Gender Expectations and Women´s Role During the...

Introduction Gender expectations limited personal choice to a great extent during the Elizabethan Era. The Elizabethan Era was the period in which Elizabeth I ruled England from 1558-1603. There was a strong view on women should be the property of men and must obey them. William Shakespeare influenced this time period massively and incorporated the different gender roles and expectations into his plays. Personal is defined as something concerning ones private life, relationships, and emotions rather than ones career or public life. Choice is defined as an act of choosing between two or more possibilities. Therefore personal choice can be seen as how someone chooses to life their personal life; whether that be the relationships formed or†¦show more content†¦Beatrice from Much ado About Nothing also revolts against the inequality between men and women, â€Å"Not till God make men of some other metal than earth. Would it not grieve a woman to be overmasterd with a piece of valiant dust? to make an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl? No, uncle, Ill none. Adams sons are my brethren, and truly I hold it a sin to match in my kinred. [Act 2, Scene 1, Line 57] . Beatrice uses man in the general sense (as in mankind), she then talks the inequality of genders when married. Ashes to ashes is a notation that everyone is equal, so Beatrice states that it isnt fitting that woman should be ruled by a man. The concept of being owned by man once a woman is married limits the personal choice and legal status of women entirely. Marriage Getting married wasnt always a young girls dream during the Elizabethan Era. Once married, the woman lost all her rights as stated before, this limited her greatly as she had to obey her husband. A woman would be owned by her father and then passed on to her husband like property, not a human being. Queen Elizabeth I was reluctant to marry as she would have to obey her husband and he would rule England. Marry Queen of Scots- Elizabeths cousin- had to obey her husband Lord Darnley. I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman;but I have the heart and stomach of a KingShow MoreRelatedCustoms Of The Elizabethan Wedding Customs1341 Words   |  6 Pagesnow (Elizabethan Wedding Customs 1). The main difference between marriages now and in the past is that in this case, the marriages were arranged, and there was no choice in who you married (Elizabethan Wedding Customs 1). Marriages were organized in a way in which both families would benefit from the marriage (Elizabethan Wedding Customs 1). Couples met for the first time on their wedding day (Elizabethan Wedding Customs 1). 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