Jazmyne Charles
Edwin
English IV DC
14 February 2019
William Shakespeare was a writer of the 16th and 17th century. He began writing during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. This was known as the Elizabethan Era. Despite her ruling, the roles of women in society were very keen as this was a time when women were labeled inferior as the weaker sex compared to men. In men’s eyes, women were property and were beneath them, and women would get treated like objects. No matter their social position they were to be dependent and rely on their husbands, brothers, fathers or other male relatives to look after and take care of them. As Thomas describes it, “Elizabethan society was patriarchal, meaning that men were considered to be the leaders and women their inferiors.” Women of this time were very educated, but unlike men, they were taught through private tutors. After gaining an education, they were limited to work opportunities; furthermore, they could only work in domestic services such as cooking, cleaning, painting and writing pieces of literature. They also weren’t allowed to vote or uphold titles past down from their fathers unless it was a crown. The Elizabethan Era was very sexist against women, and the gender roles of this society were very extreme, in regards to these influences, William Shakespeare created pieces of literature that expressed his advocacy for women’s right. As Chloe Ward stated, “His work could be considered radical for his view on women.” You’re able to get a grasp of his view on women within many of the female characters he created in his plays such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night. He created stories that painted a picture of how society treated women, and he’d create stories influenced by his advocacy that would give women a better status.
In Hamlet, Shakespeare creates two contrasting female characters, Ophelia and Gertrude. Ophelia is a prime example of what the Elizabethan Era opposed, and Gertrude portrayed a typical woman of that time period. Throughout the story, both characters are obedient, weak, and taken advantage of. For example, “Gertrude’s weakness enables her to place her emotions ahead of moral righteousness and reverence.” This is in relation to her committing adultery and incest, and Hamlet expresses that he is outraged about it, “She married. O’ most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not nor cannot come to good.” (1.2.160-163) This shows that Hamlet viewed women as flawed and repulsive. This is an example of the sexist views Shakespeare wanted to bring light to. As for Ophelia, she didn’t have a voice of her own and she wasn’t responsible for her own decision making. But the most evident moment in which the audience can see this is when Ophelia address each character with a flower; “There’s rosemary for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember. There is pansies, that’s for thoughts…There’s a fennel for you, and columbines. There’s rue for you, and here’s some for me; we may call it herb of grace O’ Sunday. You (must) wear rue with a difference. There’s a daisy. I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died. They say he made a good end.” (4.5.199-209). In this scene some might consider Ophelia to have gone mad, she steps out of the confine placed on women of that day and age, and insults everyone, letting them know what she truly thinks of them, which in the Elizabethan time would have been unheard of. Ophelia gives a flower that describes each person. According to Huntington Botanical Garden, in the Elizabethan Era, rosemary meant remembering, pansies meant thoughts or faithfulness, fennel and columbine resembled male adultery or foolishness, rue meant adultery; however it also was closely tied to abortion, daisies meant innocence, and violets resembled faithfulness. In these few sentences she defies her time by insulting the King and Queen, not only directly, but also by insulting them in front of people. Through Hamlet Shakespeare creates foils through Gertrude and Ophelia, due to how they behave according to the time periods.
While Hamlet is a great example of Shakespeare’s view of woman, Romeo and Juliet is also a fine example. While Shakespeare clearly states the view of the time period in the first scene of this show, ‘Tis true, and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall.”(Romeo and Juliet, 1.1.15) through one of the supporting male roles, Juliet thwarts this idea of a “weaker vessel”. Jeanne Gerlach explains how Shakespeare reveres great respect towards woman while writing Romeo and Juliet. This is a valid point as Shakespeare makes the audience feel for Juliet, the audience wants help her; fight for her when she is told she has to marry Paris and later the audience sheds a tear for her when she stabs herself, all of this is due to the respect Shakespeare regards Juliet with.
Gerlach also describes how Shakespeare steps out of his time while writing Macbeth. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is viewed as an equal to her husband. Macbeth asked her for her opinions when he was in need of advice. Lady Macbeth is also does things that woman of that day would not dare to do, for example she criticizes her husband for what characteristics she possess and he does not, “Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win. Thou’ld’st have, great Glamis, That which cries, “Thus thou must do,” if thou have it, And that which rather thou dost fear to do, Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with the valor of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crowned withal (Macbeth, 1.5.6-25) Although she does not fit in the role of women of that day, she is still considered more fragile, “O gentle lady, ‘Tis not for you to hear what I can speak: The repetition, in a woman’s ear, Would murder as it fell.” (Macbeth, 2.3.66-69) these few lines still imply that the time era Shakespeare was writing in was not ready for women to be “stronger” than men. Through Macbeth, Shakespeare furthers his idea of the role women should play in society.
Shakespeare goes one step further in Twelfth Night by having the women pretend to be men and taking on their roles. Although Twelfth Night can be very difficult to follow due to a woman pretending to be a man, it clearly demonstrates that Shakespeare believed man and woman are equal and should be treated that way. In order to understand how Twelfth Night demonstrates this idea, one must be familiar with the play itself. In short, Orsino a prominent nobleman in Illyria is in love with Lady Olivia, who refuses to marry him because she is in morning over a recent death in the family. Meanwhile Viola just shipwrecked onto Illyria, in thinking her twin brother Sebastian died, she goes to Lady Olivia house in search of work. Lady Olivia refuses to give her any work, due to her state of mourning. So Viola pretends to be a man named Cesario and ventures to Orsino’s house and find work there. Orsino takes great favor to Cesario (Viola) and makes him (her) his personal page. While working in Orsino house Viola (Cesario) finds herself falling in love with Orsino. Orsino then sends Cesario (Viola) to Lady Olivia’s house with a love letter, and Lady Olivia falls in love with Cesario (Viola). The head of Lady Olivia’s household prepares for a duel between Cesario (Viola) and another of Lady Olivia’s lovers; meanwhile Sebastian is alive and arrives at Lady Olivia’s house before the duel, and Lady Olivia, thinking he is Cesario (Viola) asks him to marry her, which he says yes to. Then Orsino goes to Lady Olivia’s house with Cesario (Viola) and Lady Olivia welcomes Cesario (Viola) as her husband, and Orsino becomes enraged at Cesario (Viola) until Sebastian walks into the scene. Then Cesario (Viola) is revealed as Viola, and Orsino realizes he is in love with Viola and they join in marriage. The character Viola shows that woman are equal to men while pretending to be a men working in Orsino’s house because she surpasses all the other men working in his household. Viola pretending to be Cesario is also shown equal to men through Lady Olivia falling in love with him (her). Lady Olivia had a very wealthy prominent nobleman who she had known for a while continuously ask to marry her, in which she denied without the blink of an eye. Yet she falls in love with Cesario (Viola) in matter of day and then asks whom she thought was Cesario to marry her, which is normally a action a man would take, not a woman. This implies that Cesario (Viola) was a better man than Orsino, which not only states that woman should be treated equal, but that some women are better than men in certain ways. Twelfth Night demonstrates how women are equal to men through the character Viola.