Romeo And Juliet Gender Roles (Free Essay Example)

Romeo and Juliet created by Shakespeare in 1595 plays on dramatic irony, fate, and stereotypical points of view. In the late 1500s, gender roles were extremely important and when those roles were manipulated by the couple in this story it caused a lot of mixed emotions from other characters. Men were forced to be strong and fight for the honour of their families. Women needed protection and were thought of as property. Despite both of these stereotypes Romeo and Juliet acted opposite of each other's gender roles. Romeo and Juliet teach us that men had to be strong and women were weak, but they switched the standard of femininity and masculinity playing by their own rules; telling us now that gender roles should be fluid. 

Men and honour were closely related, especially with the Montagues and Capulets because of this many lives were lost. Family honour and self pride became confused quite often throughout the story especially when family associations became a reason to argue. The Capulet serving-men talk about the Montagues and that they cannot scare them and could defeat them in a fight. So, when he sees the Montague serving-men he bite his thumb which is a huge insult to them leaving the Cupulet serving-man to respond, 

GREGORY. Do you quarrel, sir? 

ABRAM. Quarrel, sir? No, sir. 

SAMPSON. But if you do, sir, I am for you. I serve as a good man as you.

ABRAM. No better.  (Romeo and Juliet 1.1.50-55)

The Montagues and the Capulets cannot help but fight each other, Gregory and Abram wanted a reason to fight and when unable to find one, created one. Keeping in mind this whole conversation starts with the Capulet serving-men mocking the other. Sampson gives an opportunity to avoid the fight, explaining that they both serve great masters; it is almost as if he tried to diffuse the situation but that could have made Abram more angry because he wants to be better than them, not equal. When women step into matters that (in their time) only included men, lives were also put at stake. Therefore, when Juliet has an argument with her father, Lord Capulet about marrying Paris she says to him with great confidence ¨I will not marry yet; and when I do, I swear it shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, Rather than paris….”  (3.5.126-128) This threatens the fathers honour because Juliet is going against his wishes and telling him rather than asking him if that is okay, because of this Capulet tells her if he disobeys him, she will be kicked out of the family. This is one example of Romeo and Juliet making gender roles fluid because in the previous quote men fight for honour and associations to the Montagues and Capulets and in the second quote Juliet fights for her family in this case protecting her marriage with Romeo.