Women In Romeo And Juliet

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.

From the very first page, the status quo of Verona has been set as Shakespeare starts off establishing this theme of masculinity by inserting scene 1 of act 1 into the book. As this quote shows, “Tis true; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall. Therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the

Everyone in the world of literature knows about the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Men in the story find power in sexual domination and violence. Women are treated as a belonging, and such as a property. Any person who was a female was expected to do as the men wished, and had no power over it at all. The women of this play are hampered by conventions, but many of the women still show great strength. The poor treatment acts upon major characters in the play such as, the nurse, Lady Capulet, and Juliet. In the play Lady Capulet shows strength by her tremendous personality of demand. The nurse, also shows an immense amount of strength by her ability to stay seriously involved with her work. Finally, Juliet shows her monumental strength by staying independent to herself.The women of this play are hampered by conventions, but many of the women still show great strength.

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.

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.

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.

Throughout Act 1 of Romeo and Juliet characters who show importance adapt their own traits, such as Tybalt who is seen as pugnacious and violent and Benvolio who appears to be a peacekeeper and an all around righteous person. These characteristics are seen in the scene where Benvolio is trying to break up the fight, “I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword, / or manage it to part these men with me.” (Shakespeare 1.1.61-62) In this case Benvolio was trying to help keep the peace by giving them a choice of helping him stop the fight, which could have stopped plenty of complications and tragedies from arising. Tybalt portrays his characteristics in the same scene as Benvolio, “ What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward!” (Shakespeare 1.1.63-65) In the previous action Tybalt displayed

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet defies the “stereotypical gender normality’s” that were present in 1595. Throughout the play, the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet, continuously oppose to the gender-based normality’s that are expected of them. They defy the gender-based stereotypes surrounding love and relationships, the gender roles around marriage. Even the character's way in which they end their lives are more “suited” towards the opposite gender.

As Benvolio attempts to pacify situations, Tybalt becomes increasingly hostile. Likewise, as Tybalt attempts to instigate a fight, Benvolio tries to reconcile the problem. These contrasts help showcase the character’s traits. The opening scene of conflict displays their differences. Benvolio implores Tybalt for peace, “I do but keep the peace”, however Tybalt instigates a fight saying, “Have at thee coward!”, and attacking (Act I, Scene I). This confrontation displays the stark contrast between the two, with the hostility of Tybalt being matched with the attempt of Benvolio to placate the anger. One critical review elaborates on the benevolence of Benvolio saying, “Benvolio is a caring individual accentuated by Tybalt’s inhospitable and discourteous manner towards others.” (Long, 121). This can be proven with Benvolio’s compassion towards Romeo, saying “Soft! I will go along. And if you leave me so, you do me wrong.” (Act I Scene I). Likewise, Tybalt is shown to be consistently hostile even after Lord Capulet agrees Romeo could stay at the party, “It fits when such a villain is a guest. I’ll not endure him.” (Act I, Scene 5). Benvolio and Tybalt are foils due to their extremely different characteristics, accentuating each

Compare and contrast the presentation of gender in two films we have looked at on the course

In the play Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare utilizes opposites in both the thoughts and actions of the characters in Romeo and Juliet. Outlined are contrasts of crime and violence versus peace and law, love versus hate, and young versus old.

Female sovereignty was uncommon in Renaissance England. The social structure of the family assured the subjugation of woman under man. Daughters remained under the care of their fathers until they were married, at which time they became subject to their husband's authority. Economics ensured the wife's dependence on her husband. Unmarried and widowed women retained far more legal rights than married women, therefore, "for a woman, marriage meant the loss of her legal and economic rights, and therefore a dependence on the (chosen) man" (Motte 29). Even though marriage often meant a loss of legal rights, those daughters who had the good fortune to choose their mates faired better than those whose marriages were arranged.

A male will express his enthusiasm towards an attractive female who draws his attention. The play Romeo and Juliet demonstrates this in Scene I, act 5, lines 44-53, and the song “Michelle”. The play, written by the famous playwright William Shakespeare, gained popularity in 1594. In lines 44-53, Romeo expresses his feeling about seeing Juliet for the first to the reader. The lyric “Michelle” comes from a song performed by the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

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.