Gender Roles in the 16th Century - 1909 Words

Melinda Grabowski Dr. Courtney Beggs ENGL 241:002 February 23rd, 2014 Essay 1 Gender Roles in the 16th Century: Men on the Battlefield, Women in the Kitchen One of the most fundamental themes while reading Shakespeare is the prominent reminder of women at the end of the 16th century and their roles placed under men, as women were a threat to the masculinity, and thus, power held by men. There are clear misogynistic elements in all of the works performed through Shakespeare’s plays, most predominantly appearing in The Taming of the Shrew. As quoted within texts and contexts of this play, the reader becomes aware that The Taming of the Shrew â€Å"participates in a tenacious popular tradition of depicting domestic violence as funny† (Dolan†¦show more content†¦It is interesting to make note of the factor of masculinity in this contextual material, where men are â€Å"naturally† better at some jobs than women. Contextual evidence expresses that during the 16th century, women had a small catalogue of varies duties or jobs they may participate in for money outside of the home. The text quotes, â€Å"The work av ailable to them was usually related to the kinds they did in their own houses† (207). Although women were able to depart from the confinement of their own home, their possible jobs had little to no change. In The Taming of the Shrew, the audience sees the equilibrium between a man and woman through their relationship and their gender roles placed upon them because of their society and upbringing. In order to be tamed, Kate embarks on a journey to change her shrewish qualities. She transforms herself from a loud, vicious woman to the ideal wife that her husband Petruchio desired. In Act four, the audience experiences Kate’s tamed manner in a conversation between her and Petruchio, where she tells Petruchio that whatever he believes is right, to her, it is right as well. â€Å"†¦And be it moon, or sun, or what you please; / An if you please to call it a rush candle, / Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me† (4.5.13-15). Kate had finally submerged herself into the socially accepted role of wife. She puts all of her own faith and truth that she has learned in herShow MoreRelatedTaming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare And 10 Things I Hate About You By Gil Junger1365 Words   |  6 Pagestransformation of sex roles associated with the process of societal modernisation† (Ronald Inglehart, Rising Tide: Gender Equality and Cultural Change Around The World, 2003) Detecting the intertextual relationship between Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare and 10 Things I Hate About You by Gil Junger, has greatly enhanced and enriched my understanding of love and gender and it’s varying ideals throughout the centuries. Taming of the Shrew depicts the quintessential features of a 16th century marriageRead MoreEssay on Gender Stereotypes in the Merchant of Venice884 Words   |  4 PagesThemes in the Merchant of Venice Gender stereotypes are not a modern notion and as such expectations and limitations have always existed for both men and women. Fortunately women, who have formerly beared great burdens of discrimination, now have very liberated roles in society as a result of slowly shifting attitudes and values. Shakespeare was integral in challenging the subservient role expected of women in the 16th century. Throughout the play, ‘The Merchant of Venice’, women are expressed asRead MoreThe Taming Of The Shrew And 10 Things I Hate About You Directed By Gil Junger1365 Words   |  6 Pagesof anxiety was focused on adolescent girls, following publication of reports which found that the education of adolescent girls was marginalized. In the 16th century, it may have been a historical fact that Eve was created from Adam’s rib, thus the socially accepted system of patriarchy. The Taming of The Shrew promotes typical 16th century attitudes towards matrimony and relations between fathers and daughters. Baptista, Katherine’s father, treats marriage as a transaction, where his daughtersRead MoreWomen in The 16th Century Essay1082 Words   |  5 Pagesintelligence, strength, and character was so persuasive that for men like Knox, a woman ruler was almost a contradiction in terms† (â€Å"Documents for Chapters 56†). In the 16th century, women were looked upon as a gender that should stay in the house and work, not have power and rule over a country. Discussing the govern of Queens during the 16th century, such as Mary Tudor, Lady Jane Grey, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I, allowed prejudices to be lessened but never completely be erased. No matter how theseRead MoreThe Taming Of The Shre w And Gil Junger s Film, Nineteen Things I Hate About You1193 Words   |  5 Pageseconomic agreement as well as the structured roles played by men and women that were prevalent in the 16th century and how gender affected the way a person can be viewed and courted in the same time period. This is contrasted by Gil Junger’s 1999 appropriation, Ten Things I Hate About You, in which modern teenage life and relationships are explored, touching on these same issues in relation to gender roles in a modern context. In this essay I will compare the roles of men and women in each text, as wellRead MoreRomeo and Juliet Gender Roles1251 Words   |  6 PagesGender Roles in Romeo and Juliet In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet resorts to conniving and shrewd ways in order to control her destiny and free herself from her confined existence. Contrary to the critics who view Juliet as innocent, childish and immature, Juliet’s habits of manipulating people–particularly the men in her life, expressly Romeo–through simulating maleness implies a parallel between the approaches falconers (mostly males) use to train their falcons (mostly females)Read MoreGender Essentialism : Katherine s Transformation1735 Words   |  7 PagesGender Essentialism: Katherine s Transformation in William Shakespeare s Taming Of The Shrew Feminist and cultural historians have convincingly demonstrated that rebellious women were a concern for englishmen during the late sixteenth centuries (Detmer 273). The idea of â€Å"taming† a women is one that men can find useful, though women can also benefit from. Katherine cynically conforms to expectation, and in doing so displays how The Taming of the Shrew is a critique on gender essentialism. TheRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, The Taming of1100 Words   |  5 Pagesthe freedom of the individuals intellect through acceptance and celebration. This emphasis on â€Å"individualism† however, did not proceed to influence the highly sexist views of the time, which had transgressed from previous centuries and continued through to later centuries. Gender inequality was prevalent, with brides (and females in general) being viewed as merely commodities. Loyalty is presented as an essential quality for all â€Å"proper women† and male attitudes towards women are explored throughRead MoreWhy Has Utopian Literature Remained Popular Essay856 Words   |  4 PagesThis ability to reformulate itself has created a way for authors to explore and investigate ideologies and protests whilst keeping the issues contextual to the time. More has done this extremely well, establishing the genre at the beginning of the 16th century, in his novella Utopia. By using Rafael as the narrator he successfully presents his alternative of a communistic style state where everyone is equal, whilst keeping him safe; also convincing them that it was a non-fiction text and as a resultRead MorePower, Race and Women in Othello by Shakespear and Sax1443 Words   |  6 Pagespeople over there to work and die as slaves on your plantations,† which portrays his perception of himself as an outsider. Gender: Shakespeare and Sax echoes and challenges the adherence to patriarchal rules and stereotypes within two contexts. Shakespeare †¢ Shakespeare demonstrates ideas in relation to female virtue and the subordinate position of women in the 16th century. †¢ With little autonomy, women were treated as possessions of men. This is evident in the way Brabantio describes the