1. Gender Politics is an ideology based on the underlying assumption of the expectations required of genders, but in order to understand it wholly, it is important to grasp the differences between gender, sex, and sexuality. Gender is relative to society and is definitive through concepts of masculinity and femininity whereas sex is determined through the different biological reproductive organs, and sexuality expresses the sexual orientation of a person. Gender Politics encompasses a wide variety of diverse topics but comprises the debate on whether having the title ‘man’ or ‘woman’ requires them to have separate roles within society. Being titled with these genders can often reflect in the way that we act as individuals due to societal pressure. …show more content…
In a lot of Shakespeare’s work, the women are typically seen as only affections of a man’s love or lust, leaving them little gravitas in their characters. Some of Shakespeare’s arguably more misogynistic works were plays such as Othello, a play that idolises male friendships and includes a destructive path of sexual envy. In Othello, the only three female characters in the play are spoken to in an abusive manner and are portrayed as a ‘whore’, naïve and unintelligent or innocent, which correlates with the belief of how men in that time period believed women should be. Most of the men in Othello believe the women to be disloyal and promiscuous, thinking they will sleep around and be unfaithful to their husbands. For example, at the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, Brabantio says ‘Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.’ which suggests he believes that Desdemona, as a young woman who ‘betrays’ her father by eloping with Othello, would also betray her husband and be boisterous and adulterous. Due to women having to ask their father’s permission before giving their hand in marriage, Shakespeare’s Othello and Romeo and Juliet have a common theme of women’s rebellion against their parents, fighting to have their own right to decide whom they want to …show more content…
Women’s rebellion in Shakespeare’s plays perhaps shows a progressive nature in his views of gender stereotypes; for example, the character of Juliet transforms from ‘a hormone-addled adolescent […] into a full-blooded woman aware of her sexuality and not afraid to express it.’ (O’Brien 2015) Much like in Othello, Shakespeare is a hopeless romantic, not afraid to push gender boundaries and let the women break rules to be with the men they love, not just who their families have pushed for them to marry. Although a lot of his work is also very un-progressive, throughout Shakespeare’s plays his philosophies on gender roles appear to change ever so slightly. In Kate Busselle’s critical review on Tina Packer’s ‘Women of Will’, Busselle states that ‘[Packers] analysis in this act highlights the archetypal gender roles in Elizabethan England as they are all Shakespeare knew women to be: riotous, violent shrews and pious, obedient women. The women’s behavior is solely dependent on the perception of man.’ (2016) This concurs the notion that Shakespeare himself may not have been necessarily misogynistic or sexist, but perhaps his plays and his views were just a product of his time and environment. Reading Women of Will, it argues that Shakespeare’s plays became more female-positive over the years, as you can see the difference in the way he writes about women significantly from Romeo and Juliet (written roughly around 1595) which highlights Juliet as an object of a boy’s affection
In the play, “Othello”, the character of Desdemona portrays a modern view of feminist criticism. Most of her words and actions support this view. In the tragedy, Desdemona is one of the most tragic characters. The character of Desdemona is the wife of Othello, daughter of Brabantio, and Emilia’s mistress.
Unraveling Society's Tapestry: Gender Stereotypes in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet " In a world woven with gender stereotypes, society's tapestry unravels the subtle layers of identity and puts constraining expectations on individuals, eventually suffocating their true potential. William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" demonstrates how gender stereotypes restrict the agency of men and women in society as a whole, leading to the suppression of individual expression.
In the 1500-1600s women were not treated the same as men. Shakespeare portrays women a certain way to break the mold of what women were supposed to be. Women are seen standing up for themselves and being bold which was not supposed to happen. Even though Shakespeare was a bit of a revolutionary with the idea of women, the other characters in his plays still view women much like real people in his time.
William Shakespeare is considered by many to be the most famous English poet and playwright. During Shakespeare’s time, there was a patriarchal society with a strong feeling that women were inferior to men. Shakespeare incorporated this societal misogynistic view of sexist manifestation in many of his works. In many of Shakespeare’s works, we see examples of sexism and stereotypical gender roles.
Gender roles play a major factor in defining characters as who they are to their roots. In Shakespear’s play, Romeo and Juliet, despite their young age and high social class, they as well are highly expected to follow the strict gender roles that the society of Verona holds for them. The defining of stereotypical feminine or masculine traits based on gender, is highly prominent in the play, it gives an insight to the society of the time, the mindset of the writer but also the diversity certain humans hold to defy these stereotypes. Though Romeo is supposed to exhibit a masculine nature of being assertive, practical, and decisive, his character fails to do so. As well as Juliet's character refusing to express vital feminine traits, more or less
A Modern View of Feminist Criticism William Shakespeare 's "Othello” can be analyzed from a feminist perspective. This criticism focuses on relationships between genders, like the patterns of thoughts, behavior, values, enfranchisement, and power in relations between and within sexes. A feminist examination of the play enables us to judge the distinctive social esteems and status of women and proposes that the male-female power connections that become an integral factor in scenes of Othello impact its comprehension. I believe that the critical lens that provides modern society with the most compelling view of literature is Feminist Criticism because it analyzes distrust and disloyalty among relationships, women being treated as possessions
Many of Shakespeare’s sonnets are believed to be addressed to a handsome young man, so it may be understood that Shakespeare did not always adhere to the heteronormative culture during his lifetime. Additionally, in a handful of plays, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night to name a couple, Shakespeare had some of his female characters cross-dress as young men. So, Shakespeare appears to dabble with non-traditional ideas of gender and sexuality in his work, and quite possibly in his real life as well. Although he developed female characters of refreshing assertiveness and defiance, Shakespeare and his work are nonetheless a product of his
Gender Norms in Romeo and Juliet In Elizabethan England, women were not allowed to act on the stage, so in the play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet was likely played by a young boy, women were viewed as so much less than men that men had to portray them in plays. Nowadays you have women that can play men in plays, such as plays on broadway. Romeo and Juliet set in the 15th century was a play written about two ill-fated lovers that ended in their suicide. In Romeo and Juliet, gender played a substantial role in showing Juliet’s rights regarding her marriage and her general life. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare reveals the beliefs of traditional gender norms in Elizabethan England through Romeo's behavior when he fights with Tybalt to prove himself,
Women were promiscuous in different ways and were defined culturally by different things. Students also tend to disrespect Shakespeare’s work because of these
In Romeo and Juliet, societal beliefs in the Elizabethan era concerning gender roles are inaccurate due to the numerous paradoxes within those views, and conflicting character traits that label a character ‘female’ or ‘male’. For one, women were viewed as very sexual beings, who were irrational and immoral as they were supposedly easily seduced. Yet, it is women who were suppose to be virgins before marriage, and viewed ‘dirty’ by people if she was not. Men, in contrast, were perceived as rational and virtuous and made of goodwill.
Over 400 years ago, Shakespeare was able to recognize the hardships women faced and allocated roles to exhibit them in a negative light. The sixteenth century tragedy, Othello, written by William Shakespeare, dwells a love story adulterated by multiple abhorrent lies. The main characters consist of: Othello, the tragic hero and main protagonist. He is the general of the Venetian army, and a moor. Next, Othello’s secret wife, Desdemona, a naive white Venetian noblewoman.
“And though she be but little, she is fierce” -William Shakespeare. In today’s day and age, one of the greatest topics of debate is gender roles. It is evident everywhere, from cyberspace to the streets of home, from online petitions to marches across the country such as the Women’s March. Shakespeare lived in the Elizabethan Era of England, where Queen Elizabeth I, the virgin queen ruled.
Shakespeare’s Views on Gender Roles Gender roles in Shakespeare’s time played a crucial role in all of his plays, sonnets, and writings in general. Even though during his time, the views on gender roles were much different than today, Shakespeare still found a way to make his views of the various roles of men and women very clear. Through the art of language and poetry, Shakespeare’s views of men and women in society were well known and portrayed to his audiences, whether it was in 1597 or 2016. When Shakespeare began writing, he was writing during the Elizabethan age.
The Elizabethian period compared to our society today can be described as very Monocultural, dominated by the notion of women living in a world controlled by men,where women have little say in their own lives. Through his plays William Shakespeare tackels unyeilding issues of race, jealousy, cultural and gender roles. Romeo and Juliet (1597) and Othello (1604) are two of shakespeares plays which address issues with gender roles between men and women. In each play shakespeare attempts to engage his audience and forces them to approach the common themes in the two plays of gender oppression in different forms . Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story of two star crossed lovers who’s fate brings them to their death, after discovering they belong to the two house holds that are in a constant feud, that keeps them from being together, Romeo and Juliet arrange a secret marriage which later ends in the two taking their lives
The play 'Othello' took place during the late 16th century in the Venetian period. The women during this time were perceived as sexual objects, or possessions, where men view their bodies instead of analyzing their personalities. It is also believed that women were meek and humble towards their superiors (men), becoming submissive towards their commands. This sort of societal attitude can be seen with Desdemona's father, Brabantio, who disproves of her marriage with Othello. In 'Act I Scene I' he claims that his daughter is dead to him, as she is a "treason of the blood," when he realizes that she has run off to be married.