Romeo And Juliet: Gender Roles Of The Elizabethan Era

In his play, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare comments on the gender roles of the Elizabethan era through the actions and dialogue of the characters in the play, specifically those of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet are young lovers in Verona, who have fallen for each other despite their families’ long-standing feud. The Elizabethan era had a very patriarchal society; men were the heads of the households and ruling voice, and masculinity was measured in power, authority, and aggression. Women were expected to be delicate and obedient and depended on their husbands for everything. Shakespeare expresses his disapproval of these ideals by challenging them, through the actions and personality of characters in the play. Women have almost always

She loves him, but is not naive enough to swear to a man without further proof. She wants more than just pretty words from him. In this way, she is more mature than Romeo, despite being younger than him. Finally, Juliet pushes gender norms by being the first to propose marriage. Traditionally, men are the ones to propose first in society. Not only is she defying her parent’s wishes to participate in an arranged marriage by choosing Romeo, but she is asking for his hand in marriage, instead of waiting for his proposal. Shakespeare exposes these expectations of women through Juliet. She is a child pressured into maturity, but subtly defies the expectations and attempts to take control of her own life. In addition to touching upon the expectations of women during the Elizabethan era, Shakespeare illustrates the toxic masculine standards of society at the time and challenges them through Romeo’s character. The opening scene is of two Montague men walking in the streets, chatting and discussing what they would do if they came across any Capulets. The conversation shifts to how they would sexually assault any Capulet woman they ran into. One character, Sampson, says proudly, “‘Tis true, and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall”

He contrasts these ideals by creating a more “feminine” character: Romeo. The audience’s first introduction to Romeo was his family commenting on seeing him crying and depressed. Lord Montague tells Benvolio after he asked where Romeo was: “Many a morning hath he there been seen,/ With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew” (1. 1. What is the difference between a. and a. 124-125) and the. Commonly, crying is seen as a weakness in men and boys in society. Shakespeare immediately questions gender norms by making the first impression of Romeo, a heartsick, dramatic teenager. He is emotional and poetic, and has traits that are usually viewed as “feminine” in society. Shakespeare challenges these toxic standards by creating a character who is well-loved, despite not being the “ideal man”. Romeo and Juliet illustrates how trying to enforce gender roles on young people is ultimately harmful by demonstrating how they impact Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet are subjected to expectations that conflict with the ways they want to live their lives. When Juliet expresses to her father that she no longer wants to marry Paris, he is furious and explodes on