Stereotypes: The Competition Between Male Aristocrats

168 Words1 Pages
For a male aristocrat, court life revolved around the public sphere. Being bound to this sphere meant he frequently attended court to maintain and enhance his status. According to scholars, as active members of the court, many male aristocrats competed fiercely for status and prestige because their social, political, and economic life depended on the position they occupied in the highly rigid hierarchy (Morris, 1964; McCullough, 1999; Hurst, 2007a). This competition that ensued between male aristocrats was important because they developed an acute sensitivity towards their status at court. Within this status-conscious society, in particular, a male aristocrat was continuously under the gaze of his peers which required them to display qualities