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How Elizabethan Women Has Changed Over Time

1763 Words8 Pages

Women, throughout history, have had a hard time being respected and treated equally to men. Since times have changed, women now are legally and somewhat socially equal to men. Women can now vote, have any job they want, and own property under their own names. Women of this generation proved that they could do whatever they desire to do. This was not always the situation. Even though women still experience shame and hate socially, the world has come a long way in a few centuries. The Renaissance period is an iconic time in history, however, people mostly focus on poetry, music, and literature. Elizabethan women had to step aside and watch men do everything. The Elizabethan Era started in 1558 and ended in 1603, also known as the Golden Period. …show more content…

Queen Elizabeth set the beauty and manners standard for all the women in all of Europe. As the arts flourished, women were suffering in silence. Over time, with the Enlightenment thinking, women started to stand up for their rights. A lot has changed over the past 500 years, making today the most freedom women have ever had. In her book, A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf talks about how any woman with the talents of Shakespeare would have ended with a tragedy. She created an imaginary character with the same power in literature as her brother, William Shakespeare, called Judith that took her own life due to the oppression from her family. Woolf claims that to be able to write as a woman, she must have money and a room of her own. A woman writer out with the distractions of the world would not survive the art of literature. Women in the Elizabethan Era barely had any rights and were viewed …show more content…

Women could not go to schools or universities at the time. Only people wealthy enough would get private education for their daughters. They would get tutors at their houses to teach them all kinds of knowledge. “Various languages were taught including Latin, Italian, Greek and French. Music and dancing skills were essential for Elizabethan women” (Alchin). They usually started at the age of 5 or younger. Instead of going to college, they would go to other noble families’ houses to finish their education. They would help them in their everyday lives. “These young girls were expected to act as servants to the Ladies of the castle - their duties would be to look after clothes and the assist ladies with dressing and coiffure” (Alchin). Etiquette and manners were a major part of the young girls’

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