Changes in Marriage Marriage is traditionally dominated by the men while the society expects the women to submit in all forms. In the late 1800s, women were not expected to show their displeasure in any way in their marriages. People, indeed, considered marriage as the “happy-ever-after.” Being an independent widow, Kate Chopin decided to voice on behalf of the women of those times by writing stories concerning how women felt confined and suppressed both spiritually and sexually in their marriage. The general society during that period did not give room for women to be open-minded. Major socio-demographic change, however, have taken place over the last two centuries and has significantly brought changes to the institution of marriage.
In a Proof of Marriage, the writer Isaeus is trying to convince the jury the wife and mother had a legitimate marriage so the woman can inherit her father Ciron's estate. Like the previous speech, the woman is considered respectable, so her name is not mentioned throughout. A Husband's Defence was written by Lysias. He is trying to convey how he believed his wife was “the chastest woman in all the city” and puts the majority of the blame onto her lover, Eratosthenes. This is because he is trying to justify why Euphiletus murdered Eratosthenes.
Secondly, most women during this time married young, for example – the average age of a bride was 18, as revealed by The Tuscan Castato of 1427. But on the other hand around half of adult men in Florence were single which showed they were married much later in their lives. Women, regardless of class, were expected to marry, be good wives to their husbands, give birth to loads of children, raise them and take care of the homei. Lastly, even if you were a prominent businessman during the Renaissance having numerous daughters often gave rise to commiseration and financial despair. For example – as marriages were a crucial part of family honour, prestige and not to mention political alliances and economical partnership it was essential that a father find a suitable groom and the only way that was access to vast finance for a dowry as it was seen the larger the dowry, the better status of marriage.
Although if I lived in the Elizabethan times then I would not know what my opinion would be, as to whether I would think it is normal or unfair. At the start of the play it is clear that Lord Capulet wants Juliet to marry someone who she truly loves and feels comfortable with, and his reaction when Paris asks for Juliet’s hand in marriage is abnormal to that of a normal Elizabethan father as he wanted Juliet to choose the right man. He also actually shows many signs that he really does care about Juliet. These are portrayed in the lines “But woo her,
Women were expected to marry, have children and financially they were expected to be fully dependent on their husbands. Women rarely had careers and most professions refused entry to women. However, between the years 1850 and 1901 women’s role in society began to be challenged. There were a number of reasons for this,
(Page 282 lines 127-130). She has been married multiple times which back in the medieval times and even now a day that is unacceptable. She is also looking for her sixth husband. Back in the old days being sexual active came only after one is married and not supposed to be for pleasure but to reproduce (Lines 69-75). She then compares herself to those who live by society the "right" way, those are perfect people and she is not perfect so she does as she pleases (Lines 105-120).
Daisy had been raised to marry for money and keep her family’s name involved in old money and lavish events. Doing otherwise was socially unacceptable. When Daisy met Tom she may have once loved or still was in love with Gatsby, however Tom’s old money and social status was all that mattered to her. I don’t think social status and money are as important to Daisy as maintaining her reputation
The marriage was representative of the relationship between the two families chosen. The marital contract was between the father of the bride and the groom, while the new bride’s dowry was given to the groom’s father’s brother. This helped insure the fact that if the groom were to ever pass, it would be the brother’s duty to find the widow another husband. Athenian women were objectified. They were sold off into marriage; they had no say in who they married.
The only reason why both families object to Romeo and Juliet being together is because of a family feud that has been going on for decades if not centuries (Basingstoke, pg 5). Pride and Prejudice gives us a peek into the strange dynamics of human relationships. This story presents people in love whose pride and prejudice tend to suppress their true emotions, and highlights the role of social norms in the romantic experiences of people in love. It characterizes the power of reason - that of pragmatism and idealism as standards for love and marriage (Lerner, 69). The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is not in the death of two young lovers, but the failure of society to overcome the social barriers that would have prevented the loss of so many innocent lives.
Finally, Coontz brought forth if someone is not marrying for love but just for the status then what is the point of getting married. I do agree with her about this and also, the point about the media blowing the idea of happily ever after out of proportion by just believing that only true love will hold a marriage together that is false. True love can bring people together but would not keep them together, this is something that marriages cannot solely rely on it takes hard work and dedication to keep a marriage