She is a fierce, independent woman who does not need any man. Her independence and headstrong attitude implies that she is having difficulties fitting in with society. Among the suitors she is “famous for [having] a scolding tongue” and would never think twice about marrying her. Instead, they are more enamoured towards her younger sister who is the exact opposite of her sister. It so happens that Petruchio is looking for a wealthy bride and does not care about her behavior.
Kate, who does not want to marry Petruccio, goes from an ill tempered, stubborn woman who does not like to be controlled, to a woman who is loyal and obedient to her husband. It is through this play that William Shakespeare shows that anyone can have the power to change. In The Taming of the Shrew, the reason that Kate is known as the shrew is because she wants to go against what society says she needs to do as a woman. She does not want a man giving her orders because she feels that she is too intelligent and independent to do so. In this century, “the ideal wife, by contrast, was chaste, silent, and obedient” (Greenblatt 124).
As you can imagine, the pressure to marry well is high. When Elizabeth is slighted with the opportunity to meet a ravishing young fellow named Mr. Darcy, she is drawn in by his wit and charm. Mr. Darcy is by far the passionate choice in the war between passion and responsibility. Elizabeth didn’t much like Darcy at the beginning of the novel but once he admits what he does for Elizabeth’s younger and older sisters, she realizes that he couldn’t possibly be a bad man. The conflict begins with Elizabeth’s parents.
She admits on page 49 that the lady is very lovely and beautiful, by the author stating that it draws people to the conclusion that the princess knows her lover wouldn't mind marrying the woman and that he would actually be happy with it. The lady may love this man very passionately but she also can't sit and watch her man, her lover, her other half walk around with some woman who is just as beautiful as she is. It just would not work! This is why she told
Hero strongly believes in marriage and love, unlike her cousin Beatrice. Beatrice is much more outspoken than Hero, especially on the subjects of love and marriage. She is always saying how she highly disapproves of both. After being deceived to think that Hero is cheating on him, Claudio publicly states that she is no longer pure and is no longer worth marrying at their wedding ceremony. It is here where Hero ties to the theme.
Arguably the most influential woman in the novel is Daisy Buchanan as she is Tom’s wife and basically who the story is built around . Throughout the novel Daisy is perceived as the naïve and shallow persona of the three women, still living life as though the man holds the dominant role, and women were marked as unimportant. Through the series of events that occur, the reader is very much aware that Daisy knows exactly about all of Tom’s infidelities, but yet still tries to ignore them and pretend to herself that they do not exist. She does this pretending because she knows that Tom has money and power and she enjoys the benefits she receives from living in the wealthy lifestyle that he brings. From being married to Tom they had produced a daughter, Pammy, who is very rarely mentioned in the novel and as a result, one of Daisy’s only mentions of her daughter is to state that she is happy to have had a daughter for she can grow up to become a “beautiful little fool”.
Steinbeck represents Curley’s wife as a lonely woman who is unappreciated by her husband, so, conclusively, she will flirt with any man who comes to the ranch. She is not particularly a whore, she is desperate for love and to be noticed. Her dreams of being a movie star again represent her need to be acknowledged and loved. She is sexually driven; sexual behaviour and flirting is the only way she feels she can communicate with men. Notice that, in the barn with Lenny she seems more comfortable because she doesn’t expect Lennie to sexually want her.Steinbeck uses many different techniques to present Curley’s wife such as colour imagery, appearance, metaphors and similes in the early stages of the novel.
Ophelia is a beautiful woman who is at the mercy of the male figures in her life – mainly her father, Polonius and her brother Laertes. Laertes and Polonius love Ophelia tremendously and feel it is their obligation to shelter her from the cruelty of the world. When Polonius is told that Ophelia has entertained Hamlet without any parental consent, it is stifled very quickly by Polonius and Laertes – the double voices of patriarchy – telling her that she is too naive and that her behavior is unsuitable. In Act I, Scene III he begins his dialogue with Ophelia by warning her of the potential danger that love with Hamlet (Ophelia’s lover) could bring. He feels it his obligation to protect her form a potential broken heart: “The canker galls the infants of the spring Too oft before their buttons be disclosed,” (I, III, 39-40) implying that Hamlet, as the canker, may ruin her before she ‘blossoms’.
Cassio is simply a handsome, virile man and this makes Othello jealous. Lago’s own wife Emilia is ignorant of his actions, she will do anything he said because she loves him but Iago always uses her rather than treat her as a woman he truly loves. Iago explains that his hatred of Othello is for choosing Cassio as his officer not him as he had expected. However, after Iago has aroused Othello’s suspicions about his wife’s behaviour, Othello becomes inarticulate and ferocious. Also, this is the first time that Othello, not Iago or anyone, just himself been a negative attention to either his nationality or his age, he feels like he is the outsider of them all.
Even though, women have become more independent, they still want to feel love of a man as it is a necessity. As the play proceeds, Blanche is not the only one to depend on men for attention, love interests and socio-economic progress. Her sister Stella is heavily restrained by her husband Stanley Kowalski. This dependence promotes the abuse of women both verbally and physically. When Stanley beats Stella and she forgives him because she has nowhere else to turn and has the fear of being alone.