Role of Women in Shoemakers Holiday by Dekker and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside by Thomas Middleton - Literature review Example

The role of women in two renaissance comedies: Shoemakers’ Holiday by Thomas Dekker and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside by Thomas Middleton The role of women over the years in the society, as depicted in varied literary appreciations continues to evolve accordingly. Thus, to preempt the space of women in the perspective of the renaissance era, the presentation of the woman emanates from the social issues in the context within this period. This writing explores the role of women through the various literary pieces through observing their relations in the society as they live, their behaviors and responses, as well as, treatment by males around their lives. Thus, in this realization, Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton present the portrait of the roles played by women in the renaissance period through their plays, The Shoemaker’s Holiday and A Chaste Mad in Cheapside, respectively. The roles of women entailed in the renaissance period depict women as subservient entities to their male relations. Through the play, Thomas Dekker uses the social settings including issues to progress the course of his themes regarding the social issues. He uses the social barriers that reflect in the female economic and religious protocols as they apply to the lead character, Lacy and Rose. As Amy Smith writes in his article, he depicts Oatley as example of ‘the domineering male driven society, as he controls the choices of his daughter, Rose, as she tries to select a suitor’(Smith 216). Thus, through these barriers and the expected behaviors and relations among the social classes and particularly women, behavior and perception that drives Lacy into the forged life of a Dutch shoemaker called Hans, and Rose grows the need to disobey her father. Further, the renaissance setting of the story complicates the position of women from the various lives of the females of the time. The stratagem of The Shoemaker’s Holiday features the tracts of romance and marriage (Christensen 457). The romance features two females, Rose and Jane, whose relationship issues present the tactical behaviors of women in the renaissance era as they pursue their lives. In the context setting, the 16th century Elizabethan-era London, women were merely institutionalized as subservient to men. Thus, the women in this position setting had remarkably limited ability to establish their stance on the various social issues affecting their personal lives. The play as Dekker presents from the situation of Rose and Lacy depicts the lack of woman to have a say in making choices of whom to engage. As Smith illustrates in his article, Rose’s father refuses daughters choice of a suitor, and presents his choice of Hammon(Smith 328). Further, he states that the stakes are not just choice but an endogamy among the society. Oatley takes a domineering decision to lock up his daughter and takes control of her ability to select suitors. The women faced oppression as subservient to the males. The female gender faced challenges in voicing their ideas as the play depicts with the relations of Rose and her father. Her father is insistently opposing the relation between her and Lacy, a factor that drives her towards developing the idea of disobeying him as she states in the play (Dekker 43). However, she is unable to disobey due to the social constrictions that defied the social place of a woman in the society. Thus, as an object of sexuality, she cannot face the challenge to disobey her father; hence, the role of women as subservient. Additionally, the position of the society as perceives the role of a woman in marriage as an entity of class and social status. This emerges from the decision of Lacy to marry from outside his social class also faces remarkably heavy penalty to pay. “The Shoemaker’s Holiday presents competing interest in defining marriage, influencing the confusion for Rose to marry the man of her choice” (Christensen 443). Thus, in this context, the women faced challenges, as they have to contend with arranged marriages to maintain the social class relations and associations. In the play, Sir Rogers says, “poor citizens must not with courtiers wed” (Dekker 21). For instance, Rose Oatley who hails from the lower social class that her lover Lacy leads to her father, Sir Roger Oatley stating that, ‘his girl is too poor for his high birth’ (Smith 337). This implies that, it is typical for this era for women to play as a channel for progressing relations among the social classes through marriages. The opposition to Lacy and Rose getting into marriage is from that role of women as objects of social class engagements. Additionally, the women in this era had to contend with the practice and belief that they are of lesser value than the men are. For instance, the women of the lower social class had to be productive, to work and follow the model of ‘good wife’ in renaissance England. On the contrary, the women of upper social classes entailed going too learning places to learn how to be a true woman (Smith 343). These perceptions of the position of woman and the structural social expectations put all the women in the society at this era at a disadvantage to the men. They relied on men, having little way of earning a living and living a comfortable life. Further, the issue of lack of social mobility reflects the role of women as being reliant and dependent on the males. In the play, Rose’s father describes her as poor; hence, unable to decide for herself due to her weakness in lacking material wealth, saying, “poor citizens must not with courtiers wed, who will in silk and gay apparel spend, more in one year than I am worth, by far, therefore your honor need not doubt my girl” (Dekker 33). These constructions of the society facilitate the role of women as mere wives, defenseless and unable to make concrete and withholding decisions. The presentation as made by Dekker in presenting the role of women in the renaissance period and their eventual opposition reflect the gender disparities that many societies continue seeking to eliminate today. Similarly, in A Chaste Mad in Cheapside by Middleton presents the theme of sexuality accordingly in reflecting the role of women as depicted by the renaissance society. The entire economic setting revolves around the theme of purity regarding the females in the society, with the lead characters, the Welsh Gentlewoman, who serves as Sir Walter’s whore and Moll Yellowhammer, who represents the purity of the female sexuality (Sallie 13). There is the polarization of the woman as the value of virginity and its relation to marriage as the society presents the role of a woman. The behavior of the women in the context of the society as Middleton presents reflects the various behaviors of women as they pursue their sexuality for their establishment in the society. Notable, the behavior of a woman as depicted indicates the presentation of women as using their behavior as a tool for social mobility (Sallie 11). For instance, in the play, Moll Yellowhammer, who is the chaste woman in the play, has an opportunity to move upon the social ladder of the social status through using her sexuality to gain the wealth and status as he suggest the marriage. Moll can gain the mobility only through simple exchange of her chaste self for marriage to Tim, and for Sir Walter, he can gain the social mobility through marrying the Welsh Gentlewoman, who is the whore (Sallie 17). Thus, in this reflection, the context of the role of women in stating the reflection of the social status of men in the society remains a leading theme. The exchange of the sexuality aspect for gain in social mobility reflects the role of women. The society continues to place the woman as a sign of a socially stable and responsible man within this renaissance era. A man married to a given women known in the society for her certain behaviors presents them with increased or reduced social status. Thus, in view of the progression of the story as presented by Middleton, he uses these polarized aspects of the women in sexuality to reflect their role as objects of social status. Their behavior helps to build the perceptions of the society over the women, as depicted in the market during the sale, Yellowhammer says “ in the mean time, I will lock up this baggage, as carefully as my gold; she shall see as little sun” implying her worth as Chaste woman (Middleton 1). Moreover, Allwit tells Yellowhammer, “I heard of her virtues and other confirmed graces” praising the conduct of Moll as chaste (Middleton 1). On the contrary, the Welsh Gentlewoman remains the whore due to her behavior as she relates to Sir Walter as engaged in this play. Further, the play depicts the Welsh Gentlewoman and Moll constantly in terms of their exchange value to the respective vendors. Thus, in essence, the women as depicted in this era are a commodity, that men can purchase from the market. The imagery of gold as echoed in the play shows the value of women as observed by the society due to their sexual value. Sir Walter says, ‘the chaste Moll has value due to her reflection as gold, while, the prostitute is a counterfeit gold’ (Sallie 24). Thus, this shows the role of women as commodities for exchange with a value on them. The satirical presentation of the Country Wench and Touchwood, in which he refuses to acknowledge her new-born child and instead gives her money and sends her away, reflects the position of women in family setting; she seeks alternative solution. Thus, in matters concerning family reproduction, women are responsible for the creation of the “bastards” whose heredity has no place in society (Belling 93). Similarly, Lady Kix remains enclosed in marriage, despite her pregnancy being as illicit as that of the Country Wench, hence creating the social structural observations of women role in family establishment. This implies that concealing illegitimacy of child is to protect the child from stigma as is the case with both Lady Kix and the Country Wench; hence, the role of women as responsible for their children protection and wellbeing (Belling 93). Therefore, in view of these exemplary perceptions of a woman as a commodity remains the theme as projected in A Chaste Mad in Cheapside by Middleton. The two comedies, as presented by Dekker and Middleton present the behavior and role of women in the renaissance period. The two writers explore the various social elements as they represent the behavior of women and reflect their role in the society. The position of the female gender as depicted in these two plays reflects the social issues of gender disparities, as they still exist today in varied societies. Works cited Belling Catherine,. ‘The Purchase of Fruitfulness: Assisted Conception and Reproductive Disability in a Seventeenth-Century Comedy.’ Journal of Medical Humanities, Vol. 26, Nos. 2/3, Fall 2005 (_C 2005)DOI: 10.1007/s10912-005-2911-5 Christensen Ann C. Being Mistress Eyre in Dekker’s , The Shoemaker’s Holiday and Deloney’s The Gentle Craft: Comparative Drama, University of Houston. pp. 453-471 Dekker Thomas, The Shoemaker’s Holiday. The Harvard Classics.  1909–14. Middleton, Thomas. A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, 1630. Menston: Scolar P, 1969. Print. Smith Amy L. , Performing Cross-Class Clandestine Marriage in The Shoemakers Holiday. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 45, No. 2, Tudor and Stuart Drama (Spring, 2005), pp. 333-355 http://www.jstor.org/stable/3844548 Sallie Anglin, "A Chaste Maid in Cheapside” Rocky Mountain Review, Vol. 66, No. 1 (2012), pp. 11-31 http://www.jstor.org/stable/23120598 . Read More