Stereotypes In The Renaissance Era

William Shakespeare addresses stereotypes of women that occurred in the Renaissance era and continue to occur in modern society. Although Shakespeare supports these stereotypes in many of his literary works, he questions many of these depictions in his plays. Shakespeare’s plays challenge the traditional representations on men and women, what the gender characteristics are, what is identified as being manly or feminine, how both genders can possess both masculine and feminine traits, about the power of the patriarchal society, and about the roles that males and females should have in society. Shakespeare’s writings have improved people’s understanding of the Renaissance culture and helped individuals become aware of their own generalizations …show more content…
In the Renaissance era, women were not allowed to pursue a post-secondary education, vote in political elections, or run for public office. Reputable women were expected to be compliant, fragile, moral, and silent. Catholic and Protestant religious scriptures set the standards for these ideals that were expected of women. Males and females did not receive equal treatment during these times. “The law was one of the most fundamental constraints on the personal, civic, and property rights of women.” Differences in single and married women also existed under the Common Law. The standard for women under Common Law was that women were expected to be married or get married. When a man and woman married, the two became one flesh. Women were expected to give all property and belongings to her husband. Therefore, the husband became owner of all his wife’s possessions. In addition, the wife was considered a possession of her husband. Husbands were permitted to abuse their wives and even rape their wives. However, a husband could be chastised if beatings were too brutal. Legally, husbands were allowed to “administer lawful and reasonable correction to keep his wife in line.” A woman could not testify against her husband in court because wives and husbands were not allowed to testify against one another in court. Women had no legal rights within a marriage. A woman could divorce her …show more content…
Ophelia loses her father Polonius and ends up dying by her own hand. Ophelia was comfortable with the securities and protections her father offered her (Rogers, 2009). Additionally, Hamlets rejection of her also led to her committing suicide by drowning herself Despite Ophelia’s suicide, she as still provided with a Christian burial. People who killed themselves were not usually given a funeral because suicide was considered to be a sin. Following Ophelia’s death, the Gravediggers inquire about the Christian burial, asking, “Is she to be buried in Christian burial when she willfully seeks her own salvation” (Act 5, Scene 1). While this conversation seems irrelevant, it points to the fact the Ophelia was murdered by a patriarchal society. The reason for the Christian burial was because the play indicated that the males in Ophelia’s life caused her death (Williams, n.d.). On the other hand, Gertrude’s death was caused by her unwillingness to submit to authority. Gertrude’s failure to comply with authority caused the collapse of the hierarchy. “Women who comply with the social order are lost without it; those who defy it can know no other fortune that to be lost within it” (Rogers,