Examples Of Sexualtiy In The 1600's

In the 1600’s, there were strict guidelines to how a person should behave. In this time period, it was the man’s job to provide for his family; which is not quite different from today’s views of what a man should do. Men were thought of as powerful masculine beings, who defended honor. When it came to marriage, men owned everything their wife had and after the marriage. Women were supposed to be meek and subservient to their husbands fulfilling their every need. It was the woman's job to cook and clean and maintain the household. Women could not file for divorce only the husband could, and if she did get divorced from her husband she would lose everything, and would be looked down upon by society. Homosexuality was thought of as a crime

While trying to keep her chastity under wraps with the help of nymphs and Ariel, she subcombs to her attraction to the Baron. Ariel after trying to protect Belinda’s virginty realizes that “ An earthly lover lurking at her heart.” The love that she feels for the baron is something that a young virgin female shouldn’t even be thinking about, according to her societal views. Ariel, after coming to the conclusion that Belinda liked the Baron, “found his power expired, resigned to fate, and with a sigh retired’ (“The Rape” lines 145-146). Ariel gives up trying to keep Belinda’s virginity safe and allows the baron to cut her hair. The cutting of Belinda’s hair could be thought of as a metaphor for the taking of Belinda’s virginity. Belinda’s sexuailty conflicts with how a women and her sexaulity is viewed in the time. In Shakespeare's, The Twelfe Night, he portrays many characters whose individuality conflicts with how society views the Viola, in The Twelfe Night, knew that if she went out into society alone as herself without protects she would get taken advantage of. She first asks if she could be taken under the protection of the Countess Olivia, but Olivia is under duress after her brother’s death. As an alternative Viola decides to live as a man under the protection of

Also even after being turned down by Cesario, Olivia still goes after him. She asks Cesario, who is really Sebastion, “Would thou’dst be ruled by me!” (4.2.61). Sebastian agrees not knowing that Olivia has him confused with another person. Later in the story, Olivia, asks Sebastian, still thinking that he is Cesario , to marry her, which was a very forward and not very lady like thing to do. Men always take the lead when it came to matters of