Gender Roles In Romeo And Juliet

Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in the 16th century, at a time when the role of the woman was to be subservient to men and act as a wife to their husband and a mother to their children. Women were expected to conform to the expectations of society, and were seen as possessions by their fathers and husbands. Fathers arranged their daughters’ marriages, usually for financial or social gain for the family. In Romeo and Juliet, the unfair treatment of women is conveyed through characters such as Juliet, a young girl who is growing up within the expectations of society, and Lady Capulet, who represents a traditional side of love, and values social position rather than men themselves.

In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, two young lovers take their lives after their family feud reignites . A variety of decisions along with circumstance no one person could account for set the story of Romeo and Juliet up to be a tragedy. Many of the decisions in the play are made quickly and while emotions are running high, so frequently they result in bad outcomes. So, the rash and impulsive decisions made by men in Romeo and Juliet create the problems within the play.

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.

Juliet is not unlike the typical young women constantly struggling to find happiness and acceptance from those who are closest to her. Young Juliet must confront the harsh reality that exists between her and those who profess to be her friends and family, which is they failed to support her, love her, and lift her up with she needed it most. In the timeless book, “Romeo & Juliet” William Shakespeare writes a moving story about the betrayal, disappointment, love, and eventual death of Romeo and Juliet. No reader can truly appreciate and understand the level of Juliet’s struggles without first understanding the roles the Lord Capulet, Friar Lawrence and Romeo, their betrayal and their role in her faithful decision.

Romeo then kisses her showing that he is willing to do anything to show his love for someone. He does this even though he just met her. During this conversation Romeo also discusses marriage showing that he wants to be with her forever. Romeo then leaves the party but goes to the Capulet mansion to see Juliet again. He goes to her balcony and listens to her speak, and then he shows himself to Juliet.

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.

Juliet has full trust in Romeo and is loyal to him, this is a sign of true love,

Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in the 16th century, at a time where the role of the woman was to be subservient to men and act as a wife to their husband and a mother to their children. Women were expected to conform to the expectations of society, and were seen as possessions by their fathers and husbands. Fathers arranged their daughters’ marriages, usually for financial or social gain for the family. In Romeo and Juliet, the unfair treatment of women is conveyed through characters such as Juliet, a young girl who is growing into the expectations of society, and Lady Capulet, who represents a traditional side of love and values social position rather than men themselves.

The story of Romeo and Juliet is based on the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues thus it is not surprising that Verona is dominated by masculine tension. As well as masculine tension is also sexual domination and violence a part of the life in Verona.(cf.https://underthefallenleaves.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/romeo-and-juliet-an-exploration-of-gender-roles/)

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.

In order to understand Romeo and Juliet, it must be remembered that these two heralds of love were little more than children. In Renaissance England, the category of adolescence was not recognized (Cox 391). A person went from childhood to adulthood without the liberty that is allowed to modern adolescents. Nowadays, the teenage years are accepted as a turbulent period in which defiance of authority and assertion of "self" are not only allowed, but also expected. Adults explain away even the most inexplicable behavior of teenagers as "just a phase". However, as this was not done in Shakespeare’s England, both Romeo and Juliet were expected to take on the roles of adults, and were chastised for their refusal to enter in the adult world as their parents would have them. Juliet is first presented to the audience as a young woman who has come to marrying age: “Well, think of marriage now; younger than you, / Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, / Are made already mothers…Thus then in brief: / The valiant Paris seeks you for his love”(1.3.69-74). Juliet is presented with the idea of marrying Paris with

Spark of patriarchy dominates Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Sadly, this system dictates how the characters embark on their lives in Verona, Italy. Wallia (2012, para.1) defines patriarchy as a system of unequal power relations that give men privileges in all areas of their lives - social, economic, institutional, cultural, political, and spiritual - while women and gender non-conforming people are systematically disadvantaged. Men, in Romeo and Juliet, are endowed with countless prerogatives that allow them to be superior over women. Kahn (1978, p.171) supports this claim by saying that "the play, as persuasively argued by literary critics, is dominated by fathers, whose power over families is mirrored in the organization of the state as a whole."

In some scenes Juliet shows her emotions about marriage but also about Romeo. Romeo was one of the most important things to her and since she has lost him she cannot live without him. Juliet has had various changes in different period of the

In Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’, the 13-year-old protagonist is faced with the tempting idea of forbidden love. The true factor, which inevitably leads to Juliet’s demise, was her lack of experience in love, life, and marriage. Juliet’s lack in experience was what brought her to meet her end. But problems always originate from how one was raised, brought up, and grown into the world by surrounding adults.

Shakespeare's famous play of the two star crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet arouses many debates in the literary world; among them belongs the question of who Shakespeare portrays as the culprit responsible for the couples death: foolish young love, societal norms and customs or simply fate?The plot of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare unfolds in Verona, where the protagonists, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, each belong to powerful feuding Verona families. Juliet, who is only 14 years of age, has been promised by her father to a man named Paris without her consent, as was common for women at the time. In Verona, expectations and societal norms for men and women diverge. Men are portrayed as sexual, violent, strong characters who fight for honor while women are portrayed as inferior, weaker and represent possessions and conquests of men. Although, Juliet does not conform to these expectations and defies them throughout the play by her actions and behavior until she meets a tragic and untimely death with her lover Romeo. William Shakespeare uses Juliet, an unconventional protagonist compared to the society’s gender roles, and her tragic downfall to criticize the patriarchal society he lived in during the Elizabethan era.