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Double Morality In The Victorian Era

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It is said that when Queen Victoria was told she was going to be the next queen, she claimed she would seek the best for England despite her youth and inexperience (“Queen Victoria: A Life; Lytton Strachey). In fact, she become the symbol of a century and a woman who set the rules for a society named after her. Her reign lasted sixty-four years (1837-1901) and it is known as the most glorious era of England. Not only did England turned into a world power regarding politics but also as regards the economy development due to the Industrial Revolution. However, the common perception of the period is that the Victorians were “prudish, hypocritical, stuffy, [and] narrow-minded” (Murfin 496). In spite of being prudish and judgmental, they seen to be …show more content…

It was a society that pretended to be always calm, gentle and balance. Yet, considering that Victorians were just as any human being, it can be seen as quite impossible to be able to hide all emotions and manage to control every thought. This strict moral code might have (unconsciously) caused the double morality in this society, making them pretend and obliging them to hide what they really wanted. For instance, The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde shows how people from the high class does what it is considered incorrect and immoral in hours and places prohibited for the honorable members of Victorian society. After Dorian realizes he would be forever beautiful and perfect, he sets free all his impulses and strives for constant pleasure and satisfaction without caring neither about the physical consequences of consuming alcohol, drugs, staying awake for hours, going to parties almost every night and visiting places where he is exposed to violent and perverse situations nor his friends’ respect towards him; he has the possibility of expressing himself and living without worries, something his acquaintances cannot do or if they allowed themselves those

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Even though a lot of good came out of the Victorian Era, they were very disrespectful to women. Reading these make you understand what women had to go through and how far women have come since then. If you were considered ruined during the Victorian Era you were frowned upon very heavily. In some cultures, today it is still frowned upon, but fairly normal for our society. Today women have more of a voice then they did in the early 1800s.

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The second half of the nineteenth century was a time in which several transformations occurred in England at social, economic, and political levels. During Queen Victoria’s reign that lasted 64 years, from 1837 to 1901, society in general adhered to a strict moral code and values that praised hard work, honesty, sexual propriety, and thrift. The life of the queen regnant, her personal morality, and prudishness influenced her subjects to imitate her, and she became a role model for the British people and the world. During this century, another major economic and political change occurred in England that transformed the country and positioned it at the center of the world: The Industrial Revolution. With the development of innovative technological

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According to narrator’s view, Victorian values were perpetuated mainly through marriage, which was a careful selection process. It brings

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The concept of morality is commonly believed to be a byproduct of religion with “[n]early half of Americans believ[ing] that morality is impossible without belief in god” (Pyysiäinen 44). Yet, the correlation between the two seems to be less concrete with research showing that “[c]ountries with high rates of religiosity tend to have higher rates of homicide, juvenile mortality (including suicide), sexually transmitted diseases and adolescent pregnancy, and abortion ( 45). Moreover, a study evaluated by Pyysiäinen finds that “religiosity has little to nothing to do with how people evaluate the goodness or badness and acceptability vs. non-acceptability of particular moral judgements” (Pyysiäinen 47). Instead of religion creating morals, Broom

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The Victorian Era began when Queen Victoria came into throne in 1831 and ended when she passed away in 1901(Lang -Sean 297). During this period in time things were different than they are today. Children’s lives were different, education, religions and the types of diseases. Many say that the Victorians were the ones who put science and technology on pedestal go , as well as religion.

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Abstract Smallpox is a dangerous and highly contagious disease. It is described as a disfiguring disease due to the bumps that appear on an infected person, once gone through their entire cycle they leave behind deep pitted scars. There are two strains of smallpox, variola major and variola minor. Variola major is the most common form of smallpox with more dangerous outcomes than variola minor.

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Even today, people look back fondly on the Elizabethan Era as one of the times when England was very close to achieving a golden age. While living under Queen Elizabeth did bring about troubles, such as an extreme system of punishment and quarrels with the Catholics, the Elizabethan Era was a time of peace and prosperity, contrasting life before and after Elizabeth’s reign. When Queen ELizabeth died, ending her reign, Catherine Bush states that “No king or queen before her had ever received the nationwide show of grief that England now gave Elizabeth”. (106) In a time when England was almost about to tear itself apart, Queen Elizabeth I came to power and improved the situation.

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The Victorian Era was characterized by rapid change and developments in every sphere. The Victorian era was a period of dramatic change that brought England to its highest point of development as a world power. The advancements ranged from an increase in technological innovation and knowledge to profound religious reforms. This era was filled with confidence in advancement and financial prosperity and was noticeable by considerable events such as the Industrial Revolution and the growth of Imperialism. Families in the 19th century were big and male-controlled.

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Not only do individuals change to meet the higher class standards, but they also change to meet the needs of the average class. “You are my little cousin Cecily, I’m sure” (60). Algernon wanted to marry Cecily and the only way of doing that, he thought, was by making a second identity. The last example how Wilde used exaggeration to show individuals couldn’t make decisions without the impact of society is when Lady Bracknell constantly lied regarding Jack being apart her family. Jack has never known who his mother or father was.

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The Victorian society is marked by Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 to 1901. The Queens forty-six year reign allowed for major changes in the English culture, political, economic, industrial, and scientific changes that occurred during her long reign. At the beginning of her reign, there were only two major social classes between the people, the nobles and the peasants. The urbanization of rural societies made way for "new agricultural techniques and practices that resulted in an increased supply of food and raw materials" (Yale) which marked the very beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. During the Industrial Revolution, the society consisted of the upper class, followed by the middle class, the working class, and the underclass (Cody).

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Wilde’s representation of the British upper class, its values and opinions, is presented most notably through Lady Augusta Bracknell. She is a dignified aristocratic residing fashionable London society circles. On the surface, she is very typical Victorian woman. As a mother to Gwendolen Fairfax, she has a great authority over her controlling her life. She has even a list of ”eligible young man” whom she is ready to interview in order to select a suitable partner for her daughter.

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The Victorian era was a period in English history during which Queen Victoria reigned, that is from 1837 to 1901. The period was characterized mostly by peace and prosperity, rapid changes in nearly every sphere of life, industry and trade blossomed, especially machinery and textile while medicine, science and technologies advanced much. Equally, technology was in rapid growth; railway continued to develop while British steamship builders dominated world market. The middle class had more money and could improve its standard of life. More importantly, the population grew due to higher fertility rates and lower mortality ones.

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The Victorian Era as a stereotype was a period of transformation and new wealth. The majority of people valued affluence, class and association despite the fact that the minority obtained it. Discrimination of coloured people and marginalised women rights were commonly acceptable practices that the legal system incorporated aspects of. The prevailing religion of the time was Christianity; these religious views sculpted the acceptable conduct of the era. Emily Bronte in herself portrays an individual who challenges the established values of the Victorian Era evident within a professor of hers statement describing her to have “had a head for logic and a capability for argument, unusual in a man and rare in a woman.”

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