how Much Ado about Nothing reinforces and/or challenges the patriarchal ideology of Elizabethan Society.

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TASK 6: EXTENDED WRITTEN RESPONSE

Examine how Much Ado about Nothing reinforces and/or challenges the patriarchal ideology of Elizabethan Society.

Patriarchy is the organisation of society on the basis of gender. Therefore, patriarchal ideology is the set of ideas adopted by those in the society, with which this organisation occurs. 1Patriarchy is bases specifically on the idea that traits and behaviours associated with manhood and masculinity are superior to those associated with womanhood and femininity. This generates many other ideas and assumptions about how both men and women should act. During the Elizabethan period in England (16th – 17th century) patriarchy reached its pinnacle and the roles of men and women were significant in both the public and private sphere. Some examples of these roles include man as father or man as bachelor and women as goddess or women as shrew. Both genders were represented as the opposites of each other, with men being seen as active, rational and powerful while women were seen as passive, irrational and publicly powerless. Men and women in this society were imposed with these ideas from birth and hence adopted the same patriarchal ideology in their later life. Even today, children are immediately identified by their gender and when growing up, are moulded by those around them to succumb to the gender expectations of their society.

In the play Much Ado about Nothing By William Shakespeare, the patriarchal ideology of Elizabethan society is both reinforced and challenged. Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written during the Renaissance period that follows the story of two pairs of lovers, Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero. The main plot of the play revolves around obstacles to the union of the two young lovers - Claudio and Hero. The most controversial being the slander against Hero’s virginity and the actions of others in order to save her reputation. The patriarchal ideology is both challenged and reinforced through the careful use of characterisation and the way in which Shakespeare places both genders in positions of power. 2Shakespeare presents a range of ideas in his ages but commits himself finally to none of them. This is evident in the way in which he enforces ideas of Patriarchy but equally challenges them. After all, if the characters in the play did not adopt the patriarchal ideologies of their society, the conflict would not exist, and if there was no challenge to these patriarchal ideologies, viewers would ultimately lose interest.

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One patriarchal idea enforced in Much Ado About Nothing is that men are active and women are passive. Men in Patriarchal societies were seen to act upon their wishes and stop at nothing to get what they want. However women were seen to be passive and peacefully resistant in response to injustice. This idea is reinforced in Much Ado About Nothing through the characterisation of Hero and Claudio. Hero is characterised as being polite, quiet, chaste and obedient which places her in the gender role of woman as daughter. As a daughter she is expected to obey her father and ...

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