TOPIC : The significance of female characters in portraying the major themes and other social and political issues and how they are prominent in some of the texts from Renaissance to Modern literature.
I agree that from Renaissance to Modern literature young and adult female characters are prominent. During the Shakespearean times, men were even dressed up as woman to perform the play on stage which proves that for a play to be portrayed in a presentable manner, woman roles were included (Alchin, 2010: page12). In the play of Romeo and Juliet one may find different major themes. In order for us to see clearly how the theme is portrayed, young woman are used as main characters and older woman as the antagonists. When there is love as the main theme, another woman normally comes into the play as to causing misunderstanding between the two lovers relationship. This clearly indicates the importance of woman characters in the play or novels. In the book “The lion and the jewel” Sadiku was taken by Baroka
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The writer used a young lady in the play to show us that during the renaissance period, woman’s life goals were just to please their parents, marriage, then pleasing their husbands and bearing children. In portraying the major theme of family feuds, we see that Juliet is given an uncommon strength such as denying to marry Paris who is a husband that her family have chosen for her but rather marry Romeo even though it is against her family. The Nurse is a personal servant, guardian of Juliet and has been since she was born. The Nurse is of a lower class. The writer used this in showing us that during the renaissance era, children were taken care by the employed nurses and did not have much of a relationship with their parents. This symbolize the theme of family
The nurse's key capacity inside the play is to go aboutas a go-between for Romeo and Juliet and is the maincharacter other than Minister Laurence to know about their wedding. The nurse, in spite of being a worker in the Capulet family unit, has a part comparable to that of Juliet's mom and views Juliet as her own particular girl. The nurse's association with Juliet centers consideration around Juliet's age. In Juliet's first scene, the nurse over and over affirms that Juliet has not yet had her fourteenth birthday celebration. As opposed to Juliet's childhood, the nurse is old and appreciates grumbling about her a throbbing painfulness. Juliet's dissatisfaction at relying upon the nurse as her courier is utilized to comic impact in Act II, Scene 5 when Juliet is compelled to tune in to the nurse's ailments while attempting to coax from her thenews of her wedding designs: The nurse, as Mercutio, loves to talk finally. She frequently rehashes herself, and her indelicate references to the sexual part of affection set the optimistic love of Romeo and Juliet separated from
They tell eachother everything. Most importantly, they can trust one another. Juliet turns to the Nurse for every problem she has. She depends on the Nurse to be there for her, especially in times of struggles and her love life. Throughout her love story with Romeo, the Nurse plays a very active role in Juliet’s life. We see the Nurse helping her to sneak away with Romeo but on the other side, we see the Nurse telling Juliet to obey her family orders, which relates back to the conflict between a parent figure and child.
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.
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.
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.
Without the help of the Nurse, Romeo and Juliet would not have married or had a way to interact with each other. This is clearly shown in Act II Scene V where the Nurse talks to Romeo about the marriage plans. “I will tell her, sir that up do protests, which, as I take it is a gentlemanlike offer.”(836) If the Nurse had not been present as a messenger, communication between Romeo and Juliet would have been difficult and extremely risky. The Nurse is a mother figure to Juliet because, she takes care of Juliet and gives her advice. There are many situations where Juliet relies on the Nurse. For instance on her wedding night, the nurse helps Romeo by getting him a ladder to Juliet’s room. Thus, the Nurse influences the story by bringing the two young lovers together and helping them marry.
First of all, The Nurse supports Juliet throughout the majority of the play, but her unsound advice is a notable reason for the young lovers’ downfall. For instance, Juliet appreciates The Nurse’s help during the beginning of her and Romeo’s relationship, but what Juliet is blind to is the damage that The Nurse does as she unintentionally leads Juliet to her death when she says “Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence’ cell;/ There stays a husband to make you a wife” (Shakespeare, II, v, 68-69). In essence, the wedding that The Nurse encourages Romeo and Juliet to have reflects her negative influence on their relationship as Juliet is left increasingly vulnerable to Romeo’s impulsivity, which is an extremely relevant cause of Juliet’s eventual demise. Additionally, both Romeo and Juliet are significantly affected by the immature behavior of their kin. Specifically, Juliet displays her eradicated ability to form rational decisions when she speaks of the pressure her family puts on her as she says “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 loathed enemy” (Shakespeare, I, v, 138-141). This internal conflict that arises when Juliet discovers that Romeo is a Montague is of significance
“An honour! Were not I thine only nurse, I would say thou hadst suck’d wisdom from thy teat” (1.3. 452). Her relationship with the Nurse was the opposite of the one she shared with her true parents and this lead Juliet to going to her Nurse whenever she had a predicament. This was counter-productive because these predicaments that she went to her Nurse for help lead to her dying because it was the Nurse’s obligation to side with Juliet and do what she was asked, even if it opposed what her parents would have approved. These jobs that Juliet set her Nurse out to complete were rebellious of what her parents would have wanted her to be doing. It was still a healthier relationship than the one that Juliet shared with her mother and father, which was significant considering the fact that she was a teenager when she faced all the issues that came with her forbidden love.
The Character of the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet The Nurse has a very important role in the play, being Juliet’s closest friend and helping her in her illicit relationship with Romeo. Her position in the Capulet household is superior to that of a normal servant. She is very familiar when she talks to Lady Capulet, and at times oversteps the mark. She talks about the daughter she once had and lost, and it is evident that Juliet is like a replacement and the Nurse lavishes all her motherly love and protectiveness on Juliet.
One of the most important relationships in Romeo and Juliet is the relationship between the Nurse and Juliet. In Act 1, Scene 3 we are introduced to the most vivid character of the play, the Nurse. With her speech that begins "Even or odd, of all days in the year, Come Lammas Eve at night shall she be fourteen." (1.3.16-48), we learn that she nursed
The Nurse is a good friend of Juliet´s and also played a big role in raising her. The nurse wanted the best for juliet and for her to be happy therefore, she encouraged her to get married. ¨Is your man secret? Did you ne'er hear say, Two may keep counsel, putting one away..¨(2.4, 185) This showed how the nurse knew how dangerous it was for the people to find out they were married yet, she still allowed the marriage and told them to betray their parents and keep it secret. The nurse also sent Romeo letters for Juliet to keep them in contact. ¨There stays a husband to make you a wife. Now comes the wanton blood up in your cheeks.¨(2.5). This shows that the nurse had talked to romeo. Although, Friar is the one who brought the idea of
The Nurse, a woman who is supposed to help guide Juliet on the right path, yet mistakenly confuses Juliet’s needs with her father’s wants. Although the Nurse does not realize it, the attempt at provoking Juliet to marry Paris could have further convinced Juliet that she did not want to live with her family any longer, and ask Friar Lawrence for help, which is important because this resulted in her death (Act
The Role of the Nurse in Her Relationship with Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Thesis: In William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, Nurse causes problems due to dishonesty; however, she is victimized when other characters take advantage of her.
In the Middle Age literature, women are often presented or meant to come off as an unimportant character; which can also reflect on how the author wants the women character represent. Women are usually shunned, have no say or control in what they do; due to what men desire; like Ophelia and Gertrude did in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But these female characters that I will discuss are women with power, control, and a voice. Majority of the female character’s appearances are made to represent wickedness, evil, or a seducer who challenges a man belief; and does not symbolize perfect women.