Treatment Of Women Flashcards
Shakespeare uses lord Capulet to show how young girls in Elizabethan families were treated like property and with aggression
“ lead to more, Summer is with her in her pride”
“ handbag starve die in the streets”
“ disobedient wretch”
Shakespeare uses Mercutio to show how it was normal to objectify women and sexualise them
If love be rough with you, be rough with love
He is talking about Rosaline’s body parts, saying: ‘I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes… her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh’.
Immediately drawing Romeo to focus on those lines aesthetic . Does not value women for anything other than their physical features.
Girls were expected to be married to secure social status for the family
Lady Capulet emphasises this
“how long is it until Lamastide” here, she is referring to Juliet’s birthday, however not for the right reasons. She is in patiently waiting to for her daughter to be of age to Marry.
Girls of this era off and felt a pressure to be married off to secure their parents financial and social status. Despite what they wanted. It was what was expected of them. Juliet face is this problem has her parents try to convince her to marry a socially advantages aristocrat such like Paris.
“ I where fool married to her grave”
She takes a secondary role, to her husband
Shakespeare uses Romeo to defy, societal expectations, and instead treats women with respect
Immediately idolises her
“ Juliet is the Sun”
“ like a rich due in Ethiopes ear”
“ two blushing pilgrims”
Balcony scene juliet higher level than romeo
Shakespeare presents his view on women particularly lower class when he characterises the nurse
“’Now by my maidenhead at twelve years old’
Often uses bawdy language. Characterises her as foolish and thoughless.
“And…then..”
Waffles she is unimportant not valued in conversation. Presented as foolish and the comic relief for the play.
she is the only character who is a lower class women, so this ultimately presents Shakespeare’s judgement
