Shakespeare Confronting 16th/17th Century Gender Norms
William Shakespeare was a poet, playwright, and actor, and is often regarded as one of the best writers to have ever lived. He is considered to be the English national poet. He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets during the late 16th and early 17th century. During this time period, England had an absolute patriarchal society, where males dominated all aspects of life. Women had very few rights and were treated very poorly. However, Shakespeare liked to write plays that challenged traditional thinking and norms. In this paper, I will explore the gender norms/expectations for women during Shakespeare’s time and how he conformed or didn’t conform to these norms in two different plays, Romeo and Juliet and the Merchant of Venice. To understand the gender roles during the 16th and 17th centuries one must first understand where some of these gender notions originated from. England, during the 16th and 17th centuries was a very religious state with almost everyone practicing the Protestant or Catholic sect of Christianity. The concept that women were inferior may have originated because of traditions from Christianity and Judaism. In the Old Testament, God created man first. Then he created Eve out of one of Adam’s ribs. Eve arguably committed the first sin ever when she ate the fruit after God had told her not to eat it. She had been tempted by the devil, who was in the form of a serpent, who told her she would gain
It is true that the majority of women in the 17th century were housewives (Lambert). However, in Shakespeare’s eyes, this did not translate to inferiority of women. Instead, he believed that society’s flawed thinking was both unjust and dangerous. He saw women for what they were worth: humans capable of performing and becoming something everyone else could. Regardless of their genders, woman could be just as assiduous, shrewd, and vindictive as their male
A popular idiom that many children are told are a young age is “You can’t judge a book by its cover”. Accordingly, this idiom holds true about people, how their appearance, background, or name do not define who they are. This meaningful message is expressed in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Beastly by Alex Flinn, and Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson. These texts reveal the message that if one is willing to look past a prejudice, one can see who another really is, leading to the most unlikely of relationships.
Mercutio, in Act 2, Scene 1, jokes about his best friend in a way that shows they are close to one another: “Romeo! Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh; speak but one rhyme and I am satisfied!” (7-9). The influence of Mercutio’s character is clearly shown throughout the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, simply because Mercutio is Romeo’s inspiration for most of his decisions. Their friendship strengthens the choices made by the main characters. To put it simply, Mercutio plays a more vital role than Tybalt since he has a strong bond with Romeo. Mercutio is an overall more important character than Tybalt because his actions drive Romeo to make poor, impulsive decisions, he foreshadows the deaths
“Unbridled passion is to blame for the deaths of the young lovers”. To what extent is that statement true? Discuss your response in relation to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
“Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground, And hear the sentence of your moved Prince.” Does anybody know where this demanding quote came from ? An drama/action play called “Romeo & Juliet” by William shakespeare. The character who said this quote was the leader and ruler of Verona, Prince Escalus. Princes demand led to order because he has authority over his people and keeps the peace of his city.This play was about two families Montagues And Capulets who have a history and hatred against each other. But two star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet, both from two different families fall in love and wanted to be together. But what stands in the way of their love is their family feud. In this play there are a lot of Vendettas, Secrets, Hatred, Death/Murder, And Power. Is Order needed to civilize people from chaos? Yes because, without order and someone to lead and bring order there would be chaos and violence.
Once in our lifetimes we all go through a tragedy, but who is responsible? In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, several characters are responsible for the deaths in the play. The characters; the Capulets, Friar Laurence, and Tybalt are the ones most responsible.
In the Elizabethan era, there was a standard women and men had to follow. The Elizabethan society was patriarchal, meaning men were considered leaders, and the women were inferior to men. The men in Elizabethan life was to be of power, authority, and head of the their families, and above all to be obeyed. In this time wealthy men were to become courtiers, diplomen, clergymen, and lawyers. The men made the decisions and whatever decision they make women have to obey them. They were also responsible for taking care of the family while working different jobs..And they were expected to improve the positions of all members of the family through influence and patronage from wealthier people and families than their own. As for the women in this time frame they were raised to believe that they were inferior to men. Their roles in Elizabethan society was very limited, and their job was to be housewives and mothers. Women at the time were to be watched for and if she was married it would be her husband but if she was single then her father or brother. Gender conventions in Elizabethan Era is key to understand my argument about how women in Shakespeare’s plays break their gender conventions. I will be using parts from Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Twelfth Night, to show how women in this time period broke gender conventions.
As Shakespeare composes this tragic love story “Violent delights have violent ends / And in their triumph die, like fire and power, / Which as they kiss consume” (2.6.9). In the play Romeo and Juliet an enchanted love leads to violent ends and consumes two people’s lives until their powerful death. When Romeo first lays eyes on the gorgeous Juliet it is love at first sight. Though their love is authentic and empowering, it is also entirely banned. William Shakespeare writes this masterpiece with much delight but also great sorrow. Romeo and Juliet is the most abiding love story of all time. Shakespeare uses many literary devices in his works. Throughout this story the character Juliet changes remarkably. Shakespeare provides evidence for
“If love be rough with you, be rough with love” (1.4 27). Words of Mercutio, a supporting character. Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare, an award winning play, depicts the story of a pair of star crossed lovers. Death one of the main themes, announced during the prologue, occurs many times throughout this play. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, children of two different houses, fall into a deep love for each other that eventually plummets them to their demise. Shakespeare treats death as a punishment for those who did another wrong, and makes it almost humorous because of the amount of irony that led up to that moment.
Friar Lawrence plays a major role in the play “Romeo and Juliet”, and he is one of the key characters that make this play by William Shakespeare the renowned romantic tragedy that it is. In Italy during the 1400’s – 1500’s religion played a strong and influential part of society. Holy men known as Friars were therefore very trusted and respected. Anointed by God they lead a life of permanent commitment and were bound by vows of poverty, obedience, chastity and a life of prayer. The Franciscan Friar, in the play, is shown to be an expert of plants and remedies and it is this characteristic which enables him to make the beneficial comparisons between the healing and harming side of plants and herbs, a key importance to the play. The Friar’s role as friend and advisor to Romeo and Juliet highlights the conflicts between parents and their children. The centrality of the Friar’s role suggests a notable failure in parental love and this is why in their isolation Romeo and Juliet turn to the Friar for neutral advice. To begin with the Friar can’t believe how Romeo has abandoned Rosaline, his once beloved, and quickly fallen in love with Juliet. However he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet in the hope marriage will end the feud between the Montague and Capulet households. Ironically, his intentions were never truly fulfilled because the circumstances surrounding the marriage made it almost impossible for peace to occur. Thus emphasising the Friar’s naive underestimations of fate.
Romeo and Juliet is a romantic-tragedy play written in 1595 by playwright and actor William Shakespeare. Shakespeare demonstrated in the play that is set in Verona, Italy, a tale of two families that have been feuding since before they can even remember. Trouble brews when both the families offsprings;Romeo and Juliet fall in love.The families they belong to,Romeo a Montague, and Juliet a Capulet would be furious if they found out that they 're only children were in love with their ‘enemy’. By Them hiding their love from their families it leads to the deaths of the two. So,Who is to blame for the deaths? The whole play is focused on the love tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
Living in a human society is great, but never perfect. Not everyone gets along together and we do not all necessarily like each other. Humans can sometimes have fights and be hateful to one and another. In the play, Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, hate is one of the main themes. The play is about two families, the Capulets and the Montagues, which have been in a feud for quite a long time. They would not hesitate to demonstrate their hatred to one another. Most readers would assume that the blame for the death of the young couple falls on them. However, other people are to blame. In this play, Romeo and Juliet, a teenage couple, die at the end of the play. The tragic death of Romeo and Juliet is the direct result of the feud between the two families, Benvolio (Romeo’s cousin) and Friar Laurence. The feud caused Romeo and Juliet to get married without their parent’s permission; Benvolio caused Romeo to meet and fall in love with Juliet at the Capulet’s ball. Friar Laurence got Romeo and Juliet married and he convinced Juliet to drink a potion to orchestrate her death, but it leads to disastrous consequences.
Shakespeare probably lived in one of the worst times to be alive. Considering that majority of what was happening was not good, he used it to his advantage. Numerous diseases and sicknesses, natural remedies and herbs and most importantly witchcraft. He somehow incorporated all these things into Romeo and Juliet. Assuming his creativity got the best of him, he used all these things in his play and they also played huge parts in his story. All things considered these three important factors in Romeo and Juliet have more history than people thought.
It is said that love conquers all, for it is known to pass obstacles, restore hope, bring individuals together, and inspire lost and weakened souls. However, love can also cause some of life 's most controversial battles. These battles could stem from lack of patience, disagreement of moral values, and in some cases, an absence of attraction overall. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the issues that drive Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet 's to each of their dreadful misfortunes are inevitable. When it comes to many of Shakespeare 's plays, Aristotle 's theory is used to describe them as tragedies. Romeo and Juliet is known by many as a tragedy, meaning that the main protagonist(s), in this case, Romeo and Juliet, have a fatal flaw that leads them to their greatest downfalls. Romeo and Juliet have similar traits of vulnerability and impulse that steer them to risky decisions, but that doesn 't connect entirely to the external conflicts that affect their well being. The feud between Romeo 's and Juliet 's families, the Montagues and the Capulets, cause many of the major events that harm the characters as well. Since the two lovers come from Verona 's greatest rivals, wouldn 't their forbidden love result in despair either way while fate runs its course? Romeo and Juliet 's misfortune is controlled by fate, for the situation between the Montagues and the Capulets is out of their control and causes conflict despite the extent of the lover 's actions.
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is centered around the tragic story of two “star-cross’d lovers”. A tragedy is a dramatic story that chronicles the downfall or death of a tragic hero. Tragedies usually depict the causes of a tragic hero’s downfall, which are most commonly a tragic choice or a tragic flaw. There is often some sort of greater power at play in tragedies, like fate. A key aspect of tragedies is both fate and free will leading to the downfall of a tragic hero. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet’s immaturity, the feud between the houses Capulet and Montague, and fate cause the deaths of the two young lovers.