Women's Role In Sheakespeare's Stories.

October 22, 2012
Role of women in Shakespeare’s novels.
by: Andrea Bajandas

In the plays of Shakespeare, all the women are represented as beings much lower than their male counterparts. Therewere great disadvantages for any woman who weren’t either a virgin maidens or of royal & noble blood, such as Queen Elizabeth. The rest were destined to be whores, wives, and if not, then theymust turn to nursehood. Some of the strongest differences between these class of women are things like freedom of speech, education, and social status.

In ‘Shakespeare in Love” Viola de Lessepsvery much loved the theater and Shakespeare’s works, but it was impossible for her to be part of any of his plays. Women acting in the theater was prohibited and highly shunned, as it was improper to bedisplayed to such a big audience. Instead, Viola was to marry Lord Wessex to grant him both a title and wealth. This is a very clear example of how little will and say women had at the time, forcingViola through an unwilling marriage and have her take some rebellious and socially dangerous matters to get what she desired. The whore category in this very same story, represented them as low classwomen belonging to taverns, brothels, and back-stage. They didn’t have much freedom of speech either, as most of them belonged to the owners of a profitable business, or a brothel.

As owned orfree to roam as whores were, they were still a neglected side of society, as they were in such a lower class that it wasn’t any concern, not unlike more descent women. The kind was considered much moreof a property and means for trade than any given human quality. In ‘The Taming of the Shrew” Petruchio refers to Katerina as “...master of mine own”, comparing her to the other material objects underhis possession. As such, she was bound to listen and comply to his every word. These women were much more educated and higher up the pyramid, although still lacking free will and expected to carry...