Comparing Women As Propriety In The Merchant Of Venice...

Women As Propriety In Shakespeares The Merchant Of Venice and The Taming Of the Shrew We may say that the dominant ideas in most societies are the ideas of the dominant sex, associated and mingled with those of dominant class. (Chedgzoy, pg.50) During the Elizabethan time men dominated society. Historically speaking males have always held more power then females in most cultures. Although a few cultures were Matriarchal societies. Yet even in these cultures women were not the superior power but were valued as equal to men. Most of the matriarchal societies viewed women as the embodiment of the goddess. Women have never been the sole dominant sex in a society. The fall of the Matriarchal societies occurred mostly†¦show more content†¦I chose to focus on women issues in Shakespeare plays because I found this area to be the most interesting. Throughout this web page one can find information on Elizabethan marriage and women during this time. The two plays that are written about contain significant evidence on how women were in inferior positions. The household was the microcosm of the state, and womens subjection a happy paradigm of civil order. (Dusinberre, pg.78) The household was a mirror of society and this made it extremely difficult for women to gain power of their own lives. Females were dependent on their fathers during childhood and were obliged to obey their fathers. Once females grew up and got married they were obliged to obey their husbands. During this time men and women were not viewed as an adult until they were married and began a family. In most cases marriages are arranged with a dowry which inevitable perpetuated the view of women as monetary positions. In a society that values the power of men it was often difficult for women to take on the multi-faceted roles that were required of them. While on one hand wives were supposed to be viewed as inferior they also