Margaret Cavendish was born Margaret Lucas in 1623, while the English Civil War was fuming. She was educated in all things women of her age were expected to know such as singing, dancing, playing instruments, etc. (Jokinen 1). Margaret was a Royalist during the war and was the maid of honor for Queen Henrietta Maria. While serving the Queen, Margaret met William Cavendish and married him (Sunshine 1). With a respectable marriage and financial stability, Margaret was able to fight for the rights of women. Throughout Margaret's life, she wrote; she wrote poetry, essays, letters, orations and much more. Many of her writings were criticized by her male contemporaries, but she continued to write in spite of their jeering. Margaret is one of the first known feminists because of her writing style and works, her perception of men, and her perception of science.
             Margaret Cavendish wrote approximately fourteen works. Many of her works were written in a fashion that would be considered sarcastic. Most of her ideas and theories were confusing and novel to the people of her time because she had no one who shared her opinions (Sunshine 1). She used sarcasm to poke fun at the way women were treated in society. Most of her writings describe women as less than human and unworthy of the attention of men. Her feminist perceptions are especially apparent in her published works. She set a precedent by writing a play titled The Convent of Pleasure; it was about a lesbian relationship, a subject unheard of in England during the seventeenth century. She defended the fairer sex in all areas of her accomplishments including her published works.
             Margaret saw men as equal to women, even though men thought the contrary. Margaret lived in a world where women were second class citizens. She used her writings to express her feelings of discontent with the dominant sex. She stated facts in her writing displaying the equality of the sexes. She affirmed that ...