Challenging Gender Roles in English Society Essay -- England Literatur

Challenging Gender Roles in English SocietyThe geezerhood of Shakespeare was characterized by an overwhelming tendency for women to be looked d ingest upon as the inferior gender. Women of the judgment of conviction were expected to be submissive, dutiful, obedient, and predominantly silent. The idea of an independent, out-spoken woman would fork up scrapd all of the societal determine of the time. Shakespeare, however, challenged the conventional patriarchal values of his time by introducing powerful and highly influential female person characters in nearly of his most memorable plays. Lady Macbeth and her earlier counterpart, Volumnia, both serve glacial roles as dominant and commanding mother figures and also challenge the traditional role of the dutiful wife. Both of these independent, strong-willed women are far forrader of the times in their approach to marital, maternal, and societal involvement. Shakespeare successfully portrays his women in a sassy light, very di fferent from the perspective with which women were viewed at the time. Both women challenge traditional patriarchal values of English society and establish the female character as a significant and heroic figure among Shakespeares prominent male figures.Lady Macbeth, perhaps the most famous of these spirit women, is a particularly prominent character in Shakespeares tragical Scottish play, Macbeth. Her decisive and determined mentality serves as the driving consequence in Macbeths journey toward tragedy. It can non be mistaken that Macbeths own desire for bang-upness is motivated in large part imputable to his wifes passionate influence. Lady Macbeth appears to be the dominant cooperator in the twisted and power driven relationship between herself and Macbeth. She demonstrates her great cin one casern with her husb... ...nglish society, Shakespeare places his female characters at the center of the action, making them equally important, if not more important than their male cou nterparts. These women, especially, allow the audience to view gender roles and gender restrictions imposed by society in a new light. Perhaps women are not as frail, dim-witted, and incapable as once thought. Shakespeare seems to lead us to the idea of women holding significant yet typical roles in society. He has effectively created strong, independent women who do not claim traditionally prescribed gender roles, but instead speak what they will, when they will, and do what they deem best. Through their distinctive actions, each of these women presents alternatives to the traditional patriarchal values of the time period as they establish themselves as thinking, feeling, and essential members of society.