“GENDER ISSUES IN WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S KING LEAR (1606) AND MACBETH (1606)”

 Historical Background

Before studying deeply our topic in King Lear and Macbeth, we have to study first the historical context which helps us to know something about gender during Shakespearean time. As we see it Shakespeare’s time was a very complex one, for it coincided with not only Elizabethan era but also in the Renaissance which brought about changes in many aspects,above all the way of life of the population and it embraced series of religious economic and plitical changes which rippled into areas of science literature and philosophy .Since each literature refers to the reality of its epoch to deal with these questions we are bound to study first the English patriarchal society at that epoch as the first section of our chapter ,then women in that Elizabethan and Jacobean England ;it means women’s oppression and their policy to get rid of it as the second section of our chapter, and lastly how Shakespeare portrayed and saw gender issues of his society in his works. A/.The Patriarchal Elizabethan Society Indeed during the Elizabethan Era English society was a patriarchal one. It means the most important roles and decisions were given to men and women were seen as inferior that patriarchy seemed to be supported by many ideas and many others ideologies as Nicholas Fontanus « Women were made to stay at home and to look after households employments and because such business is accompanied with muche ase, without any vehement stirrings of the body » (Fontanus, and Aughterson 475) Besides, he was not the one who had this idea. The same idea was supported by many ideologies for instance the combination of the ideologies of both the institutions of the church and that of the medical establishment, the theory of the natural law and that of the consequent educational philosophy, they all held that women were inferior. Gender Issues in William Shakespeare’s King Lear(1606) and Macbeth (1606) 8 The question of gender has been much discussed in recent years. Some historians saw misogyny as a displacement of anieties about social disruptions, and the others relate dit to a development and even revival of a particular scientific mentality in which feminism was seen as nature and uncontrolled chaos while masculinity as ordered reason and some have linked it to the gradual development of a bourgeois economy and the ideology of the division of labor « seperate sphere » placed men out at work in the marketplace women at home caring for home and children futhermore ,there were two traditions of ideology about gender at that period the first one was the combination of the teaching and ideology of the Christian church and the medical establishment, the second one was the developing theory of natural law and the consequent educational philosophy associated with that . In fact, Western men’s and women’s identities and social roles during the renaissance and early modern period were constrained by the two specific traditions and institutions : the church and its theology and the medical establishment and its theory about male and female bodies, the way in which woman was described by each of these discourses determined for middle-class and aristocratic women in turn their role in marriage their relationship to all men ,their roles in the work place their access to education their ability to speak in certain situation .Theology and physiology both pottered to give true accounts about women based upon respective systems which built all social belief and practice of the period and which went for the most part unchallenged these were from Christian revelation of the truth of the universe through the text of the word of God firstly then from the scientific and empirical truth which analyzed anatomy and physiology supposedly objectively both ideologies maintained that women were objectively and naturally inferior and people who wished to challenge those beliefs could be seen as foes. Gender Issues in William Shakespeare’s King Lear(1606) and Macbeth (1606) 9 According to the Biblical though woman had caused the fall and she was the responsible for the entry of sin into the world through Eve and they were to subject to men, for they are naturally inferior to them .Their roles were confined to the household and they must be silent only asking questions to men such husbands or fathers .However, man was seen as the head therefore he is seen as rational head and woman as irrational body.The one biblical exception to the unalloyed subordinate states accorded to women was the verse from Galatians « there is neither Jew nor Greek ,there is neither bond nor free,there is neither male nor female :for ye are all one in Christ Jesus »Bible Galatians (King James Bible,3.28) This quotation was often used again and again by women practitioners and writers who wanted to defend their active involvement in religious and church matters for instance Margaret Vivers based her arguments in favor of the prophesy of the women ;but on the other hands it was often used to justify political and economic subordination on earth :your true reward would arrive in heaven the works of other women such as Mary Cary ,Anna Trapnel and Katherine Chidley in preaching and prophesying claimed that spiritual identity justified and its non-worldly imperatives, not gendered or social identity justified the publication of theiur writings some writers such as Castiglone Guezzo permitted and encouraged courtly women to have a speaking role almost equal to their male counter in the intellectual and elite environment of the court. 

Women in Elizabethan and Jacobean England 

The Elizabethan and Jacobean periods with their customs incited women to be victims of not only parental oppressions but also oppressions from their society in fact,Elizabethan England which marked the reign of Elizabethan1 in England from 1558 to 1603 was an important period in England, for it saw the flowering of poetry music ,and literature ; and it was most famous in theater literature social life and protestant reformation. In addition,it was a period of internal peace between English reformation and the battles between parliament and monarchy however ,Jacobean England was the period in which James 1 was ruling England and Scotland which was from 1603 to 1625.Like the Elizabethan era it was remarkable for its advances in literature and philosophy but its dramatic changes to the nation. Women even if they were victims of oppression of that patriarchal society, were bound to to be seen in some aspects of that Gender Issues in William Shakespeare’s King Lear(1606) and Macbeth (1606) 14 society such as social role education politics which were the characteristics of the both period. In Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, the women were expected to be obedient housewives and mothers it means the main aims of women were to bear as many children as possible during their lifetime and children were regarded as blessing from God. Futhermore, the role women played was very important,for they were expected to bring the future generations.Besides women were to be submissive to their husbands ; they were supposed to run and maintain the order in their households during the absence of their husbands. Thus, the wives delegated the various jobs that needed to be done by the servants and follow up to make sure that they were executed. That was an important thing because it allowed men or husbands to concentrate on what they needed to do.Moreover the women of that period had other roles in the households ; they might serve as servants in the house. Their roles were somewhat less distinguishable from that of men as they were both submissive to their households completely. In fact, managing a household was a very difficult task or a demanding activity as well as as cooking and preserving food and this involved brewing ale to drink making butter and cheese in the diary for household use. Therefore, women were to spin wool and make clothing ; they had to know something about first aid and medecine since most people were living in the country in those days and there were few doctors within research. So the Tudor household manuals even contained some instructions for setting broken bones. The households accounts were another housewives’ job and of course the married women of all classes were always occupied and they were to learn it .Even the upper classes women were expected to be involved actively in the management of the house rather than supervising the wises of noblemen would manage their husbands’ estates while their husbands were away and the wives of the men who were in trade Gender Issues in William Shakespeare’s King Lear(1606) and Macbeth (1606) 15 would generally be active in the business of their husbands and some married women were in business on their own account. Yet, even if women were playing an important role in the social norms, they also were victims of oppressions in many aspects such as politics and social life.Firstly in marriage, for instance, women had very few rights to choose their husbands.It was their fathers who would do it for them. Besides,the married women had to revere their husbands and to submit themselves and be obedient to them.They had to manage their households and provide children even though there was a high mortally rates during that period, and they had to make arrangement to take care of children because the husband was for her it was thought that the main aim of women was to bear as many children as possible throughtout their lifetime ; marriage was often arranged for wealth and reputation and the family of landowners was expected to marry just to increase their land possession which allows us to say that woman was also used to improve wealth and a woman might see her husband for the first time during the wedding day . It seemed a real exploitation. In fact,during the marriage,the bride had to give dowry to her future husband unlike our days and that dowry would be a benefit for the male. It was a certain amount of cash and goods that the bride would bring during her ceremony and the husband was given all the rights to take over their wives then the girl would become the man’s property.Unlike the upper classes,women of the lower classes could arrange the marriage with the children of friends or neighbors and a girl wasa allowed to marry at the age of fourteen or seventeen thus the woman was dominated by the male members of the family such as the fathers ,the brothers the uncles she was to obey them immediately and disobedience was seen as sin. Then some norms were required about their dressings indeed, none shall wear any cloth of gold tissues nor fur of sables except duchess marquis and countesses in their gowns kirtles parlets and sleeves,cloth of gold silver tinseled satin ,silk or cloth mixed or Gender Issues in William Shakespeare’s King Lear(1606) and Macbeth (1606) 16 embroidered with gold or silver in linings of cowls,pallets and sleeves except all degrees above visoutesses and baronesses and others personages of like degrees in their kirtles and sleeves.The velvet furs embroidery or lace of gold or silver except all degrees above mentioned and the wives of knights of the garter and of the privy council the ladies and the gentlewomen of the privy chamber and bed chamber and maidens of honor. None shall wear any velvet in gowns,fours of leopard , embroidery of silk except the degrees and persons above mentioned the wives of baron’s sons or of knights.Besides cowls sleeves patlets lining trimmed with pearls of gold silver or pearl ,cowls of gold or silver or of silk mixed with gold or silver : except all the degrees and persons above mentioned and trimmed with pearl none under the degrees of a baroness or those of like degrees. Thirdly in regard to work we should say that women were not permitted to do certain professions they did not work as doctors or politicians.They always worked as domestic servants. Therefore the majority of them were housewives, obedient to their husbands.So, women’s dependence on men was not only physically and emotionally but also economically and politically.Therefore, things were not easy for women in the terms of law ; for instance, women were not allowed to vote nor to inherit their parents’ goods and if they had a brother all their parents’ richness and titles would be inherited by him no matter how old he is,the only exception to this rule was the crown ,it was a woman who was reigning in Shakespeare’s days, Elizabeth. Besides ,in the field of politic ,woman was not allowed to lead.It means making a woman to rule a dominion or empire above all a realm was unacceptable.In fact, where there was the empire of a woman to be a thing repugnant to nature,for Elizabethan and Jacobean it meant not only that God by the order of his creation had spoiled women of authority and dominion but also that man had seen ,proved and pronounced just causes why that it so should be .Moreover man in Gender Issues in William Shakespeare’s King Lear(1606) and Macbeth (1606) 17 many others cases did in this behalf see very clearly .In addition,for the causes be so manifest that they could not be hide for who could deny but it repugned to nature that the blind should be appointed to lead and conduct such as do ? That the weak the sick and impotent persons should nourish and keep the whole and strong and finally that the foolish mad and frenetic shall govern the discreet and give counsel to such as be sober of mind ? and such be all women compared to man in bearing of authority for their sight in civil regiment is but blindness their strengh weakness ,their counsel foolishness and judgment frenzy ,if it be rightly considered.