Examples Of Patriarchy In Much Ado About Nothing

According to Oxford Dictionaries, patriarchy is defined as a system of society in which the eldest male is the head of the family and descent is traced through the male line. Patriarchal ideology is primarily utilized to explain the inherent social domination of men over women. In a patriarchal society, women and men have different expectations. While women are supposed to demonstrate congenial behavior and domestic focus, men are perceived to lead, are granted permission to misbehave, and advised to conceal their emotions. Regarding patriarchy, Ani DiFranco, a famous American musician, poet, and activist, said, “Patriarchy is like the elephant in the room that we don’t talk about, but how could it not affect the planet radically when it’s

A power disparity in a traditional relationship reveals a destructive foundation. William Shakespeare illustrates this particular phenomenon in his acclaimed play Much Ado About Nothing. Claudio, one of the plays several protagonists, dismisses the notion of marriage because he is under the false impression that Hero is a common whore. He angrily asserts, “Leonato, take your daughter back. / Don’t insult a friend by giving him a beautiful orange that rots inside. / She only appears honorable from the outside” (Ado. 4.1.). This shows that their relationship resembles patriarchy since Claudio, the man, holds all the cards. His utter domination of this once romantic relationship clouds his judgment thereby making him oblivious to the fact that Hero is innocent. On the other end of the spectrum, Hero’s extreme lack of power in this relationship makes it acceptable for Claudio to publicly slander her. This in turn, destroys her emotionally. In essence, the variation in power in their

Regarding the nature of Chris and Karen’s relationship, Robertson states, “She [Karen] and her husband [Chris] had descended into a relationship where she held all the cards in their relationship.” Thus, the utter dominance of Karen makes it so that she perceives Chris as an object. In essence, her abusive perception of him removes the humanity from their relationship via contempt. The fact that Chris condones this abuse is revealing that he is submissive. Karen has established a dynamic where Chris believes that he is dependent on her. Emotional dependence on another is a signal that one is virtually powerless. As a result of this lack of power, Chris has low self-esteem, is fearful, and possibly suffers from depression. On the other end of the spectrum, Karen’s majority of power makes her immoral highlighted by her abuse of Chris. In essence, power makes her depraved. Karen’s immorality and Chris’s low self-confidence portray that significantly differing levels of power in a relationship creates an extremely unhealthy dynamic. This non-traditional relationship between Chris and Karen applies to the nature of humans because it illustrates that using someone through a relationship only to meet their own ends makes them view that person as merely an object. It is only when the abuse is condoned and there is no intervention from the victim that the abusive behavior