English Role of Women Penelope had constant pressure coming from the suitors to for her to marry them, but even with all of the pressure Penelope never loses faith in her husband. Her love for Odysseus is so unyielding, she responds to the suitor’s contestant pressure with some indecision. She never refuses to remarry outright. Instead, she puts off her decision and leads them on with promises that she will choose a new husband as soon as certain things happen. Her astute delaying tactics reveal her sly and artful side.
This suggests that her mind is unstable here because she plans to make sure that Macbeth ‘shall be what thou art promised.’ In other words, she is going to take control to make sure that the witches’ prophecies are fulfilled. It could be argued that Lady Macbeth decides to fulfil the prophecies because she loves her husband so intensely. Lady Macbeth uses very positive adjectives in this scene to describe her husband (‘great’, ‘worthy’, etc. ), in much the same way as Macbeth does in his letter to describe his wife (‘dearest partner of greatness’). They clearly have an extremely passionate relationship and Shakespeare portrays that Lady Macbeth is willing to do whatever it takes to assist her husband.
Typically, a husband who can’t consummate a marriage should be abandoned without hesitation. When Bertrande is “urged by her relatives to separate from Martin, she firmly refuse[s]” (28). This decision reveals Bertrande’s “certain character traits…a concern for her reputation as a woman, a stubborn independence” (28). Bertrande cleverly calculates the advantages she possesses as a result of Martin’s incompetence. “Her refusal to have her marriage dissolved…freed her temporarily from certain wifely duties…gave her a chance to have a girlhood” (28).
It so happens that Petruchio is looking for a wealthy bride and does not care about her behavior. Near the end of the play, Kate displays her submissive self through her monologue of how a woman should act around her husband. What’s ironic about the speech is that it isn’t docile at all. As she starts the beginning of her speech with, “Fie, fie! Unknit that threatening unkind brow”, it is amazing that she still holds that same authority, preventing the widow and Bianca from interrupting.
After Hero was accused and fainted at the wedding, Beatrice wanted to avenge Hero’s integrity and honor. However, because she was a woman, she could not and was forced to seek help from Benedick. She convinced Benedick to do what she wanted to, because he was a man and he could do something about it. In conclusion, men and women we’re
Dee only wanted to lord over them her superior intelligence and education, therefore boosting her own ego. Dee does not hide her shame for the way that her mother and Maggie live by writing “no matter where [they] “choose” to live, she will manage to come see [them]. But she will never bring her friends.” Dee's harsh criticisms are not just pointed at her mother and Maggie as can be seen when the narrator points out “When [Dee] was courting Jimmy T she didn't have much time to pay us, but turned all her faultfinding power on him. He flew to marry a cheap city girl” (Walker 105). Notice the emphasized word flew.
By Edna neglecting her Tuesday’s at home she not only puts a bad name on herself, but that bad name is reflected on her family too. Edna decides “to do as she liked and to feel as she liked” (Chopin 95) demonstrating a selfish nature according to the expectations of a Creole woman (95). As Edna continues to go against her husbands’ wishes she “[resolves] never to take another step backward” (Chopin 95), deciding that in order for her to continue down this path of independence and succeed she needs to put her entire being in to this decision (95). The further Edna continues down this path, and the more she pushes against her husband testing his boundaries, she decides that she would be better off living on her own. The decision to move in to her own house is beyond unacceptable to her husband during this time but Edna does not care about this, rather speaking of how she “[knows she] shall like it, the feeling of freedom and independence” (Chopin
Awakening Essay Freedom In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier is bound to a life of perfection and social status. Her husband, Leonce Pontellier controls her life and expects her to do everything he asks. Leonce’s expectations aren’t unreasonable because in that era wives were suppose to make their husbands look good, which meant tending to everything and doing whatever their husbands requested. Edna has an “awakening” and realizes that the strict social life is not what she wants. Being free and in control of her own life is what Edna craves.
Gilman provides the point of views of these women who know nothing of marriage to allow us to see our own society’s faults in the way we think things should be. By denying the men’s proposition of name change, the women point out the idiocy of the concept we accept to be the norm in our society. This problem of possession and power shows up in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” as well. The husband in that piece has possession of his wife by controlling her every move. The men in “The Yellow Wallpaper” make the decisions and control their households.
Ismene wants Antigone to accept Creon's decree regarding their brother. In her opinion, women should not interfere with man's laws and that a subservient mind is best applied to men in general which she bases on the “fact” that men are stronger than women. Antigone, being the strong willed woman that Ismene isn’t, ignores her sister and continues on her objective. Even though Ismene is disregarded by Antigone, she still attempts to help her (she does not help in burying the body, but she insists on sharing the blame with Antigone. Ismene's conflict revolves around both her sister Antigone and Uncle Creon.