Love Of Elizabethan England example essay topic

Despite it's celebration of romantic love, "Shakespeare in Love" paints a gloomy picture of life for women in Elizabethan England. Discuss. The film "Shakespeare in Love" paints a gloomy picture of life for women in Elizabethan England despite it's celebration of romantic love. The central female character, Viola De Lessops, is a young woman trapped in the love of Elizabethan England.

She struggles with wanting to be an actor in the playhouse (an illicit action for the period) and having the responsibility of being a well-respected young woman. Viola in the film, is set to wed Lord Wessex, an arrangement made by him (wessex) and Mr. De Lessops (Violas father) in the early scenes of the film. She (Viola) is also categorized as a breeding machine by her father in reference to the production of an heir to the title of Lord and great wealth. Violas passion for wanting to be in theatre forces her to disguise herself as a young boy in order to audition for a part in a play, "Romeo and Ethel the Pirates Daughter" written and directed by Will Shakespeare. This action is quite the scandal for the time.

It was concidered to be quite le wed for a woman to be seen as a woman on the stage. This ruling makes quite a gloomy outlook for women of the time as they were not concidered worthy of professional work. In Violas case, she was limited to three paths. The path of be comming a prostitute (like Aphraditie who does it behind the dog shed... ), a nurse (like that of her own) or a wife and mother to several children. In the time of Elizabethan England, marriages were arranged between families. In the film, Mr. De Lessops promises Wessex unreasonable amounts of wealth and cattle in exchange for the title of "Lady" that Viola was to recieve upon her marriage to him (Wessex).

This arrangement is described as a bit of a trade off by Viola when she says to Wessex "I see you are open for buisness, so lets to church". In this arranged situation Viola has no say in whom she wishes to wed, this brings in a lack of romantic love between her and Wessex as she (viola) would rather be in the arms of Will. Women of the time were concidered valuable if they were fertile. In Wessex' case, Viola is a valuable treasure to him as she will bare children, heirs to the Wessex title and wealth. Infertile women would be "dis guarded" in societe and would usually become prostitutes in houses of ill repute, or nurses who cared for and raised the children of the wealthy. Any woman who had intercourse before marriage was concidered a prostitute and was looked down upon by society.

Rosa line is a special exception. She gives her "love" to many men (Will, Burbage, Mr Tilley etc) yet is not condemned to work brothels. As she is a mistress to Burbage, her position in his house is stable so far as Burbage is unaware of what goes on while he is at the theatre. This becomes aware to Burbage about halfway through the film, however the audience is never shown what happens to her. We can perfume she was cast astray or possibly publicly humiliated. One can suggest that despite it's celebration of romantic love, "Shakespeare in Love" paints a gloomy picture of life for women in Elizabethan England.

With the freedom that women have in todays society in regards to social status, Professional work, and love, lust and destinies, women can see the restraints that women of the time faced. The film shows us that women have no choice when it comes to marriage, adultery most likely turned to prostitution, women were valued only if they were fertile and if a woman was not worthy of marriage she became a nurse to children of the wealthy. Such was the life for women in those days, a strong message disguised in the film..