tragedies Romeo & Juliet & Hamlet
Elizabeth Campbell
Professor Giambastiani
Eng 44
Nov 18, 2014
Menpowering Shakespeare's tragedies Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are plays with multiple layers, motifs, and themes. He uses poison and suicide as a motif, in order to show that the roles people play are poisoned and uses death to represent a way out of those roles, especially for women who seem to be marginalized sexual beings. The theme, women as a sexual being, is presented in both plays. Juliet is portrayed as an independent sexual woman and Gertrude and Ophelia are dependent sexual women. The role of women is important because women represent a tool which men use to manipulate their circumstances; in Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is a woman who knows what she wants and who she is, all the while struggling to push back male dominance; in Hamlet, Ophelia and Gertrude are used willingly as instruments for the enhancement of their male counter parts. The dominance by men causes the women to make decisions with fatal ends; all three women cannot act freely because of the constraints of their male centered society. Shakespeare uses the plays, albeit in extremes, to show how men sexualize and moralize women, which distorts their roles and actions to propel the characters toward negative outcomes; the way he uses these roles shows us the damage and tragedy of women stuck in these roles, suggesting that women should be allowed to have their own feelings, emotions, sexuality, and identity. Juliet is a strong female character; her independence goes against the social construct of a noble society. We fall in love with Juliet who follows her heart and rejects the social requirements of her father. He wants her to marry for the enhancement of wealth and status. Being a strong-minded woman, she falls for Romeo, who is the antithesis of what her father wants. It is because of her independent nature that causes trouble for her role in society and her response to male dominance moves the play forward; she
Professor Giambastiani
Eng 44
Nov 18, 2014
Menpowering Shakespeare's tragedies Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are plays with multiple layers, motifs, and themes. He uses poison and suicide as a motif, in order to show that the roles people play are poisoned and uses death to represent a way out of those roles, especially for women who seem to be marginalized sexual beings. The theme, women as a sexual being, is presented in both plays. Juliet is portrayed as an independent sexual woman and Gertrude and Ophelia are dependent sexual women. The role of women is important because women represent a tool which men use to manipulate their circumstances; in Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is a woman who knows what she wants and who she is, all the while struggling to push back male dominance; in Hamlet, Ophelia and Gertrude are used willingly as instruments for the enhancement of their male counter parts. The dominance by men causes the women to make decisions with fatal ends; all three women cannot act freely because of the constraints of their male centered society. Shakespeare uses the plays, albeit in extremes, to show how men sexualize and moralize women, which distorts their roles and actions to propel the characters toward negative outcomes; the way he uses these roles shows us the damage and tragedy of women stuck in these roles, suggesting that women should be allowed to have their own feelings, emotions, sexuality, and identity. Juliet is a strong female character; her independence goes against the social construct of a noble society. We fall in love with Juliet who follows her heart and rejects the social requirements of her father. He wants her to marry for the enhancement of wealth and status. Being a strong-minded woman, she falls for Romeo, who is the antithesis of what her father wants. It is because of her independent nature that causes trouble for her role in society and her response to male dominance moves the play forward; she