Like portrayed in Cue For Treason with the character Mrs. Desmond, during the Elizabethan Era, only men could work on important jobs. Women could do simple work, but nothing else. If women did work, it would be very odd and would be looked down on for it. Even though Mrs. Desmond was very capable, she was not allowed to go onstage and perform. Kit didn't want to have to be put in that position so she dressed up and disguised herself as a boy, not only to act onstage, but to hide from her ex-fiance Sir Philip, a smart move on her part. Thankfully, even though he knew, Shakespeare didn't reveal her secret because he knew how dearly it would cost her.
Another disadvantage women had was if a marriage didn't work out a divorce took place, they could not re-marry. Women were forced to stay alone for the rest of their lives. I find this very unfair because even though a marriage didn't work out once, there's no reason that it wouldn't work out the next time.
Women during the Elizabethan Era were portrayed as polite,respectful and always well behaved. Compared to our modern day standards, women were thought of as less important, with the exception of Queen Elizabeth. Women who didn't dress, speak, and act as expected were though of as lower class and/or unimportant. As shown in the photo below, rich women had the expectation to constantly look put-together and never revealed or exposed.
Cue For Treason portrayed women during the Elizabethan Era very well. It not only described the appearance of women but also the struggles they must deal with against society.
A good inspection of the lives of women compared from the Elizabethan era to now. I am curious to understand that though civilizations grew thousands of miles apart, why were some of the key similarities on the points of women being second class to men?Do you still believe women are treated as inferior to men or are we heading to a world where the opposite is inclined to occur? If so why couldn't the women band together and create this revolution back then, considering women are more organized than their counterpart? You also have to understand that at the times people who challenged the status quote were publicly shamed, and that to people may have been more important than their own beliefs, thus this was a world where people gave what was expected of them. Notice how males were also afftected by this rule. Great job!
ReplyDeletePaula,
ReplyDeleteI like your comparison of modern day women to Elizabethan era women! You have great examples, such as what laws they had to follow, and what women could do or could not do as women back in the Elizabethan era. One thing I am curious about is how does your picture of women during the Elizabethan era portray their struggles they must deal with society?
-Esteban
Some good points made in these comments and intesting questions- getting better boys.
ReplyDeleteI like the introduction (minus the "here are some examples" - it is like saying "I am going to talk about..."
I would love to see the picture but it is not showing up on my computer - suggestions?
Review some of today's tips - I still see some "I voice" in there.
I am wondering if your second paragraph needs clarification - or if there was some misreading of the text. Do you think Mrs Desmond did ot go on stage because she, as a woman, was too "simple" for the job or did it have more to do with the social values and expectations of the day? Did Kit disguise herself as a boy to become an actor or did it have more to do with running from Sir Phillip? See if you can add more support for your argument.
Posting overall is getting better.