4.2.4
Gender
Aggressive and Sexual Males
Aggressive and Sexual Males
Elizabethan Verona was a very patriarchal society (as was Elizabethan England). In the play, the men in Verona are shown to be angry, aggressive and focused on sexual activities from the beginning.
Raping and fighting
Raping and fighting
- Sampson and Gregory (A1 S1) joke about raping Montague women and fighting and killing Montague men.
- They see Montague servants and their immediate reaction is to try to make them fight: 'I will frown as I pass by' and 'I will bite my thumb at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it'.
- The first characters we see are very aggressive, impulsive and masculine – the men of both families are shown to be fighting for dominance (more power) straight away.
Importance of masculinity
Importance of masculinity
- Sampson even questions the masculinity of the Montague servants to try and make them fight.
- He says 'Draw, if you be men'.
- This suggests that masculinity was an important trait (characteristic) to men of the time period, and that questioning it could cause fights in the streets.
Defying Gender Expectations - Romeo
Defying Gender Expectations - Romeo
Romeo and Juliet rebel against gender expectations in the play.
Feminine traits
Feminine traits
- Shakespeare presents Romeo as a man with feminine traits.
- Shakespeare presents him as lovesick and romantic right from the start because he uses a lot of poetry to express himself. Romance and love seem to take up his thoughts, unlike his friends.
- When Romeo meets Juliet, he constantly talks about her being above him and how much he worships her. He refers to her as an 'angel', a 'saint' and as belonging in 'heaven'.
- In a patriarchal society, we would expect Romeo to be dominant in the relationship. But Romeo plays the more submissive (allowing someone else to control) role here and adores and worships Juliet.
Romeo - family name controversy
Romeo - family name controversy
- Even though Juliet brings up the idea of either Romeo or herself denying 'thy father and refuse thy name', it is Romeo who says 'I will never be Romeo' if she loves him.
- At this time, in a male-dominant society, this would have been very controversial as Romeo goes against tradition and offers to turn away from his own family name (women would always give up their own name to marry the man).
Womanly death
Womanly death
- When they commit suicide, Romeo sees Juliet is dead and takes poison (which is traditionally seen as a less painful, more feminine form of suicide).
Defying Gender Expectations - Juliet
Defying Gender Expectations - Juliet
Women in the Elizabethan era were thought of as inferior and weak-minded – their purpose was to look attractive, get married, produce children, and obey their husbands or fathers.
Refuses to marry Paris
Refuses to marry Paris
- Juliet’s parents expect her to go from their home (where they expect her to do as she is told) straight to marriage and her new husband’s home (where she would be expected to obey her husband and produce children for him).
- But Juliet goes against her society’s expectations and refuses to marry the man her parents want her to.
Masculine role in relationship
Masculine role in relationship
- Juliet takes on the more masculine role in her relationship with Romeo.
- Although Romeo tells Juliet he loves her, Juliet is the one who proposes the idea of marriage: 'If that thy bent of love be honourable, thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow'.
- This goes against social expectations for women because women would not normally be the ones to take control of any romantic relationships.
- Men would start the relationships and propose marriage.
Sexual
Sexual
- Juliet is also the one who talks about her excitement for their physical relationship after marriage (a surprising thing for her to do, as women were not supposed to be very sexual. For women, sex was a necessity and not something they should enjoy or want).
- After they are married, Juliet complains that she has 'bought the mansion of a love but not possess’d it' - that she has married Romeo but they have not yet consummated their marriage by having sex.
- The young male characters in the play tend to talk more about sex – Romeo does not really do this, but Juliet does.
Masculine death
Masculine death
- Juliet takes Romeo's dagger and stabs herself (which is violent and courageous and linked with masculinity).
1Context
2Plot Summary
2.1Prologue
2.2Act 1
2.5Act 4
3Key Characters
3.1Romeo
3.2Juliet
3.3Mercutio
3.4The Nurse, Benvolio & Tybalt
3.5Friar Laurence
3.6Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Key Themes & Concepts
4.1Power & Danger of Love
5Writing Techniques
Jump to other topics
1Context
2Plot Summary
2.1Prologue
2.2Act 1
2.5Act 4
3Key Characters
3.1Romeo
3.2Juliet
3.3Mercutio
3.4The Nurse, Benvolio & Tybalt
3.5Friar Laurence
3.6Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Key Themes & Concepts
4.1Power & Danger of Love
5Writing Techniques
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