Downtown Abbey: Victorian Values

The world today consists of children roaming the streets, technology taking over the world, and being able to work wherever you'd like but, could you imagine a life without all these things? Believe it or not there was a time in life where these things were very uncommon to see. This would be known as the victorian era. This time period was between 1837 and 1901. Daily life was very different from now. Health, social classes, and fashion are just three examples of how daily life was different in the victorian era.

The Victorian Era was a time of peace and prosperity. During the Victorian Era the society was divided into various social classes like the working class, middle class. Upper class, Dickens/Victorians. Above all those classes the middle class was the most hard working class with all the various occupations but also they also had quite relaxing life also speaking of which let's get into the middle class.

The dissimilarities between a lower-class bride and her upper-class in-laws also mirror the major differences between a ?woman? and the more-favored ?lady?. "Can there be a choice of agency between a delicate, consumptive maid, fatigued with her day's hard work, and a buxom, well-constituted lady, whose greatest exertion has been a drive in the park and the handing to her man a few cards to be left at friends' doors? The one is a servant, the other a lady; and physiogical conditions stand nowhere in the face of such divine distinctions? (The Victorian Web).

During that time, it was considered improper for a woman to express her feelings like anger or dislike. She says, "I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes" (pg278), and the narrator blamed it on her mental condition rather than saying that she was actually tired of her husband's way of treating her illness. She felt secluded, useless and trapped. Yet, she still had to follow and accept that kind of social rule. Women were expected to be good in doing the house chores and taking care children. In the story, the narrator mentions about John's sister who was a perfect housekeeper and hoped for no better profession. There is also Mary who was so good with the Baby. The author was actually trying to send images to the readers that it was expected attitudes in her society and was part of their culture which women were forced to follow.

Though women in the Elizabethan Era hardly married someone for love, they often did marry to improve their position in society. By this, women could gain immense authority over their household and those in it. After the husband, the man of the house, of course, the wife had the most authority over the estate. The woman had power over the servants, so it was her job to watch over them to see that they completed their jobs properly and timely. In addition, the lady must watch over her ladymaids to keep them out of trouble and even help them find suitors to marry themselves.

and she didn’t depend on her husband for her choices, Disobedience to the male race was seen as a crime against their religion. In the Elizabethan Era, married women and single women had different roles in the society at this

Most people hear and know of the social class, but are they aware of the problem of the social class during this time period. The Wife of Bath also does some attacking of this in her story. At the end of the story, she tells of how this old woman, who gave the knight the answer, claims to have told him and now he owes her a favor in front of the royal course, since they gave him the question. The woman states that his favor to her was that he was to marry her. He doesn’t want to be cause of her age and her class as a peasant, but, without much choice, he does marry her. She give him an offer that he is unable to decide from and gives her the choice, which goes back to patriarchy. She decides and he gets the best of both

e Wife of Bath is known to be slightly death, materialistic, has a gap in her teeth, has large hips, red face, and is known to have five husbands and is also looking for another husband. She likes to laugh and chat (flirt) and likes to be dressed nicely. She states that God has sent each individual a gift and everyone is good at something. For her that “good at something” is being basically being free and do whatever husbands and wives do. Her story is appropriate with her personality because she tells us a tale of relations between men and women. It is a story of a knight who is supposedly to be loyal, brave, courtesy, honorable, and great gallantry toward women but this knight rapes a young lady. Later on the queen finds out the news and

The high class of the four individuals came with politics and a little bit of love. The political purpose for Mary and Francis to marry was so that France and Scotland would build a stronger alliance, but the marriage wasn’t just politics ("Mary." Britannica School). The love between the two was one of innocence because Mary was fond of Francis, but it was believed that because he was young and constantly sick, they never completed their marriage with consummation ("Mary." Britannica School). In her second marriage, Mary was looking to make a claim in England. To do so, she needed to produce a child. Darnley gave her exactly what she wanted and more("Mary." Britannica School). She was in love with all of him at first and what he was willing to give her, but it didn’t last ("Mary, Queen Of Scots Marries In Edinburgh."). The third relationship started off as a passionate affair that would turn into a marriage when the time was right("Mary." Britannica School). After Darnley died, Mary married Bothwell with confidence that he would bring her good support ("Mary." Britannica School). The feelings and ideas behind each marriage led to many different

The Victorian era society was divided into three class's upper, middle, and working class. The upper class was made of aristocrats, noble's dukes, and other wealthy families that worked in the court system. They held the most powerful positions that gave them authority, better living conditions, and other facilities. The upper class of society had rules such as the proper forms of address, what to wear that would be appropriate it was something crucial to get right. Many aristocrats did not work as for centuries together their families had been gathering enough money for each generation to live life in luxurious. The upper class was broken down into three subdivisions which were the royal class, upper middle class, and lower upper class. Middle class put pressures on the upper classes for representation which resulted in series of reform acts giving commoners increased representation in parliament.

In all of her marriages she manipulated her husbands and uses her sexuality as a weapon against them in order to get what she wants, which was the upper-hand. She dominated the marriages and had control over the economics, the sexual pleasure, and maneuvered the relationship to her likings. This was contrary to the submissive, obedient, proper, and inferior role that women played in the Middle Ages. Legally, women could do nothing without their husbands, and did not even exist other than as their husbands' property. Even sex could technically only be performed for procreation, not enjoyment (i.e. lust). The Wife of Bath's first three husbands were old and rich, and were willing to do what she wished. In order to get them on the defensive when they got suspicious of her stepping out, she would criticize and accuse them of looking at other women. The fourth husband she married was actually young and harder to control. He possessed a mistress as well as a wife, and shared similar qualities to those of The Wife of Bath. Number four soon died and then rapidly came husband number five. He was twenty years her junior, and was cruel and violent towards her. He never allowed the Wife of Bath have her way, until one day when he struck her so hard on the ear that she fell and appeared dead. When she was revived from her concussion her husband was so regretful that he gave up all authority in the marriage to

In the Shakespearean England women were treated as inferior to men whereas the men were the leaders. Women were used as housewives and were mainly to bear heirs. The roles of women were very limited and they weren’t allowed to do most of the roles that men did. For women it was a great honour to get married or bear children. Sadly women were considered to need someone to look after them, as they got married their husband was expected to look after them however the woman’s father was the one to choose who she’s going to marry. In the sixteenth century if the woman was not married she would be looked after by her father therefore once he had chosen the husband the girl was expected to obey her father’s wishes.

She was not a virgin when she married,in that time sex was considered a sacred act.

After her father died, Mary Astell was left without a dowry, resulting in her being considered incompatible for marriage. In her book, Some Reflections Upon Marriage, Astell pointed out that there were only few lively marriages in England because of the way the English institution worked. Marriages in England were determined by income, and no thought went into the emotional harmony and compatibility of husband and wife. This was so rendering to Astell’s life because she didn’t have the money to marry someone with the same viewpoints as her or even respectable enough to take her hand in marriage. Mary Astell proclaimed that “[marriage] for Love, an Heroick Action, which makes a mighty noise in the World, partly because of its rarity, and partly in regard of its extravagancy” (Astell 41). In this quote, Mary Astell is saying that men and women rarely marry for love because it was more common for them to be bounded together for financial benefits and an increase of social status. But, when a couple married for love, they made a larger mark on the world this is because it showed that there was a step closer in the direction of women marrying a man that will love her and had no need to support her financially. Astell believed that women should not be viewed as a slave or property, and that they should have the ability to chose their own destiny. She showed that men rarely married for love because if a man admired a woman for her wit, than an unsuccessful marriage would

Sixteenth century England experienced a phenomenon sometimes referred to as the Age of Queens. The decisive power of the country was placed in women’s hands and their reigns were watched with a reasonable doubt. There is contrast of rule in terms of reigns between Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth of England, both of whom were engaged in a protracted struggle for the English throne. Beside the legitimacy of their claims, there are more significant considerations which predestined them to either increase or lose their power. The rule and attitudes of the two monarchs bore significant influence upon the times in which they lived, including social, political and legal precedents which were being challenged and in some cases reversed. The fact that both Queens encountered situations of striking similarity, serves as a suitable example for a remarkable comparison, helping to analyze the lives of the two Queens and how their lives diverged as a result of such encounters and their actions thereafter. They were both Queens, struggling for the throne, they were women as well as rivals; they both had affairs with married men, however, one managed a narrow escape from the disgraceful situation, while the other failed to do so. Mary grew to hate Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth, because he took the position of her mother Catharine as Queen of England. Before Elizabeth came to the scene, Mary was loved and was the only child of King Henry VIII of