Summary Of Elizabethan Women In The First Blast Of The Trumpet

“Beauty is power, and makeup is something that really enhances that; it’s a woman’s secret” - Charlotte Tilbury. Many women of the Elizabethan era had their own thought on makeup and beauty. Women with long hair and tan skin is the ideal beauty for women today, but this was not the case in this era. In the Elizabethan era, having pale skin was a sign of nobility, wealth, and (for women) delicacy, and was sought after by many. The Elizabethan view of pure beauty, and nobility was a woman with light hair and a snow white complexion complemented with red cheeks and red lips. The way people judge each other tend to make them into something they’re not.

In the sixteenth century the role of women in society was very limited. Women were generally stereotyped as housewives and mothers. They were to be married, living their life providing for her husband and children. The patriarchal values of the Elizabethan times regarded women as the weaker sex.’ Men were considered the dominant gender and were treated with the utmost respect by females. Women were mainly restricted within the confines of their homes and were not allowed to go school or to university, but they could be educated at home by private tutors. Men were said to be the ones to provide for their families financially. Women were often seen as not intelligent. Property could not be titled in the name of a female within the family. Legally everything the female had belonged to her husband. Poor and middle class wives were kept very busy but rich women were not idle either. In a big house they had to organize and supervise the servants.

As the play begins to unfold love is immediately illustrated to be the main theme of the play; starting with a wedding and leading up to tears shed by miserable lovers.Although it is an extremely rewarding, love is never an easy adventure. Lovers must be prepared to protect and fight for one another against everyone and anyone. In Hermia’s tragic situation her enemy was her father. Egeus passionately voices his disapproval by taking his daughter to Theseus and stating, “ full of vexation come I with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia.—Stand forth, Demetrius.—My noble lord,This man hath my consent to marry her.—Stand forth, Lysander.—And my gracious duke,This man hath bewitched the bosom of my child” (1.1. 22-27). When love is at last passionately felt amongst both lovers, it encounters a malevolent invincible demon; parental disapproval. Hermia and Lysander’s love is cursed and forbidden by her father’s

Female gender roles have greatly changed from now and the sixteen hundreds when Shakespeare wrote the popular play Much Ado About Nothing. Women were raised to believe they were inferior to men. Women were taught that men should be the one who brings in money and women should stay home to clean and bare children. Also women were given no choice in who they were to marry or when. Over hundreds of years women realized that they were just as good as men and that they should be treated equally. This essay will cover the analysis of the women’s gender roles in the play Much Ado About Nothing, showing the analysis of Beatrice not following any stereotypes, Hero following all of the stereotypes, and Margaret not getting the same stereotypes as other women because she is a servant.

In the beginning of the play, Egeus, Hermia’s father, complains to the duke of Athens, Theseus, about his daughter not wanting to marry the man he picked out for her, Demetrius. Theseus comes to a conclusion of either sending Hermia to a nunnery or executing her. Hermia does not want to go through with either of those choices, so she and Lysander, the man Hermia really loves, plan to run away from the city of Athens to be married. Everything is arranged for their escape and all is well until Helena enters the scene. Hermia

In this point in the play we find Helena begging to be loved by Demetrius. She constantly follows Demetrius around but he is madly in love with Hermia a long with Lysander. Hermia is the daughter of Egeus and he demands she marries Demetrius even though she is in love with Lysander. Even though Helena knows Demetrius does not love her she will forever try to win him over. Demetrius tries to tell Helena that he loves Hermia.

Hermia believes that love is something to fight for till the end. In fact, she goes against her father's will to marry Demetrius simply due to her love for another. Because of this, her father, Egeus, threatens her with either be killed or become a nun. Hermia chose neither to be killed or become a nun. In addition, she chose her own destiny.

Kate is discussing the cultural idea of Elizabethan societies women being refined and restrained. The 16th century “was a time dominated by men while women themselves remained meek and submissive — these traits were crucial in their belonging and survival in both their family and society” (Pople, 2015). Kate is denouncing the ability of women as a gender and their capacity to be equals to their husbands - heavily influenced by the Elizabethan cultural idea that women existence is based around serving their husband and being submissive to their dominance.

In this book from 1595, gender roles had an obvious part in the lives of the characters. For example, the future of Hermia is determined by her father, Egeus. Throughout the story, gender roles play an impactful part in shifting the overall problem of the story.

All because she wants to marry a man her father doesn't like. These three life choices that Hermia is given reveal the sexist ideas of both the characters and of the Athenian law. First of all, Hermia is given the option to die. This is definitely the most extreme of them all. Just the mere idea that Egeus and Theseus would kill someone, especially Egeus’ own daughter, just because she didn’t marry the man he wanted her to is not just sexist, but also about as extreme as it gets.

This means Hermia is only a possession and she does not have the power to choose for herself. He manipulates her with the power society gives him and gives her the choice to die or marry Demetrius. She is expected to be docile and agree to her father’s wishes because society has implemented these gender norms. When these norms are followed, external validation is given because these norms are seen by society as a goal to be reached. The gender norm of following her father's wishes to marry who he wants is expected of her but this norm does not get fulfilled.

In Athens, women had very little rights. Womens fathers were the ones who got to choose whom they married, and that caused trouble for the lovers. Hermia’s father, Egeus, strongly believed in this rule. At the beginning, Egeus decides that he wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, which is good for Demetrius but bad for Hermia. Hermia, daringly refuses her father’s wishes, so they seek the help of Theseus, the Duke of Athens. Theseus listens to their situation, and being the authority in the situation, tells Hermia: “Either to die the death, or to abjure for the society of men. Therefore, fair Hermia,... if you yield not to your father’s choice, you can endure the livery of a nun...”(24). This shows how authority, in this case the law, gets in the way of “the course of true love…”(28). Egeus’s decision to have Hermia marry Demetrius does not only affect Hermia but also affects Helena. When Hermia’s father chooses Demetris to be her

Hermia has been promised to Demetrius by her father; however she is unwilling to marry him as she is in love with Lysander. We are introduced to this theme when they visit Thesus, the figure of authority in the play, who makes it clear that women are not to have their own identity, but instead are

Hermia is recognized as an inferior character due to her fathers commands-Egeus. Hermia endeavours to get Egeus to give permission for Lysander and herself to get married. However, he responds with a rational answer, giving her two choices: “Consent to marry with Demetrius…” “…or to her death, according to our laws…” (Shakespeare 1:1 40,44). This passage stats how Hermia is given the option to marry Demetrius or to be killed by her fathers request. Also, it describes that this act is legal and right in the laws of the Athenians as Egeus mentions. This means that women throughout the town are forced to do what their fathers say. Which proves that woman are powerless and males are given the role of superiority, this makes the society unjust. Hermia is shown as powerless towards what

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.