Gender Conventions In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet resorts to conniving and shrewd ways in order to control her destiny and free herself from her confined existence. Contrary to the critics who view Juliet as innocent, childish and immature, Juliet’s habits of manipulating people–particularly the men in her life, expressly Romeo–through simulating maleness implies a parallel between the approaches falconers (mostly males) use to train their falcons (mostly females) (Radel). Juliet lures Romeo into taking their relationship to a deeper level, contriving him into professing love and proposing marriage. The gender role reversal becomes more apparent as Romeo slowly loses his independence and becomes

Author and civil rights activist Maya Angelou once said, “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”. When one thinks of comic books, it is very likely that the subjects that come to mind are Marvel’s Spiderman or DC’s Batman. Although comic books are stereotypically thought to be mainly about super heroes, there are a wide variety of subject matter they could be written about, such as romance. In the 1950s – 1960s, it was common for these romance comics to exploit the social norms of that time and emphasized the subject of gender roles. While the men in comic books were usually illustrated in a brave heroic manner, the women would be portrayed to be what would now be considered a stereotypical “trophy wife”. As a young child reading these comics and taking in these images, they are slowly molding their ideals to believe that what they are reading and seeing is what is accepted and normal in their society. By coding gender norms into the texts, authors are helping mold the ideology of its readers to believe that it is acceptable for both genders to follow specific rules that accommodate to the believed social norms of the time.

To what extent is Romeo and Juliet a comment on differing ideas of masculinity and femininity? Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ crafts a nuanced commentary on the rigid societal expectations and perceptions of masculinity and femininity set in a deeply patriarchal society. Through the juxtaposition of Romeo and Juliet and the rest of the characters, and the calamity that was their love, we gain an insight into the ideas surrounding masculinity and femininity at this time. By the time Romeo and Juliet were written, the blatant divide between the expectations of men and women was such a prominent part of society. Femininity was defined by submission, modesty and subservience, something all women were expected to exemplify.

In a patriarchal society, women are expected to conform to social restrictions by demonstrating reverence and obedience to the males in their lives. Shakespeare's tragic play, Romeo and Juliet, explores the effects of patriarchal authority exerted over women and how the patriarchal structure left no escape from it, save death. Through Juliet, Lady Capulet, and the Nurse, Shakespeare establishes a common understanding of this type of society, but illuminates three different reactions to the social oppression by portraying the responses of a passionate lover, an idyllic housewife, and an attendant.

By doing so, this essay explores to what extent the play reinforces or complicates the conventional spatial-gender binary. Romeo and Juliet genders public spaces as masculine and domestic spaces as feminine to enforce conventional gender roles. This essay analyzes how the public sphere allows male characters to perform their gender identity, by examining public scenes such as the opening scene and the scene where Romeo kills Tybalt. These examples detail how the public sphere enables the men to perform behaviors that progress their maleness, such as acts of violence and misogyny. Additionally, this essay analyzes Romeo’s interaction with Mercutio and Benvolio in 2.4 to view how the play reinforces the maleness of the public sphere.

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s commentary on society are the role of women, the role of religion in everyday life, and the loyalty towards family. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare portrays commentary on society is the role of women. Women in the 1500’s were told who to marry, “But fettle your fine

In the Elizabethan times men were supposed to be masculine and powerful and defend their honour. Women on the other hand had to be subservient to the men in their lives and do what they said. These gender roles also influenced the fate of the “star-crossed lovers”, Romeo and Juliet. Especially the gender roles of the men since the women had to be obedient and therefore barely had a say in this all. In his play, Shakespeare portrays the men in the Elizabethan times as immature and prideful by using content, characterization and tone in order to convey the message of the play.

Compare and contrast the presentation of gender in two films we have looked at on the course

    Othello represents a prime example of Shakespeare's ability to develop relationships between the sexes so as to demonstrate those relationships' weaknesses. In Othello, the sexes are divided by misconceptions and ego- centric views of the opposite gender. The men of the play, in particular Othello, maintain a patriarchal, chivalric notion of the sexes, while the women of the play yearn for more involvement in their husbands' affairs. So it is that the thrust of the play emerges from "the opposition of attitudes, viewpoints, and sexes." (Neely 214)

Throughout Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, there is an overlaying presence of the typical roles that men and women were supposed to play. During Elizabethan times there was a major difference between the way men and women were supposed to act. Men typically were supposed to be masculine and powerful, and defend the honor. Women, on the other hand, were supposed to be subservient to their men in their lives and do as ever they wished. In Romeo and Juliet the typical gender roles that men and women were supposed to play had an influence on the fate of their lives.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet defies the “stereotypical gender normality’s” that were present in 1595. Throughout the play, the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet, continuously oppose to the gender-based normality’s that are expected of them. They defy the gender-based stereotypes surrounding love and relationships, the gender roles around marriage. Even the character's way in which they end their lives are more “suited” towards the opposite gender.

In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, social expectations about gender significantly contribute to the tragic ending of the play. That daughters always should obey their parents in the case of marriage and that men have ‘to keep their honour’ even if it comes to violence are just some mere examples of these backward expectations. They strip both males and females of the liberty to make common, taken-for-granted decisions, and come with no profit; only causing the untimely death of the play’s main characters.

In both Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare presents to the audience impressive female characters. These women were bravely defiant in the patriarchal society of the 16th century in which they lived. Lady Macbeth embraced the fight for power, which was conventionally thought as a man’s deed: Juliet spoke and acted against male authority. Her father’s expectation for her marriage and fate was for Juliet, unbearable. Such rejection and rebellion against male supremacy was not only highly dangerous to women, but it also definitely shook the stability of patriarchal dominance.

The role of women constantly change throughout history. In the Elizabethan era, women were not offered female employment and almost no rights. This era fostered a playwright, William Shakespeare, who wrote the play Romeo and Juliet, a play that illustrated the story of two star-crossed lovers from opposing families. Much like the status of women in his society, Shakespeare portrays women in Romeo and Juliet of similar menial roles. Throughout the play, the role of women was to follow men, please others, and to be of a lower and weaker status.

Shakespeare uses language to explore the controversial gender roles. His use of two distinctively opposing female