Role of Women in the Renaissance Period

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Role of women in the renaissance period The renaissance period was an era of grave importance which laid the foundation of the basic fundamentals of society. It was a time of challenging old ideas to make way for new innovations. Society made the Greeks an exemplar on how each individual’s lifestyle should reflect, therefore, they adopted the theory of human excellence in their lives. In England, Queen Elizabeth was the reigning monarch who like many other royal blood were perceived to have been chosen by God to rule, this was called ‘the divine right’. Despite the reformation of society in the 14th to 17th century, the role of women was still the same. Leading figures of the renaissance continued to portray women as they were presented in the medieval era as either virtuous and chaste or seductive and deceptive. All the advancements in culture, art, intellect and politics emerged only for men and women were excluded from the rebirth era. Women were subjugated and were used in society at the men’s expense. Daughters would grow up and potentially help the family through an advantageous marriage. Hence-forth, wives took care of the home to help in the farm and bore children to carry on the family’s name. It is evident that despite what class a woman is from they all had similar destiny of becoming housewives. However, those among the elite were highly regulated to ensure chastity before marriage to have legitimate heirs. Moreover, if a woman did not marry she would not be permitted to live independently. Instead, they either live under the responsibility of a male relative or more often join a convent or a nunnery. Single women were often associated with witches as people were suspicious of their nature. Similarly, women did not receive the same education as men. Upper class girls were tutored at home rather than going to school. Their studies includes Latin,

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