Gender Stereotypes In Romeo And Juliet

For years, men and women have strived to stay within social norms. These socials norms included stereotypical roles of men and women. Now, in 2018, women are gaining more rights and typical gender roles and other social norms are starting to fade, although they still have an effect in all of our lives. Shakespeare, who lived and wrote nearly 200 years before us, tried to break these “rules” of gender roles. Shakespeare plays with traditional gender stereotypes through the characters of Romeo and Juliet. In many portrayals of women in Literature at this time, they are weak, sensitive, and timid. Juliet, however, is portrayed much stronger than this when she speaks up to her father about her engagement to Paris and how she dies. When her father speaks to her about how he has decided her husband, she is not afraid to speak up. She says “I will not marry yet; and when I do, I swear it shall be Romeo-whom you know I hate- rather …show more content…
Shakespeare who lived nearly 200 years ago was able to break these gender roles in his piece of literature; So why do these gender roles still exist in today’s society? Well, that’s hard to explain. My theory is that people were just afraid of being more than what society defined them as. If others like you for this gender role you stepped into, why would you change? You would have everything; status, friends, and the wholehearted acceptance of others. The danger of these gender norms is comfortability. We get so comfortable in these roles that sometimes, we forget that being ourselves makes us truly happy. To end my theory, I believe that Shakespeare realized that other people saw him not as he truly was, but as a respectable man that knows what his role is. Through his portrayal of Romeo and Juliet, it shows that he himself wanted to be more than just a respectable man; he wanted to be happy with whom he truly