Patriarchy In John Kelso's The Fall Of Man

A cultural conviction that prevailed throughout different historic eras was of male supremacy and female inferiority. Societies were ruled by men, and they structured the supposedly perfect roles that women should assume. These roles emphasized the importance of female silence, chastity, and obedience to the patriarchy. Men even rationalized their ideas of an ideal woman through Biblical examples and proverbial descriptions of the good wife (Kelso 3). Men imposed all of these characteristics on women as a strategic method to maintain an unlimited, unopposed power over women (Hall 23). Men wanted to keep women marginalized and mute to inhibit any intimidations or disturbances to the patriarchy.
During the sixteenth century, the patriarchy in England constructed their definition of an ideal woman through religion. According to the story of creation, woman (Eve) is produced from man (Adam), consequently leading to her inferiority and submissiveness (Kelso 3). Further validation of women’s inferiority is presented in the story of “The Fall of Man”. In the story, Eve is tricked by Satan into eating the forbidden fruit, and she offered it to Adam, resulting in her being responsible for the sin (Kelso 3). Thus, the incident further asserted women’s fall and subjugation to men. Moreover, the writings of St. Paul were used by the patriarchy to prove the

It is a reflection of the status quo of the society during that era. It illustrates the abuse the female characters such as Hero experience by the authority of the male figures. It sheds light on the powerlessness and submission of women to the power and authority of the patriarchal society. The new historic school of criticism assisted in achieving this analysis of the play, for it examines the historical and cultural contexts around the historical era the literary work is published