Relationship Between Cherry Stepwood And Hedda Gabler

Centuries ago in Elizabethan England there were many traditions about marriage and the treatment of women. One strong tradition of these times was the practice of marriage between races. Interracial marriages were considered extremely taboo. (High Beam). In this era marriages were arranged by the parents with strong help from the local church. The individuals had little choice as to who they would marry. (Elizabethan England Life). Yet another example of these traditions was the respectable treatment of women. While the husband was in charge of his wife, as was the father, the husband were expected to treat the women right (Elizbethi). In spurning all of these traditions, Shakespeare demonstrates a view of marriage far different from that

 In the plays female sexuality is not expressed variously through courtship, pregnancy, childbearing, and remarriage, as it is in the period.  Instead it is narrowly defined and contained by the conventions of Petrarchan love and cuckoldry.  The first idealizes women as a catalyst to male virtue, insisting on their absolute purity.  The second fears and mistrusts them for their

The idea of marriage that is presented in the play differs from what we see marriage as

One of Hedda's main points in life is to control her position in society. She does everything in her power to avoid any type of scandal in the community and to go along with the norms of society. This occurs with her decision of marrying George Tesman, even though she had feelings

Hedda tears down everyone throughout the play, with Lövborg and Brack as the only exception. After being born to a high standing family, her expectations of power are high, but due to her biologic form as a woman she is trapped and unable to take control, “because Hedda has been imprisoned since girlhood by the bars of Victorian propriety, her emotional life has grown turbulent and explosive” (Embler). However, after succumbing to marriage with Tesman, whom she only marries for money and respect, she loses her place in society as she, as a mere woman, cannot retain it. This slowly unwinds Hedda and eventually leads her on to her fatal path. By

Henrik Ibsen's insightful drama poses Hedda Gabler as a non-caring and manipulative woman and Mrs. Elvstead as being a feminine and soft woman in order to address the pivotal societal ideals of aristocracy and the position of women in the late 1800's/early 1900's.

Marriage is the legally recognized union of two people, whereas a relationship is merely defined as a connection between two things, or in this case, between two people (OED). In the Elizabethan age, marriage was mainly arranged for political alliances and the merging of wealth in noble families (Vasuki). While relationships refer to the meaningful connections between people, marriage was more of a tool for advancement. Shakespeare’s plays demonstrate these societal conventions by organizing marriage plots fueled by political or financial gain. Likewise, the absence of romantic relationships in these plays reflects the period’s cultural norm in which romantic relationships were mainly nonexistent and marriages were pursued for protection rather than love. The treatment of marriage and relationships in Hamlet is side railed by the Hamlet’s revenge and bias, whereas relationships in the form of premarital sex are the primary focus of Measure for Measure. Nonetheless, this essay will analyze both of Gertrude’s marriages in Hamlet to prove that they are predominantly loveless tools for kings to pursue their personal agendas. This analysis will provide a frame of reference or lens, through which this paper will outline the problematic nature of Measure for Measure’s sexual relationships.

The reflection of women in literature during the late eighteen-hundreds often features a submissive and less complex character than the usual male counterpart, however Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler features a women who confines herself to the conformities that women were to endure during that time period but separates herself from other female characters by using her intelligence and overall deviousness to manipulate the men in her life and take a dominant presence throughout the play. Hedda challenges the normal female identity of the time period by leaving the stereotype of the “quiet, subservient housewife” through her snide and condescending remarks as well as her overall spoiled aristocratic demeanor.

Perhaps the theme that is most recurrent in William Shakespeare's plays is that of filial relationships, specifically the relationship between daughter and father. This particular dynamic has allowed Shakespeare to create complex female characters that come into conflict with their fathers over issues ranging from marriage to independence. At the same time, the dramatist exposes his audience to the struggles women face when attempting to assert themselves in a misogynistic world. Through the daughter-father dyads portrayed in The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare highlights the effects that gender constraints have on female characters while simultaneously drawing attention to the sharp contrast between both relationships.

What is most often thought of when the word woman comes to mind? Kind? Feminine? Submissive? These adjectives often come to mind. Humans have placed stereotypes on woman and have placed them second fiddle to man. And so powerful and masculine would never be acceptable to call a woman? Henrik Ibsen 's, Hedda Gabler, is just this case. Hedda, the main character of the story, is the exact opposite of what women are thought to be. She is cold, emotionless, and some would say she shows a degree of masculinity. She is a woman who 's only actions in the pursuit of power and manipulation being her main tool. Hedda 's great conquest of power ultimately ends with her being pregnant with her "tool" of a husband 's child and sexual servitude to a lustful Judge Brack, through black mail of Løvborgs death at the barrel of Hedda 's father 's own pistol. Hedda having no choice and being back into a corner decides to do the boldest measure ever for a woman, suicide. She escaped through death and avoided Brack 's sexual blackmail, becoming useless to her husband, as well as mother hood. Suicide was her final victory.

Elizabeth Cary’s play, The Tragedy of Mariam, explores themes of marriage and divorce through the lens of gender inequality. Through the voice of the Chorus, the play suggests that a woman should live by the conservative notion of wifely duties, in that she owes her husband entire subjection of mind and body, submission, and faithfulness. The Chorus is used here as a voice of public authority and virtuousness and through their pronouncements, assert that women are not entitled to the same basic rights as men such as the liberty to express feelings and thoughts publicly, choice to stay or leave relationships, and ability to decide the fate of their spouses. Cary highlights relationships between the central characters and shows what happens to women who go against the social norm. Instead of banding together in solidarity, the women characters, particularly Mariam, Salome, and Doris are pitted against each other and ultimately alter the trajectory of each other’s lives. The role of gender inequality and influence of public opinion affects the functioning and perpetuation of marriage in this play. If decisions and actions were not influenced by conventions of gender inequality and the opinion of the public, the lives of these women would have been drastically different.

So she married George knowing that George would soon become successful. She refers to herself as a coward because she did not have enough willin herself to commit such an act that would label her as female committing something wrong in this time period. Womenin this time period had no real lives; the only exception was if they were related to men. Hedda reflected this lifestyle because she possesses no hobbies besides her collection of pistols, even though George disproves of them. She lives to serve George and no one else; she does not want to belong to Brack, which is why she decides to end her life.The entire work has only one setting, Hedda 's and Mr. Tesman 's house. Every character enters and exits the house except for Hedda. The stage explanation states “The same rooms at the Tesmans” (Ibsen 165). Hedda is confined to her house, this reflects her actions because she never has a chance to think and act freely without having to worry about her husband or societies expectations of her. Being a woman in the Victorian Era she 's tied down to her husband, and she needs to devout her life to her family. The captivity within her home isolates Hedda from the outside; the only tie she has to news going on in town is Thea because she can gossip with her. Hedda had no clue that her past love, Eilert, was coming back to town until Thea spoke to her. Additionally,Hedda seeks a way for her to have some excitement in her house, her pistols. She uses the pistols to escape her

The first being that the main character, Hedda Gabler, grew up in an aristocratic background, is very hard to please, and could be considered a manipulative brat to the other characters in the play. According to Berta, “she’s so particular about things”, by which Miss Tesman responds, “Well, what do you expect? General Gabler’s daughter—the ways she lived in the general’s day!” (Ibsen 783). Whereas Miss Tesman could be seen as the brown-nosing type of person when she buys a nice hat “for Hedda’s sake” instead of for herself to seem like she is of the same socio-economic class as Hedda (Isben 784). By doing this she is putting Hedda first instead of herself just to be liked and accepted by Hedda. The General’s daughter is the outcast among the rest of the

Hedda Gabler is a text in which jealousy and envy drive a woman to manipulate and attempt to control everyone in her life. The protagonist, Hedda, shows her jealousy in her interactions with the other characters in the play, particularly with Eilert Loveborg and Thea Elvsted. Because Hedda is unable to get what she wants out of life because of her gender and during the time of the play, her age, she resorts to bringing everyone else down around her. Hedda lets her jealousy get the best of her and because of this she hurts many of the people around her as well as ultimately hurting herself.

For the aristocracy, sexual exploits of scandalous natures were revered while marriage was simply disdained. In these plays, women seem to be eternally frustrated emotionally and sexually by their husbands, while men seem to be in a perpetual state of fear, trying to avoid becoming cuckolded. The way these plays unfold seemingly always confuses the audience. The men that are rewarded in the end are crude and promiscuous, while the women constantly fool their absurd and oblivious husbands all the while carrying on explicit sexual affairs. If the plays are supposed to send a message, the message is cloudy at best making the aristocracy’s newly returned security seem exceedingly unstable. The general opinion of marriage was skepticism and a certain loss of faith in the institution. ‘The Country Wife’ is a perfect embodiment of the political and social turmoil