Women in the Shakeperean era and women of the 21st century

The Shakesperean era women were portrayed as less than equals to men. Male seemed to be the dominate gender and women were to be seen-not-heard. They existed within a patriarchal society. As a feminist himself, Shakespeare shows through his plays how women are ill treated and powerless; yet possess more intelligence than the male characters.

This is why Shakespeare creates overwhelming female characters; which is evident in Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", where the lead female character shows dominance. The major themes and motives surrounding the feminist issue are "deception and disguise" in regards to marriage, "Marriage as an Economic Institution" and "position of women in society". Characters use deception and disguise to manipulate other characters into falling in love under false pretences. People in this era have often used marriage as a way of gaining status and wealth, where no love was involved. Women in society were to be seen-not-heard; they were expected to be obedient and faithful to their husband, while the husband would simply do as he pleased.

There are also a variety of techniques which Shakespeare uses to communicate with the audience such as language techniques including imagery, alliteration, rhetorical questions, soliloquies and puns. The roles of women in the 16th and 17th centuries were not particularly important or cared for. Women were neither employed nor had much freedom, and to do so would mean requesting admittance from a male figure of authority. All political power was given to men, and all decisions within a society or even in a household were determined by the men in charge. Men were always in positions of power and stature, which in turn, over-shadowed the purpose of women, seeing as women were looked at as unequal.

Women were expected to take care of the household and raise the family. Their only expectations were to cook, clean, and work with textiles. Most women had very little education, and those who did were extremely wealthy. It is made evident that a woman wasn't respected as much as they are now, especially before Shakespeare helped elevate them and their roles in life. Since the colonization of America feminists have been fighting the ongoing battle for equality in the school system. From education in the home, to dame schools, to the coeducation of colleges, women have struggled for centuries to receive a formal education. Even today, women are given all the liberties in the school system that men are, but there are many issues concerning gender bias in the education system of America's schools. (Sapiro, V. Pp. 61.)

In he 17th century Colonial America, women had no access to a public education. Girls were educated primarily at home by private teachers or parents until the establishment of dame schools. Dame schools consisted of a group of girls that came together every day for lessons in reading and writing. These lessons most often took place in the kitchen of someone's home. The boys of ...