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Dante Alighieri's Portrayal Of Women In The Middle Ages

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There were some authors in the Middle Ages and through the Renaissance and into reformation, such as Dante Alighieri, Boccaccio, and Macchiaveli, who wrote about women in a way different than they were recognized in the common thought of the time.Though they still maintained the iconic stance as a “lady on a pedestal” they also had an element of intellect, which an ability to have cunning thought and wit. It was common for the women of this time to mainly seen for their body, as an icon of their status, and the ultimate downfall of man. Women were also incapable of being independent or having intelligence that could even come close to that of a man. In the literature of the authors listed above, however, they possessed intellect, cunning thought, and knowledge that not only matched their male counterparts but surpassed as well as a strong character that was unusual for the woman of that time In Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, Beatrice is the main female figure. In society, Beatrice was Dante’s true love ever since he laid his eyes on her at the age of nine, and in his mind was a heavenly, ideal woman. Contrary to the present day, this love in society of the middle ages was “courtly love”, or an …show more content…

Boccaccio takes a step further than Dante in almost dedicating the book to women by starting each of the short stories with words such as “my dearest ladies”, “charming lady friends”, and “gracious ladies”. Because of this, Boccaccio has earned the title as a “proto feminist” in advocating for their intellect and ability to make their own decisions about their lives. This was especially revolutionary at the time because women were the cause of men’s suffering, had insatiable lust, no right to speech, and no saying in decisions.This catering to women as intellectual equals is a theme that is carried through the

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Baldassare Castiglione wrote about how a woman's sole purpose is to amuse and entertain men (3). Castiglione’s ideas reflect the patronizing attitude towards men that was seen throughout the era. This book is a reliable source because it is aimed at women seeking to become the proper lady as it gives advice on how to achieve that status, while showing historical truth because the author genuinely wants all women to behave in this manner. John Knox attacked women in positions of power by saying that they are cruel, weak, and insulting to God (5). This idea is not an uncommon one as female leaders were continually mocked throughout history.

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Women who received such recognition for their outwardly contributions received a brunt of scorn and ridicule from others, as seen through Artemisia’s interactions with the characters in the book. In cases such as Artemisia’s, challenging male authority and “superiority” often times resulted in acts of violence and humiliation. As Isotta Nogarola wrote in a letter to Guarino Veronese, “Why then…was I born a women, to be scorned by men in words and deeds.” (document 9 of Did Women Have a Renaissance) Veronese’s frustration with the conditions reflects the impact of society on women’s wellbeing. The use of the sibile in court, to inflect pain on a woman in the hopes of leading her to tell the truth is an example of the innate bias towards men and brutality towards women.

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This is important as the change in education implemented the idea that educated women would divert from Christian values but a man strongly opposing the idea dismisses it, and lends a supportive perspective of educated women. However, something that is not showcased in this document is that women were taught theology, basic arithmetic, and language which limited them to their lives at home. Not being so educated in a vast variety of subjects like the men of their times eventually led to the downfall of women. They lost power and and didn’t have a very crucial role in shaping

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Sinful versus Divine Woman Throughout the Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri explores the idea of the passion by encountering with two women. One of these women, Francesca di Rimini, is guilty of the sin lust, while the second one, Beatrice, serves as a representation of divine love. These two women have similar experiences with their lovers; both have relationships outside marriage. Yet, they have opposite interpretations of what they experience and Dante suggests that their opposite interpretations caused them their own fates, putting one in Hell to be punished, and the other in Heaven, at a divine level. Thus, the female characters within the poem represent two distinct roles of women: either as pure and holy beings, or as sinful beings.

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Women of the Medieval Times Women have always had a significant role in history even though they were treated horrible in most cases. During the Medieval Times was really the first time women were allowed to become more than just a house wife. The fight for equality has always been a struggle and even in today’s society is still an ongoing battle. Although women of lower and middle class were treated poorly in the Medieval Times, some powerful women held great responsibility and were looked up too by both men and children; despite being admired, “men were thought to be not only physically stronger but more emotionally stable, more intelligent, and morally less feeble” (Hopkins 5). “The position of women in the Medieval Society was greatly influenced by the views of the Roman Catholic Church” (Heeve).

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Throughout his Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri encounters with two women, which are antithetical to one another in terms of their roles in the context of love. These two women, Francesca di Rimini and Beatrice have similar emotional experiences with their lovers, both having relationships outside marriage; yet they have opposite interpretations of what they experience and where their fates led them. The reader meets Francesca in Inferno, while meets Beatrice in Paradiso. In other words, one of them is being punished, whereas the other women is placed at a divine level. Thus, the female characters within the poem represents two distinct roles of women: either as a pure and holy being, or as a sinful entity.

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Throughout his “Divine Comedy,” Dante Alighieri encounters with two women, who are antithetical to one another in terms of their roles in the context of love. These two women; Francesca di Rimini and Beatrice, have similar emotional experiences since both have relationships outside marriage; yet, they have different roles when Dante explores the notion of love. The reader meets Francesca in Inferno, while meets Beatrice in Paradiso. In other words, one of them is being punished, whereas the other woman is placed at a divine level. Thus, the female characters within the poem represents two distinct roles of women: either as a pure and holy being, or as a sinful entity.

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Throughout his “Divine Comedy,” Dante Alighieri encounters with two women, who are antithetical to one another in terms of their roles in the context of love. These two women; Francesca di Rimini and Beatrice, have similar emotional experiences since both have relationships outside marriage; yet, they have different roles when Dante explores the notion of love. The reader meets the first woman, Francesca, in Inferno, while meets the second, Beatrice, in Paradiso. In other words, one of them is being punished, whereas the other woman holds divine position. Thus, the female characters within the poem represents two distinct roles of women: either as a pure and holy being, or as a sinful entity.

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ot necessarily viewed as independent darning the Middle Ages. By some poets they were viewed as fragile and should be cherished by poets like Christina Rossetti. Women were looked at to be fragile and pampered beings. They were looked at that their place was more at home. They were looked at to be home and wifely figures.

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Furthermore, Feminist Criticism provides a better view of literature because it shows that women can be powerful. When Emilia finds out that her husband has been plotting an evil plan she says,” Tis proper I obey him, but not now”(Othello V.2.195). Emilia refuses to help her husband after she finds the cruel intentions he has despite the expectation of women always being submissive to their husbands. Women also have a voice and feelings, they are capable of defying their husbands commands when they know what he expects is simply wrong. In a literary article,The Role of Women in Othello: A Feminist Reading states that,” Society weighs heavily on the shoulders of women; they feel that they must support the men and defer to them, even if the actions of the men are questionable” (Literary Articles).

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Feminist literary criticism’s primary argument is that female characters have always been presented from a male’s viewpoint. According to Connell, in most literary works, female characters often play minor roles which emphasize their domestic roles, subservience and physical beauty while males are always the protagonists who are strong, heroic and dominant (qtd. in Woloshyn et al.150). This means that the women are perceived as weak and are supposed to be under the control of men. Gill and Sellers say that feminist literary criticism’s approach involves identifying with female characters in order to challenge any male centred outlook.

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Society during that time, believed that women weren’t intelligent enough to take on such roles. Women in the Merchant of Venice go against their gender roles. Men did not think that women could ever be as smart as they were, and did not listen or take advice from women that is why Portia had to dress up as a man just to get the men to listen to her and Antonio was saved just because of her intelligence. Here is revealed the idea of love that women can do everything to see their husbands happy. Jessica also goes against the gender role of women, because she is making her own decision about her life.

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