Marrying Shakespeare And Gender Analysis

    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)

Within the play titled Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare the character Juliet of the Capulet family changes her attitude toward love and marriage. Shakespeare's play displays that Juliet’s attitude adjusts throughout the play; she goes from being an independent woman who does not seek marriage, to having a cautious love, to eventually hopelessly in love. At the beginning of the play Juliet’s mother speaks with her about marriage, which Juliet answers to her mother "It is an honor I dream not of,” showing that she has no interest in love. Then when the play moves to the balcony scene Juliet shows change of where she feels that Romeo is her first love, yet she still displays no intent to marry. Eventually after Juliet does decide

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.

Romeo labels his feelings towards Juliet as “love”, although he has not gotten the opportunity to learn about her personality. This indicates that what he feels about her was entirely formed by her physical beauty rather than genuine feelings. Evidently, sexual desires seemed to be his ulterior motive for marrying her, instead of committing to love, care, and cherish her till death do them apart.

Juliet said, “My only love, sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown and known too late!” She said it because she had already fallen for him. She was in love with him, but she realized she couldn’t love him since he was the son of the only man her family hated. “Juliet. My only love, sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me That I must love a loathèd

At the beginning of the play Romeo is beyond upset when he finds that his love for Rosaline is not mutual. Romeo even moves into a depressed, mopey state, in which he locks himself in his room and cries constantly. (Act I, scene 1) Romeo moves on quickly and falls in love with Juliet based off of her astounding beauty at the Capulet party. (Act I, scene 5) The love between the two was shared and after only one night in the Capulet orchard they had fallen in love and agreed to marry the following morning. (Act II) Before Romeo, Juliet was a very independent woman and objected to marriage. Lady and Lord Capulet knew Paris was a good person and Juliet didn’t even consider giving him a chance at the party. (Act I, scene 3) Juliet also didn’t know anything about Paris. If she would have given him a chance and actually gotten to know him, she could have fallen in love with him rather than basing love off looks with Romeo. Romeo wasn’t a bad person, but he did lead Juliet to do and say things she wouldn’t normally say, like threatening to kill herself through desperation throughout the play and disobeying her parents. Parents who take the time to

Secondly, Juliet allows her grief to overpower her thinking and control her gest. Prior to the star-crossed encounter with Romeo at the Capulet party, Lady Capulet discusses marriage with Juliet and asks her would she try to like Paris and see him as a suitable husband. At the time, Juliet had a very neutral, obedient attitude towards her mother’s idea: “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move; but no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly” (1,3, 98-100). This quote illustrates Juliet’s typical, obedient behaviour and her will to pursue their plan regarding her marriage. However, Juliet meets and falls in love with Romeo at the Capulet party, which results in their secret marriage and subsequently leads towards a complete shift in Juliet’s attitude towards marrying Paris. When her father tells her she will get married to Paris, she doesn’t react in a way common to her obedient behaviour and rejects the marriage, which angers her father. Devastated at her father’s waspish words, Juliet

Some critics and other readers of Shakespeare's plays argue that he treats women with disrespect. However, he actually treats them with a great amount of respect. Shakespeare has been criticized by many modern writers for his portrayal of women.

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.

Shakespeare and the members of the Elizabethan era would be appalled at the freedoms women experience today.  The docility of Elizabethan women is almost a forgotten way of life. What we see throughout Shakespeare’s plays is an insight into the female character as perceived by Elizabethan culture.  Shakespeare’s female characters reflect the Elizabethan era’s image of women; they were to be virtuous and obedient and those that were not were portrayed as undesirable and even evil.

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.

By examining Shakespeare’s treatment of familial ties in his plays The Life and Death of King John and The Winter’s Tale, we can see how his attitudes and opinions towards family relationships evolved. In King John (written between 1594 and 1596), Shakespeare adopts what was then a fairly conventional attitude towards family relationships: his characters never question the highly patriarchal family hierarchy. They also assume that the majority of wives will be unfaithful, simply because they are female—however, they take the charge of adultery rather lightly. By contrast, in The Winter’s Tale (written between 1610 and 1611), he adopts a much more progressive, feminist view of family

Juliet reveals many things about herself with her reply in lines 103-105. Firstly, she reveals her cleverness. Just beforehand her mother asks “Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love?”(Rom 1.3.102). In response, Juliet replies “I'll look to like, if looking liking move:/ But no more deep will I endart mine eye/ Than your consent gives strength to make it fly”(Rom 1.3.103-105). She uses her mother’s own words against her. Juliet clearly does not want to answer yes to her mother’s question. However, she also wants to seem like what her mother requests of her. So, she replies that she will look to do as her mother asks, but she needs consent to go further. This buys her time, which is what she needs. She wants to marry someone out of love,