Essay On Patriarchy

Patriarchy In Sexual Politics, By Kate Millet
In Sexual Politics, Kate Millet states that patriarchal societies do not derive from human nature, but
are socially constructed. Patriarchy is means of the male gender applied to exploit and oppress the
females. The process of patriarchal control develops since childhood. Since and early age, children
perceive notions of what is proper to each gender from their parents, peers, and society. She asserts
that besides the physical distinctions, there are not differences between male and female. It is the
patriarchal social structure that assigns gender roles. Due to cultural expectations, young males are
encouraged to develop their characteristics to meet with the stereotypes: strong, aggressive, violent,
disciplined, and intelligent, while women...show more content...
How Clive utilizes gender stereotypes to maintain his power is depicted throughout the first act
as he attempts to keep his wife as well as women in general in a lower status in various ways. For
one thing, Clive assigns a passive and docile role for Betty, which can be seen from the way she
has to listen to everything he says and is not allowed to have opinions. When Betty tells Clive on
Joshua that the servant did not do what she said when she told him to fetch a book, Clive does not
even want to listen to what she has to say. Although he was not there, he interrupts her when she tries
to explain the situation; "Betty, please, let me handle this" This shows a patriarchal attitude about
women's incompetence in handling things and making decisions. Also in order to keep, his wife in
the status quo, he encourages her to do activities like playing piano and reading poetry which are
stereotypically considered gentle and womanly. The female role assigned by men has become Betty's
identity. She accepts her inferiority to men and behaves what the patriarchal system deems
appropriate.
Betty: I live for Clive. The whole aim of my
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Patriarchy Patriarchy
Patriarchy and Its Effect On The Portrayal of Women
As far as the treatment of women is concerned, we have made drastic advances since the times of
early Western civilization. Between the Mesopotamian: Code of Hammurabi and the Jewish law
there are many similarities in the treatment of women. Both Mesopotamian and Hebrew societies
were patriarchies and it is evident in not only their laws but in their stories. The importance placed
on absolute truth that these cultures felt their laws and codes held translated to the ill treatment of
women in both societies, leaving us to question how much the treatment differed.
The people of Mesopotamia followed the Code of Hammurabi issued around 1750 BC by King
Hammurabi. Many of the laws in this code show just how oppressed women were in the
Mesopotamian patriarchy. In many cases such as code 210 referring to miscarriage, if a man
strikes a woman causing her to miscarry and die, "...his daughter shall be killed," (Perry, 10) the
women are then punished for the man's mistake. We see a much different way of punishment for
injury or death of a woman in the Hebrew Bible. Chapter 21:20 in the Hebrew Bible claims that if a
slave owner strikes a male or female slave and that slave dies that, "the owner shall be punished"
(Hebrew Bible, 112). This differs from the Mesopotamian laws in that the owner shall be punished
for injuring or killing through payment whereas in Jewish law the owner would be punished
physically. Another way in which a

There are only two genders in the whole world, one is male and the other is female. There are lots
of advocates and sociologist who has spoken for the equality between men and women but till now
the goal of equality has not been achieved yet. Women have always been dominated by the men in
the Patriarchal society where men are the head of the household and the rule makers. Men are the
supreme authority and women are the followers. When we hear these things, even in the 21 century
it is not the new or surprising things because it is still being practiced in our society and there aren't
any women in the world that had not been through this discrimination at least once in their life time.
It is not that, women have not fight for their right...show more content...
It begins to challenge the roles of genders in the society within the social institution such as family,
marriage etc." (Dr Hatch: Class Notes). It creates a group of women who join hand in hand and raise
their voice against the domestic violence, sexual harassment and many other form of discrimination
that exist in the society. Basically they attempt to narrow the gap between two genders. Though they
advocate a lot on women issues and problems, feminism is still in the same place where it used to be
several years ago. There has been no change in the way of thinking of men toward women. Men
have always been treated as living being and women as an object.
Simone de Beauvoir is a feminist, social theorist. "Woman As Other" written by Beauvoir shows
exactly how women are treated in the patriarchal society as a thing but not as a human being. Her
writing portraits about the position of women they hold in the society. Men are the only superior
human being in the earth and women are supposed to be the inferior thing. Women are always
ranked one step below to men. Men view the woman as a sex object but nothing else. Men are
indispensible and women are dispensable. Women are the weakest object who depend upon men for
rest of their live and cannot imagine living without the support of men. In the other hand, men can
do anything; they have the power to do everything. They don't need a woman to complete them
rather it is the man who

Imperialist Patriarchy
The Battle Between an Imperialist White–Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy and Subversive
Language in Jeanette Winterson's Written on the Body
In an attempt to address the foundational "interlocking political systems" of Western society,
American feminist and author, bell hooks uses the phrase "imperialist white–supremacist capitalist
patriarchy"(Understanding Patriarchy). I feel there is a need to address this phrase when trying to
understand the usage of language and the influence culture has on the development of discourse
because it is within this system that language is given authority. With this particular master narrative
so deeply embedded in discourse it is nearly impossible to escape the hierarchical binaries that live
within each...show more content...
This initial sentence is important to analyze for two reasons. First, we are introduced to the
importance of binary oppositions and the idea that in order to meaningfully define something it must
be in direct opposition with a definable other. Furthermore, by introducing binary oppositions, which
is rooted in Saussurean structuralist theory, Winterson introduces her first reference to a male
dominated discourse and the unavoidable intertextuality of the language of love. Second, this line
illustrates the battle between a subversive language of love and an imperialist white–supremacist
capitalist patriarchy. On one hand we can see this historically male dominated discourse in poetic
juxtaposition with aesthetically fueled language, thus successfully crafting a "textual and artistic
recreation" of language (Finney 30). However, on the other hand, the embedded systems of
patriarchy remain undefeated, with this diction leaving the loved one (and binary other) as
something quantifiable, something "measure[able]" by "loss" (Winterson

Patriarchy And Its Effects On Society
In several societies on Earth, patriarchy reigns. In such a social structure if one group is dominant,
that leads to other groups suffering unfairly. With the case of patriarchy, women are the ones with
inadequate benefits. While several countries are attempting to do away with this and make life
equal for both men and women, there exists an obvious gap in other places around the world from
countries to homes. One can tell that in films such as Blue Jasmine and Arranged (2007), patriarchy
continues even in a western country where it is far less common, causing women to become victims.
Humans begin to learn very quickly after birth through the people that are around them. This causes
them to pick up beliefs, ideas, and self–composure in society. The first individuals exposed to them
are typically family members and close family friends. Risman notes that, "The earliest and perhaps
most commonly referred to explanations in popular culture depend on sex–role training, teaching
boys and girls their culturally appropriate roles" (244). In the movie Arranged, Nasira and Rochel go
through an arranged marriage process as a part of their religions. In both religions, it appears that
women are married off to men, and while Rochel gets to choose which suitors that she is matched
up with she does and does not like, Nasira is to marry the man her father wishes her to marry. Even
so, in both religions, if the woman holds off marriage for too long it is problematic. When
attempting to

Essay on Patriarchy in Hamlet
Patriarchy in Hamlet
William Shakespeare's Hamlet employs the concept of patriarchy in several scenarios and each on
different levels. These levels of patriarchy, if even for the same character, vary in their role in the
play. Three patriarchal characters are easily identified: the ghost of Hamlet's father, the king
Claudius, and the lord chamberlain Polonius. Despite their variances each patriarchy displays values
and actions which are key factors in bringing about the cataclysmic ending to Hamlet.
Claudius fills the role of father figure as both king to a nation and stepfather to young Hamlet,
whose father has died unexpectedly. It is revealed later that Claudius is responsible for the death of
his brother, King...show more content...
Claudius accepts this message at face value and foolishly shuffles it aside; he is more eager to hear
news on the matters of his stepson Hamlet (2.2.60–85). It is the threat within the family that has
Claudius distracted from the threat without. A wiser king would certainly concern himself with
affairs abroad and defense of his borders more than Claudius has shown himself capable of doing.
Claudius's poor display as head of the grand patriarchy of the throne of Denmark is directly
related to his poor display as the patriarch of the royal family. His character is cast in an
unfavorable light from the start to the omniscient reader: incestuous murderer, spy, plotter, and
schemer. To Hamlet, he is no father figure. Hamlet is made extremely angry by Claudius's marriage
to Gertrude. This is, of course, even before he is privy to the information that Claudius is his father's
murderer. He is angry with the haste in which his mother has agreed to marry Claudius, and so
overwhelmed with grief is Hamlet that he cannot identify with his new father figure (1.2.129–57).
This anger is not to be viewed from an Oedipal point of view (Hamlet expresses no interest in
"replacing" either his father or step–father) but out of genuine love and concern for his true father,
who in life represented a healthy patriarchal figure to Hamlet. These conflicts in emotion do not
bode well for the infrastructure of the royal

In Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare examines the fragility of the male
ego and its domination over women in an effort to critique the patriarchy during the Elizabethan
Era. In the play, chaos is created and authority in exercised by the male characters with no regard
for reason or evidence. This highlights their baseless need to protect themselves at all costs, no
matter the effect it may have on the opposite sex.
In the primal Elizabethan era, the lack of any form of paternity test led to the men's irrational fear of
infidelity and the victimization of even the most ideal products of their society. The inheritance of
wealth held high importance during this time period and thus heightened the insecurities of
upper–class males who worried constantly about the unfaithfulness of women leading to an impure
child receiving unrightful wealth. When Claudio first lays eyes on Hero, amongst his initial
comments, he asks "Is she not a modest young lady?" (1.1.158). By immediately questioning her
purity while paying no attention to wit or personality, he indirectly suggests that her worthiness of
marriage relied solely on her docility and innocence. The sexuality of a woman was to be the pride
and possession of her husband therefore when Claudio is tricked into believing her adultery he
fears a loss of control or diminish of dominance over her. He states, "For thee I'll lock up all the
gates of love And on my eyelids shall conjecture hang, To turn all beauty

Women 's Role As A Patriarchal Institution Essay
Religion is a cultural system of behaviors and practices that have been around from society itself
has existed. It also plays a pivotal part in sociology especially with regards to social control and
socialisation. The role women occupy within religion has changed drastically in the last few
decades. There are competing sociological arguments as to whether or not the subordination of
women is due to religion as many feminists would suggest. For the purposes of this essay I will
evaluate and discuss key points about the role women play in religion.
Sociology is interested in religion and continues to have a big influence in it. Feminists see religion
as a patriarchal institution, this refers to the maintaining of male dominance over women by
making them believe that it is their divine right to be dominated. Along with this, they believe that
religion functions as a patriarchal ideology that acts as an agent that legitimates inequity and such
beliefs approve female oppression. However, functionalists believe otherwise and argue that its
function is not to oppress women but necessary to keep society stable whilst Marxists believe that
religion is used to keep the powerful in control over the powerless, not females and patriarchy.
These sociological approaches act as a force in religion to maintain and reproduce research that
focuses on how religion oppresses women.
A critical feminist argument by Anderson and Gordon in 1978 that identifies a strong relationship
between

Patriarchy In The Ancient World
Women around the world have had a huge impact on how the patriarchy stands today. The many
obstacles that women have achieved throughout time have made it possible for girls today to stand
up for what they believe in. In ancient societies feminism was but a lost cause. Female warriors,
queens, rulers, and empresses showed the way to many other women that it was possible females
could leave a mark in history. Historians and archeologists have showed us only bits and pieces
from the burials they have discovered. The other women that may have ruled in the ancient world
are unknown to us but may have left a greater impact on the ones we know of today. Women of the
modern world should look up to these fascinating patriarchal breaking icons. Although

Examples Of Patriarchy In Romeo And Juliet
Throughout the play, both Romeo and Juliet are seen opposing the common faiths and patriarchy of
Italy's 16th century society. [ADD 'ELABORATE' STEP]. This is particularly evident after Juliet's
first meeting with Romeo, when he sneaks into the Capulet's Orchid. Explicitly demonstrated in Act
2, Juliet rebels against a higher authority, her parents, by proposing a clandestine marriage with the
supposed enemy, "If that thy bent of love be honourable, Thy purpose marriage, send me word
tomorrow." (2.144–145). In this scene, Juliet is resisting the typical beliefs related to the women of
that time, and assuming a dominant role by being the first to purpose marriage (is usually performed
by males). Not only that, but by not consulting her parents,

Definition Essay On Patriarchy
Guess What? You're a Feminist! Feminism is not a radical movement or a fringe movement or an
embarrassment or a fraud. Feminism is simple. The "patriarchy" does "exist." To identify as a
feminist is to acknowledge that women are people, and, as such, women deserve the same social,
economic, and political rights and opportunities as other styles of people (i.e., men–people). To be a
feminist is also to acknowledge that the world is not, currently, a fair and just and safe place for
women to exist. Because it is not. Obviously (see: everything ever). To deny these things makes
you, at worst, a bad person who hates women, including but not limited to: Sarah Michelle Gellar,
Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, your mother, Jennifer Lopez's mother, Jennifer
Garner's Aunt Marcy, Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Julie Andrews, Kim Kardashian,
Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kraken Kardashian, Karphone Kardashian, Kickball
Kardashian, Kornkob Kardashian, and THE VIRGIN FUCKING MARY. At best, it makes you a
complacent idiot. ONE MORE TIME: If you are not a feminist (or something blamelessly
ignorant, like a baby or a ferret or a college freshman), then you are a bad person. Those are the
only options. You either believe that women are people, or you don't. To help you pick one, here
...show more content...
Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who were all, "Heeeeeey bros, we were thinking that maybe if
you're not busy we could get the right to vote and stuff please maybe?" Then they proceeded to
righteously fuck shit up until the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920, which gave American
women the vote. A lot of the first–wavers were totally racist, plus they were still pretty into the idea
that a woman's job is shutting up and scrubbing stuff. But, you know, nobody's

Gender Inequality and Patriarchy Essay
Gender inequality has been an issue since long before the 1840s, when feminists finally brought the
problem to light. Most ancient cultures were societies based on gender inequality, skewed towards
male–dominance. Most societies are still mostly patriarchal, in fact. Patriarchy is the root of
discrimination between sexes and genders and has been for a very long time. The words 'sex' and '
gender' are commonly confused with each other in regular, everyday conversations when the two
have very different meanings. The term 'sex' refers to the biological and physiological
characteristics of a person, such as male or female; 'gender' is a social construction that refers to
masculine or feminine roles in society ( Nordqvist). For...show more content...
For example, England may be ruled by a queen, but it remains a patriarchy nonetheless. The famous
Egyptian queens Cleopatra and Nefertiti were also rulers of a patriarchal society. Of course, a
society could, theoretically, be female–dominated and remain a patriarchy as long as the females
were 'masculine–gendered', meaning they played the stereotypical 'male roles' in society. Patriarchy
usually means a family that is male–dominated and headed by the father. It is a social construct in
which men and masculine roles are considered to be absolutely superior to women and feminine
roles. A society is considered patriarchal when it is male–dominated, male–centered, and
male–identified. Being a male–dominated culture means that positions of power and authority in the
political, economic, legal, religious, domestic, educational, and military spheres are usually reserved
only for men. Male–identification means that a culture's 'normal' way of living is based on men and
their lives. Male–dominance means that the culture has been shaped by men in a way that mostly
serves male interests. Patriarchal societies are male–identified because their core ideals concerning
what is morally right, desirable or normal are connected with how they think about masculinity or
men in general. They are always male–centered, with the culture's focus is

The Patriarchal System Essay
Women and Children are Still Property of Men The purpose of this paper is to explore patriarchal
values that reinforce violence towards women in intimate partner relationships. This paper argues
that patriarchy and the social construction of masculinity reproduce male violence against women.
The following sub–issues that that will be discussed are patriarchy, capitalism, the religion of Islam,
and the construction of masculinity and femininity. All the sub–issues encompass patriarchy values
which allows inmate partner violence.
Patriarchy
First and foremost, patriarchy is socially constructed which privileges men to dominate women both
structurally and ideologically (Hunnicutt, 2009). Patriarchy can serve as a macro level which...show
more content...
Therefore, patriarchy reinforces gender inequality because of gender hierarchies imbalance of power
relations in intimate relationships. p –>
Economics
The economics of intimate partner relationships play a role in patriarchy and the reinforcement of
women abuse. Martin (1981) states that meritocracy is a discourse that everyone has equal
opportunity in the workforce. It fails to recognize the barriers that prevent people from having the
same opportunities as others. For instance, women face many social pressures that prevent them
from working in the public sphere such as discrimination, sexism, being pushed down to apply for
certain jobs because it dominated by males and may not have the physical requirement like body
mass. Martin (1981) argues that capitalism supports patriarchal families and the idea that a
woman's place is considered to be in the private sphere, the home, while a man is to be in the
public sphere. Martin (1981) states that capitalism is about competition and succeeds when barring
disadvantage or vulnerable populations including women from advancing to the top of the
hierarchy so that people, predominantly white males, would remain in power. One strategy to
prevent women from advancing in their career is to receive minimum wage and less income than
men which therefore makes them easily replaceable in the work force. This defines women as
temporary workers (p. 41). This leaves women economically dependent on men and gives a reason

Synthesis Essay On Patriarchy
"You can't beat us up, you're a girl," the two evil boys snapped at me. My heart was in my feet and
tears stung my eyes. I couldn't understand how being a girl affected if I could play or not. I was
just trying to play basketball when two boys were doing everything in their power to make me feel
lesser just for being female. The boys went out of their way to throw basketballs in my direction,
shoved me out of the way multiple times, and worst of all, they called me a "girl" as an insult. The
bad part is I believed they were right, they won and I couldn't do anything about it as the teacher in
charge explained to me, "Boys will be boys." In almost every culture around the world, anything
associated with being feminine is wrong. In my daily life, western culture only perpetuates this
anti–feminine ideal and forces propaganda against women into every sphere of my life. Girls
should no longer be told they're lesser merely because they are female. Everywhere I look in society,
anything associated with women is inferior. Ads for diet pills and makeup to make us "beautiful" for
men, men being outcasted for showing emotions because it's feminine, and many insults are based
on the fact that someone is showing...show more content...
I knew little about any social issues, including feminism, before I was introduced to Tumblr. After
Tumblr my inner feminist and social activist blossomed. I post all of the articles I can find that
describe the issues of women and how to fix them in order to inform others of the feminist
movement. Tumblr sparked my interest, greatly informed me, and helped me spread my ideas about
feminism. When I post feminist articles, other people spread them from my page, getting even more
people informed. Without Tumblr I would not know anything about feminism, or that it even

Examples Of Patriarchy In Romeo And Juliet
Spark of patriarchy dominates Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Sadly, this system dictates how the
characters embark on their lives in Verona, Italy. Wallia (2012, para.1) defines patriarchy as a
system of unequal power relations that give men privileges in all areas of their lives – social,
economic, institutional, cultural, political, and spiritual – while women and gender non–conforming
people are systematically disadvantaged. Men, in Romeo and Juliet, are endowed with countless
prerogatives that allow them to be superior over women. Kahn (1978, p.171) supports this claim by
saying that "the play, as persuasively argued by literary critics, is dominated by fathers, whose
power over families is mirrored in the organization of the state as a whole."...show more content...
According to Bloom, "Capulet's stern decision about Juliet's marriage partner is a clear indication of
his attempt to satisfy his own needs, not his daughter's desires." Moreover, Karine (2005, para.7)
believes that the humiliating words ("green–sickness," "baggage," and "disobedient wretch") Capulet
uses to describe Juliet suggest his conviction: Women are inferior beings. In her compilation of
essays on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Bladen (2010, p. 6) underscores the social power Lord
Capulet has over his own

Patriarchy In Modern Society
A patriarchy is a social system in which a society can be organised, based on the idea of men
being dominant over women. This can manifest itself in the modern world in various ways such
as through the existence of a pay gap and sexual harassment for women in the workplace. Most
feminist groups, such as Radical feminists and Liberal feminists, agree that patriarchy is a reason
reason women are unequal to men. Though groups such as Black feminists argue that patriarchy
can't be blamed for all gender inequality, and to argue that it is ethnocentric and only based on the
white experience. Although some theorists argue that patriarchy isn't even relevant when speaking
about women being unequal to men in modern society. Radical feminists believe that the main
reason women are unequal to men, is due to patriarchy and the resulting patriarchal society that
we live in. Stanko states that one place we can see the inequality is in the workplace. Men use
their power in the workplace to protect their position, one way this shows itself is through sexual
harassment of women, which can also be used as a way of keeping women in their place. Stanko
suggests that women with jobs that are especially sexualised, such as bar work and secretarial work,
aren't taken as seriously as their male co–workers and aren't considered for promotions. This is
echoed in Adkins research as she found evidence of a gendered division of labour, both horizontal
and vertical segregation. Horizontal being the

Patriarchy: Annotated Bibliography
References Bendroth, Margaret. "Last Gasp Patriarchy: Women and Men in conservative American
Protestantism." Muslim World, vol. 91, 2001 p. 45 Article
christianpost.com
Christian news site, founded in 2004
Dunn, Molly. "It is NOT a needle in a haystack: Unearthing Patriarchy in a Rural Landscape."
2015 Web
An online essay describing the pervasiveness of patriarchy in rural America and its connection with
christianorganization.
Frc.org (Family Research Council) website
gallup.com, website
goquestions.org, website
Homeschoolersanonymous.org, website
A website for the sharing of homeschooling experiances.
Hslda.org (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) website
iblp.org (Institute of Basic Life Priniciples) website

According to Pateman, What is Patriarchy?
"What according to Pateman, is patriarchy? Do you agree or disagree? Discuss critically."
Patriarchy is generally defined as "a form of social organisation in which the father or eldest male is
the head of the family and descent is reckoned through the male line" (Oxford Dictionary, 2006) and
therefore it is traditionally referred to within the family context. In her discussion on sexual
contracts, Pateman takes the definition of patriarchy to a deeper level by looking at the term
patriarchy from various socio–political and economic aspects against a three century context. By
way of general definition, Pateman (p.19) defines patriarchy as a "form of political power" which
no longer plays a prominent role in "modern political thought",...show more content...
The paternal patriarchy debate, with particular reference to feminism, has tended to deviate the topic
from the subject of the relationship between husband and wife to paternalism (Pateman, p.27, 28).
Feminism is not perceived possible without patriarchy related concepts; although feminism has
focused intensely on maternal rights (p.20). Patriarchy was reduced to reference paternal power
over children but loses its strength since the 'paternal' term has now been replaced by the term
'parental', therefore being reduced to equality of the genders in parenthood as opposed to equality in
genders. However, Pateman quoting Elsenstein (p.22) who makes reference to Locke's work states
that by acknowledging parental equality one does not necessarily establish gender equality, therefore
raising doubts and remaining unclear as to whether the male gender still has power over the female
gender. This begs further investigation of whether gender inequality or equality is a state of fact as
opposed to perceptions. Feminist movements, the United Nations and national legislative initiatives
worldwide (Aljazeera, 2014) may have contributed to shifting the perception of male dominance, but
whether gender equality is indeed practiced or whether it has been attained and endorsed fully by
society requires further investigation. Pateman (p.22) is of the opinion that Eisenstein is erroneous
in her interpretation of Locke's "paternal power" and its link between husband and wife. I

Patriarchy And Its Impact On Society
Men in black suits, briefcases, shoulders back and a deep voice that you can hear from a mile
away is what triggers in my head most when I hear the word 'patriarchy'. For the majority of the
world around us it is predominant in everyday situations. Bell Hooks defines patriarchy as
"institutionalized sexism" (Hooks, p ?). The views of patriarchy in our society today differ
between writers, genders, age groups, etc. I can speak personally how it has affected me and what
I have been accustomed to know; versus what I have been more educated on recently of the
different outlooks of patriarchy. Throwing my backpack on the couch, confused and almost upset,
an 8 year version of my sheltered self, runs up to the so dubbed "bread maker" of my family with a
loaded gun full of questions. In class that day, we spoke of what our parents did for a living. I ran
into the kitchen to ask the person I look up to the most "why were my classmates confused when I
said dad didn 't have a job?" I could tell you what my mother does, but not my father. From this
point on, I became almost embarrassed for my dad himself, as you could tell he felt emasculated
and uncomfortable when people spoke of my mother running the household, making a steady
income. I was raised seeing not a him, but a her put forth the responsibilities of a leader. My mother,
was and still is the woman of the house. My household isn't how most would depict it. From then on,
I adapted my understandings of who runs a household

Patriarchy in Romeo and Juliet
In a patriarchal society, women are expected to conform to social restrictions by demonstrating
reverence and obedience to the males in their lives. Shakespeare's tragic play, Romeo and Juliet,
explores the effects of patriarchal authority exerted over women and how the patriarchal structure
left no escape from it, save death. Through Juliet, Lady Capulet, and the Nurse, Shakespeare
establishes a common understanding of this type of society, but illuminates three different reactions
to the social oppression by portraying the responses of a passionate lover, an idyllic housewife, and
an attendant. Juliet is introduced into the play in act one scene three, as an innocent, obedient, and
respectful adolescent. Her polite response to her...show more content...
The idyllic housewife, Lady Capulet, is a loving, virtuous, and obedient wife who is completely
supportive of her husband's wishes above the well–being of her daughter. Throughout the entire play,
Lady Capulet is an extension of her husband, promoting his judgments and requests. She acts as
his ambassador when she informs Juliet of Paris' desires and intentions. Comparing Juliet to other
girls her age already married, Lady Capulet encourages her to "love the gentleman" (1.3.81) and to
"behold him at [the] feast" (1.3.82). As she talks highly of Paris, she fulfills her motherly duties by
giving her tips on how to find love with a man (1.3.83–86). Lady Capulet then disappears until act
three scene four, where Capulet instructs her with direct orders to go to Juliet and "prepare her" for
her "wedding day" (3.4.31–32). Immediately, Lady Capulet submits to his authority and carries out
the order. When Juliet claims she is not well, Lady Capulet scolds her for lamenting too long over
Tybalt's death. She tells her that a reasonable amount of grieving is a sign of love, but too much is
foolish. Lady Capulet remains conservative in the advice she gives to her daughter, no doubt with
her husband's wishes in mind. She chooses not see her daughter's pain in deference to her husband's
wishes.

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