Women's Roles In Romeo And Juliet

In the 1400’s, women's lives were completely dependent on men. They were raised to not do anything for their own interest, but for the interest or benefit of the men in their lives. Women were not at all seen as equals to men, and especially not so if they were unmarried. In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet Capulet’s life is influenced by the dominant male figures that surround her. Juliet’s gender is what forces her to be dependent on others and their decisions, which will eventually lead to her death. In this time period, there was a mentality that existed where a woman was made more honorable or a better person just by having a husband. When Juliet was hesitant to even think of being married to Paris, her mother and nurse were surprised. It was unheard of to be a woman and not want to be married. This is shown when the nurse and Lady Capulet tell Juliet “By having him, making yourself no less.” “No less? Nay, bigger. Women grow by men”(Shakespeare 1.3.100-101). The Nurse tells Juliet that by marrying Paris, she would be making herself a better person. The phrase ‘women grow by men’ shows exactly how reliant, not only Juliet but all of women, were on men. By handing all of the control a woman has over her life

She was never able to make decisions or take actions for herself, which if she had, could have prevented her from reaching her own death. She relied on others such as her father, Romeo, and Friar Lawrence, who all played a key role in the cause of Juliet’s demise. The mentality of this play regarding women is that the more power or respect a woman has all comes from the man that she is married to. In this time period, all power would lay in the hands of the men. Juliet left all of the power she had over herself to the men in her life. As a result of this, people made decisions for her, not using Juliet’s own judgment, which eventually cost Juliet her