Real Life Relevance of Shakespear’s Grown Up Daughters

Abstract

Despite the fact that a single woman ruled England at the time of William Shakespeare, the Elizabethan society was patriarchal. Women were considered the weaker sex and in need always of being protected. When married, women were expected to bear children, for childbearing was considered an honour. Most women bore children every two years, but because so many children died, families were not large. As head of the household, the husband was allowed to chastise (reprimand) his wife, and often women were not allowed to inherit property.

This is contrary to our present society, though there are still places in rural Africa and Asia and Sierra Leone to be specific were women are still treated in such a horrible manner. Although the society was patriarchal, there were women who were highly educated.

However, women were not allowed into the professions, they were permitted to write literature, providing the subject was suitable; for this reason, young men played roles in Shakespeare’s time. But women of our age had stamped on these barbaric attitudes of men and they are now agitating for equality which so many governments in Africa and other parts of the globe refused to accept. In this vain, many of these women are now putting on rebellious attitudes at home, workplace, institutions etc. Girls are no longer submissive like those in Shakespeare’s time. It is against this problem that the researchers are investigating the Real Life Relevance of Shakespeare’s Grownup Daughters.