Religious, and Secular views on the Inferior Nature of Women
Throughout history, in every culture and time period women have had to fight for independence and work against inequality. Women have been viewed and treated as property, but most importantly women’s voices have been overlooked and suppressed. Especially, within the western culture, women have been viewed as inferior to men in every way. Suzanne W. Hull reveals deep rooted mindset in her book, “Women According to Men” saying, “Underlying all relationships, the basic assumption continued to be a belief in the natural superiority of the male sex. This included not only physical prowess of men but their presumed mental acuity as well. ( 38). Looking back, women were not given the same rights as men, but this was due to the fact that western culture had a deep rooted belief that women were inferior to men, not only physically but mentally as well. When I visited Washington DC last spring we went into a bone exhibition, and in one room there were paleontologists who had human skulls on display for people to examine. The female skull was slightly smaller, my professor with a masters degree in feminist studies then pointed out to me, that previous to the advanced sciences, women were believed to have smaller brains; in essence making them mentally inferior to men. Obviously such obscured beliefs have been overruled today, but this mentality that women were inferior to men in all aspects definitely affected their ability to be taken seriously. But the fact that women have been taken advantage of throughout history is not the point. The illusionary mentality of inferiority that women have been forced to accept has caused many to react, and to voice their needs, concerns, and knowledge. The voices of women are powerful. Although this power is positive for women it has often been feared by men in patriarchic societies. Shakespeare wrote in a time that women were expected to fill certain roles. Suzzane W. Hull writes in her novel “Women According to Men” a chapter called Rules for Wives, where she reveals the laws , and writings of men for women and specifically wives during the Early Modern period. Hull quotes Edmund Tiley from 1568, who explains that reason confirms this belief about women, “…And …reason doth confirm the same, the man [having] not only skill and experience to be required but also capacity to comprehend, wisdom to understand, strength to execute, solicitude to prosecure, patience to suffer, means to sustain, and above all a great courage to accomplish all which are commonly in a man, but in a woman very rare”(37). Clearly, we see in Lady Macbeth, this power that is “in a women very rare” as Tiley states. She is the voice, and the backbone of Macbeth, and certainly overrules the typical mentality of women being inferior to men.
The idea of women being inferior to men mentally physically and mentally goes farther back and is directly linked to the Christian theology at the time. The foundation of this view was first acknowledged through the interpretation of the story in Genesis; the fall of Adam and Eve. In 1558 an essay called "The First Blast of the Trumpet” in The Political Writings of John Knox refers back to the writings of Tertullian, and very blatantly describes how women need to daily be convicted with shame, “ ‘Dost thou not know,” saith he, “that thou art Eve?...Thou art the port and gate of the devil. Thou art the first transgressor of God’s law; thou didst persuade and easily deceive him whom the devil durst not assault…” After quoting Tertullian, John Knox goes on to say, “…daughters of Eve, might not only learn daily to humble and subject themselves….but also they should avoid and abhor whatsoever thing might exalt them or puff them up in pride” (49). The catholic and protestant faith was foundation to the Early Modern Secular society. And these beliefs were designed to shame women, and to also keep them under control. Interesting, though that women were from a very early time considered deceiving and persuading, which makes man’s fear of women directly linked to the effectiveness and power in their speech.
Elizabethan Culture and Women
“Yet, I will ever bear my father’s mind
I scorn as much to stoop to women kind
For if I should, then all men would me hate
Because from manhood I degenerate
And surely I should have the love of no man
If I were such a slave unto a woman
Which to prevent , or to avoid ill speeches
I’ll look that thou shalt never wear the breeches.”
This rhyme was a part of the Elizabethan English culture, that “ridiculed women and scorned the man who let a woman rule” (Hull, 41). During the reign of Elizabeth there was a certain amount of humor that went along with the controlling of women. It seems that women, must have laughed along with it. But clearly there is a very strong undertone during this time, of men needing to keep control over their wives, and specifically their speech. Hull goes on to explain another “humorous” custom in Elizabethan England, “A strange and rather barbaric punishment could be meted out to the shrew or scold. And iron device called the ‘branks’ or ‘scold’s bridle’ was placed over her head. It had a tongue depresser and prevented talking. The woman would then be paraded through the streets or placed on public display.” (pg.42)
Throughout history, in every culture and time period women have had to fight for independence and work against inequality. Women have been viewed and treated as property, but most importantly women’s voices have been overlooked and suppressed. Especially, within the western culture, women have been viewed as inferior to men in every way. Suzanne W. Hull reveals deep rooted mindset in her book, “Women According to Men” saying, “Underlying all relationships, the basic assumption continued to be a belief in the natural superiority of the male sex. This included not only physical prowess of men but their presumed mental acuity as well. ( 38). Looking back, women were not given the same rights as men, but this was due to the fact that western culture had a deep rooted belief that women were inferior to men, not only physically but mentally as well. When I visited Washington DC last spring we went into a bone exhibition, and in one room there were paleontologists who had human skulls on display for people to examine. The female skull was slightly smaller, my professor with a masters degree in feminist studies then pointed out to me, that previous to the advanced sciences, women were believed to have smaller brains; in essence making them mentally inferior to men. Obviously such obscured beliefs have been overruled today, but this mentality that women were inferior to men in all aspects definitely affected their ability to be taken seriously. But the fact that women have been taken advantage of throughout history is not the point. The illusionary mentality of inferiority that women have been forced to accept has caused many to react, and to voice their needs, concerns, and knowledge. The voices of women are powerful. Although this power is positive for women it has often been feared by men in patriarchic societies. Shakespeare wrote in a time that women were expected to fill certain roles. Suzzane W. Hull writes in her novel “Women According to Men” a chapter called Rules for Wives, where she reveals the laws , and writings of men for women and specifically wives during the Early Modern period. Hull quotes Edmund Tiley from 1568, who explains that reason confirms this belief about women, “…And …reason doth confirm the same, the man [having] not only skill and experience to be required but also capacity to comprehend, wisdom to understand, strength to execute, solicitude to prosecure, patience to suffer, means to sustain, and above all a great courage to accomplish all which are commonly in a man, but in a woman very rare”(37). Clearly, we see in Lady Macbeth, this power that is “in a women very rare” as Tiley states. She is the voice, and the backbone of Macbeth, and certainly overrules the typical mentality of women being inferior to men.
The idea of women being inferior to men mentally physically and mentally goes farther back and is directly linked to the Christian theology at the time. The foundation of this view was first acknowledged through the interpretation of the story in Genesis; the fall of Adam and Eve. In 1558 an essay called "The First Blast of the Trumpet” in The Political Writings of John Knox refers back to the writings of Tertullian, and very blatantly describes how women need to daily be convicted with shame, “ ‘Dost thou not know,” saith he, “that thou art Eve?...Thou art the port and gate of the devil. Thou art the first transgressor of God’s law; thou didst persuade and easily deceive him whom the devil durst not assault…” After quoting Tertullian, John Knox goes on to say, “…daughters of Eve, might not only learn daily to humble and subject themselves….but also they should avoid and abhor whatsoever thing might exalt them or puff them up in pride” (49). The catholic and protestant faith was foundation to the Early Modern Secular society. And these beliefs were designed to shame women, and to also keep them under control. Interesting, though that women were from a very early time considered deceiving and persuading, which makes man’s fear of women directly linked to the effectiveness and power in their speech.
Elizabethan Culture and Women
“Yet, I will ever bear my father’s mind
I scorn as much to stoop to women kind
For if I should, then all men would me hate
Because from manhood I degenerate
And surely I should have the love of no man
If I were such a slave unto a woman
Which to prevent , or to avoid ill speeches
I’ll look that thou shalt never wear the breeches.”
This rhyme was a part of the Elizabethan English culture, that “ridiculed women and scorned the man who let a woman rule” (Hull, 41). During the reign of Elizabeth there was a certain amount of humor that went along with the controlling of women. It seems that women, must have laughed along with it. But clearly there is a very strong undertone during this time, of men needing to keep control over their wives, and specifically their speech. Hull goes on to explain another “humorous” custom in Elizabethan England, “A strange and rather barbaric punishment could be meted out to the shrew or scold. And iron device called the ‘branks’ or ‘scold’s bridle’ was placed over her head. It had a tongue depresser and prevented talking. The woman would then be paraded through the streets or placed on public display.” (pg.42)
This picture is from the cover of Suzanne W. Hulls book “Women According to Men”
Clearly a transition has taken place from women being silent and shamed to women being more open to speaking even if that means certain consequences as seen in this image. Although the scorn from men during this time and the humor between men about women is a bit disheartening, it can be said that women were beginning to move from the confined roles and ideals placed on them to remain silent submissive, in essence completely supporting their husbands without the slightest objection. In Angela Pitts book Shakespeare’s Women she gives some background about Elizabethan culture in the first chapter “The Historical Setting for Shakespeare’s Women where she quotes a Duke visiting England, “With some surprise and perhaps even a hint of censure, the Duke of Wurttemberg, visiting England in 1602, noted that, ‘the women have much more liberty than perhaps in any other place’”(9). It might be that all the humorous riddles and the scorning of women was a result of the women who decided to speak up and to feel less shame. This transition in England, has little to do with the conforming of men’s views of women, and more to do with women refusing to be silent, even if that meant being scorned. Overall this culture was going through a struggle, where all these writings about the behavior and roles of women were resurfacing but women were also pushing against these views, with the urging for the education of women. Pitt talks about the humanist movement saying, “Thomas More and other humanists had unwittingly started the sparks flying when they promoted the idea of education for women. Litereary and academic arguments crackled on the pages of authors both in England and on the continent throughout the sixteenth and well into the seventeenth century. This preoccupation with women’s capabilities is known as La Querelle des Femmes”(22). There are many factors that play into the struggle for women to be heard, but while these debates are going on Shakespeare’s plays were growing in popularity and the women characters who broke the mold of the ideal woman were certainly inspiring at the time.
Works Cited
Hull, Suzanne W. "Rules for Wives." Women According to Men: The World of Tudor-Stuart
Women. Walnut Creek: AltaMira, 1996. 31-51. Print.
Knox, John, and Marwin A. Breslow. "The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous
Regiment of Women." The Political Writings of John Knox. Washington: Folger
Shakespeare Libr., 1985. 37-80. Print.
Pitt, Angela. "The Historical Setting for Shakespeare's Women." Shakespeare's Women. Newton
Abbot [Devon: David & Charles, 1981. 9-32. Print.
Clearly a transition has taken place from women being silent and shamed to women being more open to speaking even if that means certain consequences as seen in this image. Although the scorn from men during this time and the humor between men about women is a bit disheartening, it can be said that women were beginning to move from the confined roles and ideals placed on them to remain silent submissive, in essence completely supporting their husbands without the slightest objection. In Angela Pitts book Shakespeare’s Women she gives some background about Elizabethan culture in the first chapter “The Historical Setting for Shakespeare’s Women where she quotes a Duke visiting England, “With some surprise and perhaps even a hint of censure, the Duke of Wurttemberg, visiting England in 1602, noted that, ‘the women have much more liberty than perhaps in any other place’”(9). It might be that all the humorous riddles and the scorning of women was a result of the women who decided to speak up and to feel less shame. This transition in England, has little to do with the conforming of men’s views of women, and more to do with women refusing to be silent, even if that meant being scorned. Overall this culture was going through a struggle, where all these writings about the behavior and roles of women were resurfacing but women were also pushing against these views, with the urging for the education of women. Pitt talks about the humanist movement saying, “Thomas More and other humanists had unwittingly started the sparks flying when they promoted the idea of education for women. Litereary and academic arguments crackled on the pages of authors both in England and on the continent throughout the sixteenth and well into the seventeenth century. This preoccupation with women’s capabilities is known as La Querelle des Femmes”(22). There are many factors that play into the struggle for women to be heard, but while these debates are going on Shakespeare’s plays were growing in popularity and the women characters who broke the mold of the ideal woman were certainly inspiring at the time.
Works Cited
Hull, Suzanne W. "Rules for Wives." Women According to Men: The World of Tudor-Stuart
Women. Walnut Creek: AltaMira, 1996. 31-51. Print.
Knox, John, and Marwin A. Breslow. "The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous
Regiment of Women." The Political Writings of John Knox. Washington: Folger
Shakespeare Libr., 1985. 37-80. Print.
Pitt, Angela. "The Historical Setting for Shakespeare's Women." Shakespeare's Women. Newton
Abbot [Devon: David & Charles, 1981. 9-32. Print.