the last three plays we’ve read, that being The Winter’s Tale, Othello, and Hamlet, the women of each play are prominent members of the story in a society where women are usually second to men. However, in many of Shakespeare’s plays he draws on ancient Greek myths in a number of ways not just in names. Also the creation of women by the gods, to punish man after Prometheus stole fire. In The Winters Tale, King Leontes is driven made thinking his wife, the Queen is having an affair with his friend.