Objectification Of Women In Romeo And Juliet

The most praised literary works in the world are highly flawed. Throughout history the depiction of women in literature has been objectifying and dismissive and in some cases it still is. On a yearly basis, students in North America are exposed to literature that perpetuates misogynistic ideals. This is awfully concerning, as these texts are being consumed by many highly impressionable individuals. One of the most famous and heavily studied is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Throughout Romeo and Juliet misogyny is perpetuated as audiences are exposed to sexual objectification of women, ridicule of women, and the use of dehumanizing possessive language.
In Romeo and Juliet it is perpetuated that a woman's worth is based solely on

Whilst discussing their dislike for the Montagues, a rivaling family, Sampson and Gregory shift the conversation to what they will do with the maids of the Montague house. Sampson wants to “push Montague’s men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall/…[he] will be civil with the / Maids and cut off their heads” (I, i, 15-21). Sampson’s joke about raping the Montague maids is used as a means to ridicule them; using women as tokens of comedic relief. The idea of women being compromised and feeling unsafe is romanticized and laughed at. Humor in this case, is used to normalize hostility against women. However, harassment towards women for comedic relief does not necessarily have to be physical, but can be emotional as well. The Nurse experiences constant verbal abuse from men in Verona. While the Nurse is walking by Mercutio, Benvolio and Romeo, both Mercutio and Benvolio ridicule her for her looks, by calling her “an Old hare hoar” (II, iv, 21). This comment by Mercutio is supposed to be received as a joke by the audience, which is evident when other characters such as Peter and Romeo also indulge in the mockery. Unfortunately, the Nurse does not understand the meaning of this comment. Which is a part of the joke as it insinuates that she is too stupid to understand it; implying that women in general are not

Upon Romeo’s banishment, a crying Juliet is approached by Paris to discuss their marriage However, Paris is upset because he believes Juliet should not be crying over another man because “[Her] face is [his], and [she] hast slander’d it” (IV, i, 35). Believing that he is to wed Juliet, Paris feels a sense of ownership over Juliet. By claiming her he insinuates that he has control over all aspects of her life, from her body to her will. Paris’s use of possessive language reinforces the idea that women are objects to be obtained and controlled by men through marriage. Similarly, this form of language is evident when examining relationships between husband and wife. The only time Capulet addresses Lady Capulet is when Juliet has died, and he did it by exclaiming “O heavens! O wife, look how our daughter bleeds!” (V, iii, 202). When Lord Capulet addresses his wife, it is always by the title “wife”. Additionally, there is no mention of her name; she is only referred to as Lady Capulet. By using these titles, Lord Capulet is binding her to himself. Such language restricts Lady Capulet from being established as anything besides Capulet's wife, limiting her character. Lady Capulet's situation showcases the lack of female identity in Romeo and Juliet, furthering the notion that women's only purpose in literature is to be accompaniments for men and their stories. Throughout Romeo and