The Women of Shakespeare

             Females were "the future wives, mothers, and housekeepers" (Pearson 211) of Elizabethan times. Not many options were open to them. They were dominated by men, and by society. The obedience of women to men was evidenced in their educational, marital, and household opportunities. Although there was a female ruler, Elizabethan women were held in much lower regard than men. In the plays of William Shakespeare, women were portrayed as strong, independent individuals with minds of their own, and were viewed as men's equals. Macbeth's wife is the one who facilitated their evil plot. In Hamlet, Ophelia is not complacent, nor is she ready to do the will of her father; she is in love. Romeo and Juliet presents the two lovers as equal parts of the relationship. One is not subordinate to the other. Shakespeare did an excellent job of going against social norms to empower women.
             At thirteen and fourteen years of age, females in modern society are just barely finishing middle school, looking forward to high school. Education can potentially continue for the rest of their lives, but usually only lasts until the early to mid-twenties. Education of Elizabethan girls was typically ending at the age of thirteen or fourteen. "By the end of the century, girls were not receiving instruction in all these subjects at the co-educational schools, but they were often staying in school as late as time for marriage at thirteen or fourteen years of age" (Pearson 212). If girls wanted to continue their schooling, it was most often in the form of housewife training. High-class ladies continued their education in the form of proper training in the courts. A woman's social education was highly dependent on how her rank in society. "If women were born to beauty and rank, they might be trained according to their wit, but they could do no better than to marry a man of honor and rank" (Pearson 214). Establi...

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The Women of Shakespeare. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 07:41, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/92098.html