Masculinity In Night By Gregory

Prior to this exchange with Abraham, Gregory had initially divided the feud by social class describing it as “between [their] masters and [them]” (I.I.18) to which Samson responds “tis all one” (I.I.20) in the feud. In this quote, violence is established as a universal of masculinity, explaining the desires of the servants to participate in the conflict with the other men. Samson, once again being used to establish masculinity in the scene, further baits Abraham by taunting him with “draw if you be men” (I.I.60). This dialogue is disregarding their status as servants, and focusing on the previously mentioned fact that as men they have qualities that are worth protecting as part of being a male. Thus, swords being used as props in a scene signal

This gives the reader an explanation for why male servants are ranked more highly than female maids even though they are both in submissive positions to powerful men within society. The character’s inherent abilities and disabilities and perceived biological restrictions and advantages are all factored into their status in Verona, and carry a considerable amount of weight in how they are treated in society. This gendered contrast underlines that the ideals of masculinity shown in this scene are qualities unique to men, which are strength, power, and

This is unlike the women who are at the mercy of the men’s choices as to whether or not they will be impacted by the feud between the families as collateral damage, like the maids hypothetically were. This exchange is also a reminder that there is a right and wrong way for men to choose their identity, with the right way being how Tybalt has chosen to react in this conflict. The inherently violent nature of the sword is reflected by the fact that the passive Benvolio ultimately chooses to engage in the fight after being goaded on by Tybalt. Thus, ideal masculinity is characterized by violence and ultimately conquered Benvolio’s seemingly feminine attempts to end the brawl. Consequently, to truly be honorably masculine one must actively use the power afforded to themselves, wether it be through gaining social capital through hypothetical gendered violence or through the welding of a