Society's views in the time of Shakespeare

In Shakespearean time, the women in society were supposed to be seen and not heard. Their opinion did not count and was not asked for, especially in public meeting. The roles of women in society were very limited. The Elizabethans (people in Shakesperean/Elizabethan time) had well defined expectations of men and women, and generally, the men were expected to be the 'breadwinners' of the family and the women were the housewives and mothers. Also, a woman, in addition to being female, also had to be feminine.

This society was patriarchal, which means the men were considered to be the leaders and the women the submissive sex to the dominant male. Women were regarded as "the weaker sex", not just in terms of physical strength, but also emotionally. It was believed that women always needed looking after. If a woman was married, her husband was supposed to look after her. If single, then the father, brother or another male relative(such as a cousin or uncle) was expected to care for them.

Many women in this period were highly educated. Although, women were not allowed to go to school or to university, they could be educated at home privately by tutors. Women were not allowed to enter the professions, such as law, medicine, politics, but they could work in domestic service as cooks, maids. Women were also allowed to write works of literature, providing the subject was suitable for women, (mainly translations or religious works). Women were not allowed to act on the public stage or write for the public stage. Acting was considered dishonorable for women and women did not appear on the stage in England until the seventeenth century. In Shakespeare's plays, the roles of women were often played by young boys.

A woman, regardless of her social status, was not allowed to vote (however, only men of a certain social position were allowed to vote). Neither could a woman inherit the title of her father. All titles passed from the father to the son or from a brother to another brother, depending on the circumstances. The only exception to this was the crown. The crown could be passed to a daughter, and that daughter would then have all the power and Majesty of any king. In some of the cases where women could not inherit estates they could be heiresses to property.

It could probably be said that women had more freedom in the Shakespearean period than they have now (despite the limitations). However, in Shakespeare's time, women were not treated as proper humans but more like sex objects.


The role of a man in Shakespeare time was to head the household.The family life for the men of this time was one of power and authority. The men made the family decisions and the women had to submit and obey them. Also, he was expected to take care of his wife and household, and ensure that everything needed was supplied. Most important for a man to do was to love his wife and be a good father to their children. If a husband ever abused his wife he could be prosecuted or prevented from living with her (and sometimes even restricted from accessing their children). There was no divorce in Elizabethan times. Marriage usually lasted for as long as the partners in the couple lived. If a couple did want to separate, then they needed to obtain an annulment.

Men being seen as the superior sex had complete authority over women and could marry who they wanted. The women, on the other hand, had no say in who they had to marry. Obviously the two sexes were not equally treated. Men would also bet and gamble among each other about their wives' behaviour to see which wife was the 'tamest'. It was not enough for a man to be male; he also had to appear to be masculine.


Illegitimate children were looked down upon in the time of Shakespeare. Illegitimate children were the unlawful offspring of unmarried parents; born out of wedlock. These chidren would either be accepted or rejected by their parents (mainly the fathers) depending on their (the parents) social status-place in society. They could not attain the title of their father (who usually carried the titles) and were hardly ever acknowledged in a will, which depended on the consideration of the parent.

An unfaithful woman, especially one who was of noble birth, was looked down upon by society, mainly because she had a place in society and compromised it by getting involved with a man who was not her husband. It was even more insulting to society if she gave birth to an illegitimate child. The men, however, never seemed to get the blame of impregnating a woman. They always seemed to get away scot-free when such a situation arised, (unless it was a reported situation of rape).


In the play, "Much Ado About Nothing", the characters Beatrice, Leonato, Don John, Claudio and Benedick go against the social norms and behaviour of society. Beatrice does this because as an independent thinker she does not support the belief of her male counterparts' high recognition in society. She sees men as narrow minded, haughty and self righteous beings and wish no relationship with them, especially in the marital context.

Leonato, against the norm, has Hero his daughter and only child as heir rather than his brother or some other male relative. Don John, the bastard/illegitimate child tries to counter Don Pedro his legitimate half brother, by war against him ( in the earlier parts of the play). Don John as the illegitimate child should just accept his loathesome position in the world, instead of trying to change somethng that cannot be changed.

Claudio, does not play the dominant masculine role he should be playing (as a man) throughout the play, aside from accusing Hero and rejecting her at the wedding ceremony. Claudio is seen as a meek, innocent and humble young man, when in fact he should be like a domineering masculine figure. Benedick, instead of being a gentleman and more astute person, keeps allowing Beatrice, a woman, to get the best of him and publicly insult him. He should really put her in her place and show her both of their places in society.