Mary Sidney, who was the “Countess of Pembroke”, was born in England on October 27, 1561, and died on September 25, 1621. She was educated at home where she learned to speak fluently in French, Italian, Latin, and Greek. With the exception of Queen Elizabeth, Mary was known to be the most educated woman in England. Many people referred to Mary as “The Swan of Avon”.
In 1577, Mary married Henry Herbert, the 2nd Earl of Pembroke. Together they both had 4 children. She was the second most important woman in England, next to the Queen. The reason for this is because she was one of the first English women to achieve a major reputation for her literary works and literary patronage.
There were several differences in the way single and married women were treated. For example, there were not many opportunities open to single women, especially if you were poor. Single women who were wealthy could be heiresses of property, mistresses of their estates and wield power within their communities. However, single women who were poor could only get long-term occupations in domestic services. In addition, single women were often accused of being witches, therefore, most women married.
Women were raised to believe that “they weren’t as good as men”. Men were considered the superior sex. This meant the woman had to listen to the men. Often times, women did not have a choice in deciding whether or not they wanted to get married, or who their husbands would be. It was all up to the man on what choices or decisions were being made.
The legal age to get married was 12 years old. These women were expected to run the households and provide children. It was common to see many large families because mortality rate for children was so high. On average, a woman had a child every two years; however, several children died from sickness. In most cases, if anything was to happen to either parent, the woman had made arrangements for someone to care for the children. An annulment was needed if the couple wished to be separated, however, the marriage usually lasted until death.
Women who were wealthy were treated much better than women in the “lower class” who were known as the “Commoners”. Instead of going to school to get an education, the commoners had to go through marriage. They were taught how to take care of a household and become housewives. This meant that they were completely dependent on their partners through life.
Women in Shakespearean times were also not allowed to speak freely. Such women were label as “scolds” and were considered a threat to the public. Punishments for this act included public humiliation and abuse.
In conclusion, during the Shakespearean era, women did not have nearly as much power as men and were not seen as equals. Men were the superior gender, and women were to only be seen, not heard. In several of the plays written by Shakespeare, he showed how poorly women were treated and their lack of power; however, the female characters in Shakespeare’s plays were portrayed as more intelligent than the men. It is fascinating to note that although most decisions were made by the men, it was a woman who was head of the government and sat on the throne as the queen.