Female Oppression Of The Renaissance Essay

Women were also expected to maintain their social positivity and kindness by never speaking or listening to evil about other women. Men hearing these women speak evil would appear to “listen gladly” but ultimately “hold such women in small respect” and “esteem them so lightly as to despise their company” (177.) From the accounts held in The Courtier of women in the Renaissance, it can be said that women were almost considered to be “status symbols” during this time period. Some men aimed to treat women with courtesy and respect but never viewed them as true equals. Women were expected not to make a fuss, not to speak up too loudly, and to act positive and apolitical at every turn, resulting in a stifling lack of agency. As a whole, women were expected to be seen and not heard, ultimately having a scarce role in the era. Even still, misogyny and hatred was ubiquitous in this time period.

In 17th century Euro-America Puritan society believed that men played a patriarchal role upon women, and that this role was instituted by God and nature. The seniority of men over women lay within both the household and the public sphere. The household, immediate family living in the same dwelling was subject to the male as head figure of the house. The public sphere also known as the social life within the Puritan community consisted of two echelons. These echelons consisted of formal and informal public. The formal public consisted of woman and indentured servants. Women were to stay within the informal public and stay in the shadows of the men. The government held large ties with the church in the 17th century. Though women were

Given these points, the belief of women empowerment viewed the role of women differently by promoting the idea that women should not feel suppressed by the power of men.. The Italian Humanist writer, Leon Battista Alberti, by being one of these believers included that a woman’s role is not just by the appearance but by the way a woman’s personality and character (doc 2). Battista Alberti shows this belief by sharing his views on the beauty of women and demonstrating that women can look pretty, but what actually makes her beautiful is her modesty, conduct,

Between the 1300s and 1500s, Europe experienced a period of cultural rebirth known as the Renaissance, marking the transition from medieval times to modern times. The Renaissance brought new importance to individual expression, self-consciousness and worldly experience.

A critical point in European history was the Renaissance period, which took place between 1300-1700. The term Renaissance stands for ‘rebirth’, and in this context refers to the increased interest that was taken in learning from Greek and Roman classical writing. Recent exploration by historians into the Renaissance period has seen a fixation on the discussion of the role of gender during the Renaissance. A variety of historians, such as Joan Kelly and Merry E. Weisner, believe that women didn’t experience any form of a Renaissance during this period. It can be widely acknowledged that during this period society did experience a ‘rebirth’, especially in terms of the role of the men in Europe. Women, on the other hand, weren’t as fortunate.

The emergence of the Renaissance throughout Italy gave rise to the philosophy of humanism; rather than submitting to tradition, those situated lower on the social hierarchy began to question their situations. This lead to an increase in educational pursuits coupled with social and political upheaval. Early Renaissance feminists began to voice their concerns regarding the rights and equality of women in a heavily patriarchal society using literature, art, and politics. Laura Cetera’s Defense of Liberal Instruction for Women and Lucrezia Marinella’s The Nobility and Excellence of Women are both feminist pieces of the time. While both authors advocate for the political and social advancement for women, Cereta and Marinella’s differing experiences

Women had to remain with their husbands because they were forced to marriage by their fathers, society also didn’t allow them to have a higher education than men leaving women to have to suffer for how their lives are. In this city the family was the basic unit and so were blood ties as the most powerful cause of marriage. Many fathers had their daughters marry certain men that would help strengthen their position in the community. Marrying into my family had been an honor because we were the wealthiest and most respected citizens. Women who had lived here in Florence were the most educated women in Europe at the time even though they were not allowed to work for the government, they also could not teach at universities, or to make books on their view of

Previously, women were never looked at as equal to men because of past social traditions. Men were considered superior to women. Women had to follow their husband’s footsteps, and not publicly share their opinions. In the 16th Century through 18th century, women were limited in their involvement politically and socially in public because they were looked as only being mothers and wives, however, during this time new gains in education and politics because of Enlightenment ideals allowed women to more actively participate publicly, but ultimately had a small effect on all women as most of them still stayed at home and kept viewpoints out of the public eye.

The Enlightenment was a period when clusters of philosophers, writers, scholars, and aristocrats sharply debated standards and assumptions about women's rights in society. Issues that pertained to widening the women's sphere into more than just the household, questioning the ability of women to logic as men, and debating egalitarian co-educational opportunities for both boys and girls. This was a time when women started to come forth as intellectuals in response to the unbalanced status given to the “weaker” sex. Both male and female Enlightenment thinkers had opinions that spanned across each side of the issues. Jean-Jacque Rousseau, who in his novels, such as Emile,

women in a male dominated society. Life during the Renaissance was a patriarchal society. As a

Women’s lives were not easy, and they faced many struggles that although we don’t see in our country today, are still present in some lifestyles around the world. Overall, women had many limitations on their lives, along with marriage, raising a family, and jobs during the Renaissance. Women’s lives were very focused on the thought of marriage, and their whole lives depended on getting married at a certain age. The average lifespan was very short during the Renaissance due to many diseases and lack of proper treatment.

The two stories of Tobias and Guglielma caught the attention of the Florentines because they gave way to a perspective to reappraise the true female experience to be viewed as a social construct as much as a biological given, and women as universally created in accordance with the male needs and ideals of the society in which they lived. In fact, assessing primary sources have shown that neither men nor women were free to fashion an individual self, a personal identity independent of the values and demands of a society still structured around the communities of family, state, and an all-pervasive Church. Their values determined the very different roles of men and women in a social setup to which both sexes were committed. These portraits of the two saints represent a complex amalgam of what was real and what was ideal, signified by idealized features and stylized attributes, in the presentation of a self within the confines of religion and gender roles as defined by society.

In Renaissance Italy a woman's personal identity wasn't of any great importance. Her worth in society was calculated on how well she fit into the ideological image of the Renaissance woman. Women depicted in art were from the upper class and nobility, these women were confined to their domestic duties as their unions were to further the fortunes of their families. The rise of humanism in Renaissance Italy lead to an enlightened sense of the importance of individualism; however the belief failed to extend to women. The impact of Humanism in female portraiture-showing the sitter as a fully realised person with intellect, talents, and personality is frustratingly absent with few works displaying a grasp on the humanity of their female subjects.

As many may think, women weren’t as important during the renaissance period. Some seem to believe that women had it easier than they do today. Some even believe that they had much more power and independence. If only that were true. Women who showed too much independence, sexual or otherwise, were punished and sometimes even killed (Wiesner 59). Women were made to be seen as saints and remained loyal to one man. During the renaissance period, women went through many hardships and many things were expected of her by her family, as well as her husband. You might ask, what was marriage, education, and employment like for women during the renaissance period?

The short story, “Roman Fever” illustrates the shocking relationship between two women, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade, by a chance meeting in Rome. As the story opens the two women are sitting on the terrace of a Roman restaurant that has an astonishing view of the Colosseum and other Roman ruins. While the women sit in silence and enjoy the tranquil view from the terrace they notice their daughters down below running off to spend a romantic evening with two young men. This triggers Mrs. Slades memories of her and Mrs. Ansley’s quixotic adventures in Rome as young adults and their first encounter with “Roman fever”. Wharton uses the term Roman fever to illustrative the women’s past relationship that is embedded with destruction,