Renaissance Period Marriage

Arranged marriages are not a new concept, having been around since the ancient times, nor are they extinct in today’s world. The general idea behind it is guaranteeing the parents’ choice of a spouse for their children and they take into account multiple variables when choosing a potential mate for their children. “The Family” by Alessandra Strozzi reveals the behind the scenes of a proposed arranged marriage in the Italian Renaissance. While today, it seems silly to Western civilizations to have arranged marriages, doing so in that period was common. Whether it was for convenience, power or just simply keeping up the prestige of the family, we know of these types of marriages occurred through these documents.

In contrast, Jane was wise enough to make the right decision for herself and ended up with a better relationship than Lydia. Jane and Elizabeth had similar relationships because they both had common traits with the men they fell in love with. Elizabeth and Charlotte had very different relationships than each other. Charlotte married the man who Elizabeth rejected because she wanted wealth and security. Whereas, Elizabeth married Darcy because she fell in love with him, Elizabeth gaining all the wealth and security Charlotte wanted, even though she was not looking for it.

In contrast, free-choice marriages are most common in Western countries such as, Canada, America, and many European countries. It is argued that free-choice marriages based on love or romance; offer more independence and freedom as compared to arranged marriages (Regan, "Arranged vs. Love-Based Marriages in the U.S.-How Different Are They? ", 2012). What is an arranged marriage? It is defined as “a marriage in which the husband and wife are chosen for each other by their parents.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “Arranged Marriages”) typically with similar cultural backgrounds and is predetermined to be married by their parents.

The courtier had the privilege of to residing in the palace, and in that way he or she could be close to the king and could be summoned when needed. Through their selection by inheritance, their training, and their respected position, courtiers helped sustain the nobility as the preeminent social class in medieval Europe. One’s status as a courtier was either bought or handed down. When one courtier died his kin would take his place. With enough money, one could even buy his way into the position,which was desirable to many who were rich but did not feel as though their position in society was good enough.

First, this kind of marriage is built on the foundation of love which is a changeable emotion, so it is not strong enough to be everlasting. The second reason is that the couples married based on impulse, later they found that their mates didn’t seem to be the right person. Therefore, you really need to make sure that he/she is the right one before getting married, or you may look for a match-maker who can help you to find the ideal suitor. Love is a long-run relationship, by seeking help from the psychologists of the "Family Harmony" project, couples can solve their marital crisis more easily. Thus, couples are less likely to get divorced and the divorce rate will decline.

This happened due to great pressure for an alliance of the two families (16-7). Their marriage was like most marriages during this time. Not of love, but out of necessity. For years, Martin and Bertrande did not consummated the marriage. This was an enormous issue because without children, no one could inherit the property within the family.

This shows how blind they are when it comes to easy living. It’s almost as if Sexton’s speaker is saying how extreme measures are taken for “love.” The whole idea of the perfect lifestyle in riches with your soulmate would lead people to wish upon a star and take drastic measures. Most of the characters in these stories are not doing so well but then by chance, becomes wealthy. Sexton’s speaker told of terrible decisions being made, and of how most people would prefer to marry into riches, and also how extreme actions will be done to get the easy life. There was many sarcasm being made in this poem about the perfect fairy tale ending.

That’s a bet I’d make on my hawk or my hound. I’d wager twenty times as much on my wife”(Shakespeare 5.2.76). This was the point when Petruchio loved his new creation, but the fact he only married her for money and is willing to pay that money away to prove that his fabrication was loyal to him. That may not be visible the love he has with the real Katherine, but with the trophy wife he now obtained. The vow Petruchio made to get money is now love towards his new found statue that he sculpted.

When one courtier died his kin would be the one to take his place. If someone had enough money you could even buy your way into the position, which was desirable to many who were rich but did not feel as though their position in society was good enough. Even though through all of these ways to become a courtier, there was still a possibility an applicant could be turned down for the job. This is because the king had the final say in who was his courtier. So if someone had better training they would be more likely to be chosen for the job.

She aligns to the belief that money can buy happiness, suggesting wealth as the sole yardstick for true contentment, which reflects the shallow practical beliefs of the Victorian society then. Furthermore, marriage then was centered around the idea of the practical benefits. Mary callously wishes that Edmund’s elder brother, Tom, would die after becoming critically ill, so that Edmund would be able to inherit the baronetcy and estate and forming a union with him would result in Mary having a share at the wealth. This very materialistic and practical mindset plagued many people then, who valued the practical advantage over love as a basis for marriage. It trivialises marriage as an institution

Just spending one day with someone is not long enough for anyone to know if they want to marry someone. Thompson says “I was very sure that I was going to take whoever they thought was right for me” (Source B). In some parts of the world it is tradition for a child parents to arrange a marriage, and it is seen as bad if they go against their parents because parents are seen as wiser and know best. This still does not make it alright for them to only give one day to decide. And sometimes the people do not even get to spend a day with the person they are going to spend the rest of their life with.

Nowadays, the woman wants an expensive circular wedding rings compare before, that a simple circular wedding ring is enough because they look on the quality of marriage rather than the value. A circular wedding ring is symbolizing of “never ending love” but for others on this generation, they want the most expensive diamond ring to show off. In terms of a dream house, a couple are having a big, expensive house even they can’t afford the price. For the family now, owning a nice, big house has been a symbol of having an economic well-being in the eye of society. Back to our old days, a simple, small

Men understand to look out for the public interest, therefore, social identity before the Revolution was straightforward if you were a servant you had little mobility in society, the wealthy had more mobility in social standings. As for women, they were seen as their husband 's property once they married their dowry became their husband’s money. Women tried to make their voices heard, especially throughout the revolution. A women’s place in the world was their ‘sensibility’, their ability to “stimulate the sentiments or emotions of individuals… inspiring them to act in ways that promoted the virtue and happiness of others,” (The Contrast p.5). After the revolution women were allowed to have a voice in marriage, they were no longer seen as only being domestic.