##rayation Of Women In Hamlet And Emily Brone's Wuthering Heights

women have made an exceedingly great impact on the world’s economical, social, and political spectrum. However, women are still deemed inferior to men in past and present cultures. The inferiority of women has been portrayed through various avenues such as literature and written works. The Virgil’s Aeneid and Ovid’s Metamorphoses’ women characters are three perfect depictions of how women in today’s society are dominated, disregarded, and discredited.

Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Fay Weldon’s novel Letters to Alice (1984) elicit a deeper understanding of human behaviour and social expectations. A comparison of these two texts highlights the changing expectations of women and the timeless necessity of education. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen criticises her society’s expectations of women as restrictive and detrimental for their happiness. In the Regency era, women depended on men for wealth or status by marriage, and women in general were expected to be submissive to men.

Gender inequality will always affect the portrayal of women in society, the weaker, unnecessary, and other sex. It is not just a subject of the past, and still holds a name in society. However in the olden eras, the way women were treated and looked at was in a much harsher condition. In Shakespeare’s Othello and Shelley’s Frankenstein, women’s roles in the books are solely based on the way they are treated in their time period. The portrayal of women in these books demonstrate that they can never be in the same standing as men and therefore will never have the same respect as them. In both Othello and Frankenstein women are treated as property, used to better men’s social standards, and lack a voice, which demonstrates that in

Throughout history, gender roles have been an important barrier in society. Women are forced to satisfy expectations established by men and society. “My Last Duchess,” by Robert Browning, focuses on the powerful Duke establishing certain expectations of the Duchess, and attempting to control her. Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, concentrates on Laertes establishing certain expectations of Ophelia, and seeking to control her. A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf, centers on societal expectations of Judith, and her father trying to control her. In all three texts, men have the ability to control women and have the freedom to do as they please. Women must conform to the expectations of faithfulness, attentiveness, and chastity.

“Traditionally, women [of the nineteenth century, and often today] were defined physically and intellectually as the ‘weaker’ set, in all ways subordinate to male authority” (Marsh) . In the average household, the father and husband were above the women in the

The patriarchal system of the Victorian Era severely limited women’s independence and control of their lives; a theme that dominates this text. Jane’s husband, John, the antagonist, represents the mores of their society, and treats Jane like a child. After returning to bed one evening, John questions her reasons awakening “ ‘What is it, little girl?’ he said. ‘Don’t go walking about like that-you’ll get cold’”

It is evident that women are perceived as the inferior sex with their character shaped by the demands of the men in Hamlet. There is a pattern of female oppression and the prominence of gender

During the 17th century, men and women were not treated the same as far as opportunity, and given freedom to be whatever they desire. The early modern period society was seen as one to control women, and let men be the king and priest of their household. Every relationship was grounded on hierarchy. As stated in the Norton Anthology of English Literature, “the man on top, and the husband’s patriarchal role as governor of his family and household... the family was seen as the secure foundation of society and the patriarch’s role as analogous to that of God in the universe and in the king in state.” The text Twelfth Night and Queen Elizabeth lends itself to the theme of gender and sexuality and presents its message as a challenge to the expectation of the society at that time. Because it goes against societal views of gender through androgyny, it is presented as a disruption which must be co-opted to bring about a new view of gender as a whole.

Jane Austen’s remark in her novel Persuasion about talking “about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures” points an accusing finger at society’s treatment of women and girls. We tend to regard them in terms of how valuable they are to men, as if pleasing men is their sole purpose in life. Misogyny is a complex system of female degradation and male entitlement and is demonstrated in Shakespeare’s Othello by bringing about the downfall of two couples ; today we still struggle with similar issues, if on a slightly different scale.

A common discussion between the sexes is the omnipotent power that men seem to hold over women in all societies. Why do men always have the social advantage over women? Both Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Beaumarchais’ The Marriage of Figaro show that there is indeed a social stigma placed on women where women are not allowed as much freedom to either fight back against a suitor or choose not to accept a suitor’s love and choose another. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night focuses mainly on the negative stigmas against women, while Beaumarchais’ The Marriage of Figaro places most of the blame for perpetuating the stigmas on the aristocracy, especially the men within the aristocracy (i.e. the Count). Both texts examine the social role women play in society, and both texts critique the societal norms that restrict women.

Jane Austen and WIlliam Shakespeare are writers that challenged traditional ways of literature and created various tales of perseverance through lead characters and important themes that are still studied to this day. Although the two authors are from different centuries, both examined the art of challenging gender roles in literature in order to achieve something greater. Back in the time periods of Shakespeare and Austen, the role that women were supposed to play were gentle and thought to have kept to their work in the house. Never were the women supposed to engage in work “designed for men.” Most of the time, the women grew up and were wed to a husband of the father’s choosing, usually in some form of an agreement or deal between two families. However, Jane Austen and William Shakespeare wrote about two very important females who challenged the ideas of what a woman should be, all in order to advance themselves without judgement that they were female. The two female characters portrayed in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice challenged gender roles and social expectations amidst great personal struggle, however were not able to gain independence to the benefit of their gender.

Through the Victorian Age, male dominance deprived women from a certain freedom. In Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre repeatedly struggles to become an independent young lady due to the troublesome men in the story. John Reed controls Jane, Mr. Brocklehurst humiliates Jane, and Mr. Rochester sees women, in general, as objects. The author manages to depict patriarchal dominance through the characterization of John Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. Rochester.

Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress,” written in the year 1681, gives readers the implication that he was a man with progressive ideas about sex that lack concern for the common ideals and moral standards of his lifetime. Marvell’s ideas and phrases in this poem have an honest and realistic basis. He does not sugarcoat what he is trying to say, yet he is able to poetically and coercively make his point known to his potential mate. Opposing styles of appeal in parts one and two blossoms into an eloquently convincing conclusion which will force his potential lover into an urgent battle between her id and her superego.

Jane Austen has long been a widely read author in English literature. Though she was famous merely for her works of romantic fiction, her perception of women and how they could have earned their positions in the society was far ahead of her time. Some might say this was because of her reactionary thoughts, which were true at some points considered that period of time was “an age characterized by gender inequality” for women (Hunter, 2014). These thoughts were expressed in the way Jane’s characters, or the “heroines” worked their way out of the dependence of marriage in order to secure social standing and economic security. Years have passed by, and Jane Austen’s published writings have

On the same place where he is, he wrote the poem “To his Coy Mistress”. This poem focuses on the attitude of a man in seducing a woman. The man in the poem use metaphorical words to make his lover tempted to him. Marvell sees himself in the male character. That