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Romeo juliet and gender
Themes of gender roles in romeo and juliet
Themes of gender roles in romeo and juliet
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Emily Fernandez Dr. Rachel Prusko English 387 Lecture B1: Youth Cultures February 4th, 2023 Romeo’s Rebellion: Creation and Refusal of the Masculine Identity in Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet shows how the young men of Verona are obligated to perform a certain type of masculinity associated with violence and sexuality. Romeo, however, provides a counter to this as he displays both feminine and masculine behaviours throughout the play. Ultimately, Romeo’s refusal to adhere to the standards of masculinity and his inclination to create an identity of his own are an enduring example of the young male experience.
Throughout Act 2, Scenes 1 and 2 of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, the dynamic female character, Juliet, defies patriarchy. While Juliet was talking to Romeo, she asked him, “Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say “Ay” And I will take thy word. Yet, if thou swear’st, Thou mayst prove false” (Act 2 Scene 2 Lines 90-93).
Women’s Rights In Romeo and Juliet Juliet being forced into marriage, showed how little input women had during the Renaissance period. Renaissance is a period in which the ancient writing of Greece and Rome, “Rebirthed”, or came back into practice. During the Renaissance period, women had limited, to no rights. They were required to follow orders made by their husband’s or superior male figure. This is presented in the play Romeo and Juliet made by William Shakespeare.
In the book “You May Ask Yourself”, they define gender roles as “sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as male or female” (Conley Dalton). Gender roles are a very controversial matter. When people think of males, they automatically think of strong, brave, and the breadwinner. On the other hand, when people think of females they think delicate, housewife, and sensitive. I guarantee that most people in the world have this idea of each gender.
Thus, “A person's identity depended on his or her descent through the male line” (“Women In The Renaissance and Reformation”). That indicates that the male was always the ruler and life depended on them. In fact, this was one of the reasons why women were treated however the male desired. In addition, women were seen as having lower status and were inferior to men. Because of this,of, this men were then viewed as being leaders and having authority over women (“Gender Norms Presented In Romeo And Juliet”).
Every culture has its own unique views on social roles. This is an essential part of culture as social roles define the ways that people view the others around them. Social roles are constructed around a variety of different factors such as career, age, family, ethnicity, and gender. The last-mentioned dynamic is possibly one of the most important ones being that it divides the people of all cultures into two categories: male and female. In modern Western society, gender equality has been the most influential viewpoints in regards to social roles based on gender.
The Impact of Culture and Gender Roles Heather Richardson-Barker Drexel University Society has clearly defined boundaries between what is considered to be male or female. The development of an individual’s gender role is formed by interactions with those in close proximity. Society constantly tells us how we should look, act and live based on gender, as well as the influence of family, friends and the media have a tremendous impact on how these roles are formed and the expected behavior of each gender role. The term Gender, as defined by the United Nations, includes the psychological, social, cultural, and behavioral characteristics associated with being female or male. It further defines acceptable
Gender role refers to those behaviors and attitudes that are considered to belong to one sex. Gender role is based on femininity and masculinity that differentiate women and men by giving men some roles and women which results to gender inequality. There some work in society that is regarded to belong to women such as cooking, taking care of children and other less important roles while men are given roles that makes them superior than women. Most of the gender roles associated with women makes them inferior and creates a room to be oppressed. Gender roles are constructed by society and attributed to women or men.
Term gender role is described as a set of social norms of what types of behaviors are generally considered acceptable, appropriate or desirable for a person based on their sex ussualy centered around opposing conceptions of femininity and masculinity. Gender roles traditionally were often divided into distinct feminine and masculine gender roles, until especially the twentieth century when these roles diversified into many different acceptable male or female roles in modernized countries throughout the world. Gender roles are closely linked with gender stereotypes.
Today, in the 21st century, most women are fairly respected and have the freedom to make their own choices; but when reading Romeo and Juliet, from the Shakespearean age, I have learned that women were viewed very differently. Using clues provided by this book, it is clear that whether women were housewives, royalty, nurses, or children, they didn’t have equal rights to men. Men were very masculine; they ordered their wives around and expected women to obey. Whereas women were very obedient and unfortunately were often taken advantage of. In this paper, will be examining the stereotypical role of a woman in the Shakespearean age.
Their tough archetypes were always present in many plays and reinforced the idea of male superiority. This fact held true, especially for a certain tragic classic by William Shakespeare. There was a misogynistic mentality towards women in Romeo and Juliet, evident through the way women were shown as objects, portrayed as weak, and made to seem unable to dictate their own lives. Men in Romeo and Juliet could be seen acting like owners towards women. Women were seen as nothing more than possessions, as illustrated when Romeo first described Juliet as, “My lady…/my love” (II.ii.10).
In today’s world, gender expectations and roles of men and women are a highly debated topic. However, the reconsidering of these expectations is not a new phenomenon. Set in Verona, Italy, the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare explores the reversal and fluidity of characteristics usually assigned to a specific gender. In this play, two young people fall in love and end up tragically taking their lives as a result of their forbidden love. Shakespeare suggests that men are not necessarily masculine, women are not necessarily feminine, and that when people are forced by society to act the way their gender is “supposed” to, problems will arise.
Gender: The roles and characteristics that a culture expects from those defined as male and female (DeWall & Myers, 109). Biologically, sex is determined in terms of chromosomes XX/XY providing directions for an individual to produce certain chemical baths/ bodily developments in the womb as a fetus. The biological trait of sex often defines ones ' gender. Culturally, rules or expectations are created for each specific gender; reflecting how each gender should behave or look. Psychologically, genders have temperaments, social power and social connections that normally reflect either male or female genders.
According to sexologists John Money and Anke Ehrhardt, sex and gender are separate categories. “Sex, they argued, refers to physical attributes and is anatomically and physiologically determined. Gender they saw as a psychological transformation - the internal conviction that one is either male or female (gender identity) and the behavioral expressions of that conviction” (Sterling 4). Although there are biological differences between the two sexes, but gender roles are socially constructed. They determine how males and females should think, speak, dress, behave and interact with society.
In Romeo and Juliet, societal beliefs in the Elizabethan era concerning gender roles are inaccurate due to the numerous paradoxes within those views, and conflicting character traits that label a character ‘female’ or ‘male’. For one, women were viewed as very sexual beings, who were irrational and immoral as they were supposedly easily seduced. Yet, it is women who were suppose to be virgins before marriage, and viewed ‘dirty’ by people if she was not. Men, in contrast, were perceived as rational and virtuous and made of goodwill.
