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Masculinity In Romeo And Juliet

1244 Words5 Pages

“What would it mean for a male not to be a man in the world of Romeo and Juliet, to be a male subject without being a captive of the masculinist regime?” (Applebaum 69) The men in Verona are stuck in a system they do not know exists and in turn, make terrible decisions they cannot be blamed for. In Romeo and Juliet the men and women live in a very contrasting manner. Women are constantly worried about love and are silenced when it comes real problems. The men on the other hand, “The world of men in Verona is founded upon violence, sexual domination, and conquest.”. (Romeo and Juliet: An Exploration of Gender Roles #) In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet the men of Verona are held to a extremely high standard of masculinity, and in turn learn …show more content…

“In the world of Romeo and Julie,t the regime of Romeo and Juliet the regime of masculinity is constituted as a system from which there is no escape, but in keeping with which there is no experience of masculine satisfaction either.” (Applebaum 69) The men have to have some satisfaction in their life somehow and most learn to turn to the satisfaction of sexual dominance over the females. Romeo tries this with Juliet when they talk in secret for the first time after the party; he pleads with Juliet, “O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” (Shakespeare 2.2.125 800). Before they part, Romeo expects Juliet to please him because he is male and she is female, so he must be preeminent. “On the one hand, the man wants to take up the position that is already waiting for him, the position of his own lack: he wants to stir and occupy it, displacing his rivals, abusing their women on the other hand, the man wants to wear the mask of having the position occupied; he wants to show himself not stirring toward it but already standing there in the possession of his masculinity,” (Applebaum 69). The position of preeminence is more difficult to achieve between other men, but when the men find it easier to subdue the opposite sex in turn finding a kind of satisfaction. This isn’t an ideal situation though because without the female influence, tragedy struck. “The main belief is that male domination itself and the suppression of the feminine influences are the root cause of tragedy both in theatre and in real life,” (Bernstein

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