Her poise is an illusion set up to shield herself from reality, yet she still attempts to make herself attractive to new male suitors. Themes: Violence and cruelty appear as a theme in this play. Violence is often fraught with sexual passion. For instance, Stella explains her love for Stanley despite his brutality to Blanche. There is the unnerving suggestion that violence is more willingly accepted by women in a marriage than one would like to believe.
When writing to Anne Henry used uses phrases such as ‘my heart shall be dedicated to you alone’. However Anne still didn’t fall for his charms, she insisted that in order for her to truly give herself to the king then they must be married. Anne was a very skilled manipulator, her unpleasantness towards Catherine and Mary were well voiced. Henry valued her opinion and was easily swayed by her words. Many people in the court was surprised that Henry had sustained his relationship with Anne for so long as he was well known for keeping short relations with his female companions.
Curley’s wife is portrayed as being a whore – but this is only due to the way she dresses, her provocative ways and the way she acts around men, as if she is aware of her femininity. This could suggest that she is only like this because she is bored, like it is something to do – something interesting for a change. She is constantly trying to get people to notice her. But, because of Lennie’s purity and innocence, he doesn’t see her in the way other men do – a sexual object. When Steinbeck quotes “And because she had confided in him, she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him”, it is clear to the audience that Curley’s Wife is using her sexuality as an object to create some sort of excitement for herself.
‘Paying attention to the references to woman in Act 1 scene 2, analyse how far The Tempest is in fact dependent upon the agency of women.’ The play The Tempest was written by William Shakespeare in 1610, a time in which it was generally accepted that men held all the power and responsibilities, while it was a woman’s job to be subservient to her man: either her husband or her father. However, within The Tempest a lot of the events are dependent upon the agency of various women in the play. Although there are few female characters, their influence is great throughout The Tempest. One major example of a female character that has a large amount of influence upon the events of the play is Sycorax, although she never actually appears in the play, having died many years previously to the events. Sycorax was the mother of Caliban, Prospero’s deformed half-human slave, and was a powerful witch who had been banished to the island.
First of all, Hermia and Lysander are one of the above mentioned couples that give anything up for their love for one another. In the beginning of the play, Hermia disobeys Egeus by refusing to marry Demetrius because she is in love with Lysander. This shows that Hermia loves Lysander enough to disobey her father’s wishes for her to marry Demetrius. Next point, Egeus and Demetrius do not allow Hermia to be with Lysander. As well, Egeus states that Hermia is his sole property and so she must marry Demetrius.
In Oedipus the King, the role of Jocasta would have been performed by a man wearing a mask to discern he was a female. Having men play the roles of women demonstrates that women were either not trusted, because of their emotional instability, or were thought not to have the mental capacity to fulfill the demands of a performance. Because of their insignificance, Greek playwrights seldom used female characters. Only those women
He isn’t being pressured by anyone or feels like he has to marry this woman. He wants to marry her for pure love. Although in “Pride and Prejudice” Mr. Collins felt he needed to marry a woman named Lizzie because that’s what everyone around him wanted. Mr. Collins would be able to take over the Bennet household if he did so. Collins feels like he’s doing the Bennet’s a favor by proposing to Lizzie.
An Inspector Calls was set in 1912 – a date that represented a time where there were strong distinctions between men and women. Woman had no rights; all a well off women could do was to get married while poor women were seen as cheap labour. The men were the dominant sex and they had all the control. Throughout this play, Gerald Croft is shown to have had relationships with both Sheila Birling and Daisy Renton (Eva Smith). He appears to feel that he is loving and the "most important man" in their lives, although the audience can see that at different stages throughout the play, he was uncaring to both of them.
Characters are subject to limitations and expectations because of their gender. These restrictions can be seen easiest in the “daughter” character Hero. Leonato, Hero’s father, has complete control over every area in her life. This control is seen in Act Two, when Leonato speaks with Hero about his belief that Don Pedro would be seeking marriage. It is here that Leonato orders Hero to accept the advances of Don Pedro despite the age difference: “Daughter, remember what I told you.
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.