A Feminist Reading Of The Tempest

A Feminist Reading of the Tempest
William Shakespeare's The Tempest provides dialogue that portrays the social expectations and
stereotypes imposed upon women in Elizabethan times. Even though the play has only one primary
female character, Miranda, the play also includes another women; Sycorax, although she does not
play as large a roll. During many scenes, the play illustrates the characteristics that represent the
ideal woman within Elizabethan society. These characteristics support the fact that men considered
women as a mere object that they had the luxury of owning and were nowhere near equal to them.
Feminists can interpret the play as a depiction of the sexist treatment of women and would disagree
with many of the characteristics and expectations that make Miranda ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Stephano has no sense of respect toward women. In his song he is talking about a woman named
Kate that none of the sailors like because she speaks her mind to them but yet they sleep with her as
they please, as if she is an object to be passed around. In the scene when Prospero and Caliban are
fighting, Prospero accuses Caliban of trying to rape his daughter, Miranda. Prospero says, "Thou
most lying slave,/Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have used thee,/Filth as thou art, with
humane care, and lodged thee/In mine own cell, till thou dist seek to violate/The honor of my child"
(1.2.348–351). Caliban responds. "O ho! Oh ho! Wouldn't had been done!/Thou didst prevent me; I
had peopled else/This isle with Calibans"(1.2.352–354). Prospero had taken Caliban into his home
until one night finding him attempting to rape his daughter. Caliban is telling Prospero that if he had
not stopped him from raping Miranda, he would have continued with the act. He does not have any
sense of remorse as he tells Prospero that he would have impregnated Miranda, filling the island
with many children. In today's society, rape is a serious offense that is punishable by many years in
jail. When Caliban was caught trying to rape Miranda, Prospero simply forced him to leave the
house. This moment can be an example of how women are punished far worse than men for their
crimes. Sycorax was banished and left to die because of her witchcraft, whereas Prospero tried to
rape a young girl and
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...

Victorian Literature, Characteristics And Description Of...
ORIAN LITERATURE
Victorian literature was produced during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), so Brontë sisters
(Charlotte, Emily and Anne) are bright representatives of the Victorian period because their famous
novels such as "Jane Eyre" (1847, Charlotte Brontë), "Wuthering Heights" (1847, Emily Brontë),
"Vilette" (1853, Charlotte Brontë), "The Professor" (1857, Charlotte Brontë), appeared during the
Victorian period. Other leading novelists of the Victorian period were Charles Dickens (1812–1870),
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863), Thomas Hardy (1840–1928), as well as many others.
England in the 19th century experienced technological, medical, scientific and social advance due to
the Industrial Revolution. So much of the writing of this time dealt with the pressing issues of the
Victorian period. The following chapter will display main themes, characteristics and description of
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
During the reign of Queen Victoria England experienced significant changes in science, medicine,
transport, religion and technology such as development of the railways and discovery of the
telephone. The following chapter is going to study notable discoveries and to provide the description
of the Victorian period and all those changes that contributed to the development of the 19th century
Victorian England that will help to understand the general picture of the Victorian period in order to
examine the novels by Brontë sisters.
The Victorian period begins in England on 20 June 1837 when Queen Victoria (1819–1901)
mounted the throne after the death of her uncle William IV and ends in 22nd January 1901 with her
death (of natural causes) and succession of her eldest son King Edward VII. King William was the
third son of George III (the king of England from1760 to 1820), but King Edward VII governed the
country from 22 January 1901 until his death in

The Idead Characteristics Of Women In William...
Thesis Statement: In the play 'Othello' the women showed characteristics of feminism but were
portrayed as inferior. (Now state why Shakespeare would have wanted to do this? Was he, in fact, a
feminist himself or was he creating a warning to those that dared to challenge their role in society?)
The 3 questions:
1) Why did Shakespeare Want to portray women in that way in Othello?what was his main reason
for doing so?
2) Was Shakespeare, in fact, a feminist himself or was he creating a warning to those that dared to
challenge their role in society?
3) How does the text of Othello reflect on society that saw women as being inferior? , is this mindset
still seen in our society of women being seen as the weaker sex, or are we as equal as men?
In the play 'Othello' written by William Shakespeare, We see not only the main male character leads.
But we also see the female characters, Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. These three women were
portrayed in ways that showed them being inferior to the other male roles as well as society during
the Elizabethan Era. But Shakespeare made each of these individual ladies characteristics quite
unique to one another having the traits of a feminist. Even though in the play we read how the male
characters did somewhat control them and made them look weak compared to them, there were
moments where Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca stood up for themselves.
In 'Othello' Shakespeare portrays the main three female characters as being quite

The Old Market Wom Relationship Of Realism And Religion
The relationship of realism and religion in the old market woman The Old Market Woman, is a
marble statue that is from the Early Imperial period also known as the Hellenistic period. Artists
became obsessed with the idea of childhood and old age, instead of beauty and masculinity. The
people in that time, are interested in seeing a statue that has characteristics that catches the viewer 's
eyes. We are naturally attracted to beauty. What the artist of The Old Market Woman did though,
was take that beauty that we are attracted to, and transforms it into reality and uses it to tell a story.
The use of realism relates strongly to the religion that the Woman believed in. When examining the
statue, there is an old woman bent and weary. Her posture helps clue us in , with her age and health.
The figure is dressed in cloth that hangs off her shoulders. She carries a basket that is filled with
what we may think are offerings. Then on her head, there are vines that create a band around the top
of her head maybe used to signify the festival that was going on during that time. The specific detail
that is seen on this statue persuades us to want to know the story of this woman. Doing so, the
process involves lots of research about the time and art. During this period, artist begin to introduce
more inner beauty than physical beauty. We get to learn more about the structure itself, then settle
for what is given and seen. In the Hellenistic period, "artists became concerned with the

The Jacobean Era
THE EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, 1603–1660 The death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603
marks the beginning of this literary period. Elizabeth I, also known as the Virgin Queen, was
childless. Her relation, James Stuart, succeeded her on England's throne as King James I (in
Scotland, his title was King James VI). Elizabeth I's reign (1558–1603) is known as the Elizabethan
period. James I's reign (1603–1625) is known as the Jacobean period, from the Latin for
James,Jacobus. Charles I's reign (1625–1640) is known as the Caroline period, from the Latin for
Charles,Carolus. James I was an authoritarian who believed kings derived their powers from God,
not from the people. This belief caused political tension between the king, the Parliament, and the

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Jekyll and Hyde was written by Robert Louis Stevenson during the
Victorian era. This is significant because during this period, society is very different from today's
society. When looking at this novella it is also important to consider the ideas of good and evil in the
characters of Jekyll and Hyde.
During the Victorian era men were more powerful and the women had a lower ranking. The belief of
society were such that people were covered completely and were forced to appear 'non–sexual'. This
leads to the two layers of society – a surface layer which was very polite, well–mannered and
refined, and a 'repressed' layer where people (more significantly men) expressed their unacceptable
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
They describe Soho "like a district of some city in a nightmare."
Men are dual natures in the belief of Dr Jekyll and thinks that humans are 'not truly one, but two.'
That is why Dr Jekyll created the potion that would turn himself from Jekyll to Hyde. Hyde is
created so that
Jekyll can get rid of all of all his 'Undignified pleasures.' Hyde is describe as a juggernauted, ugly,
damnable man. He's small and is referrers as his clothes being to big for him. Dr Jekyll is 9/10 good
and 1/10 evil so he will have 90% guilt where as Mr Hyde is 0/10 good and 10/10 evil which means
he will have 0% guilt. "Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity" That
is the Robert
Louis Stevenson describes Mr Hyde and he also has "ape–like fury" which describes the way in
which he behaves. In the way that Mr Hyde acts is the complete opposite of how Dr Jekyll would
act. Robert Louis
Stevenson is using Darwin theory of evolution in this novella by the why in which he describes Mr
Hyde.
Robert Louis Stevenson also uses Weather according to places and how places look to a great effect.
"A great chocolate–coloured pall lavened over heaven." He uses this line in chapter 4 – The Carew
Murder Case. He also describes the back entrance of Dr Jekyll's nice house as dark and dingy as if
its not looked after properly. That is the entrance that Mr Hyde uses
Lee Sykes 11BP

show it also

Essay on Fire Imagery in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
Fire Imagery in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
Incomplete Works Cited
The prevalence of fire imagery and it's multitude of metaphoric uses in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
expresses two things that could not be expressed openly in the Victorian Period, which are mainly
passion and sexuality. Brontes writing was dictated by the morals of her society, but her ideas were
not. Jane Eyre was written with the Victorian reader in mind. Bronte knew that if she were to write
about these two things directly she would have to face possible rejection of her book. A resolution to
this dilemma was to awaken the audience in a way that society deemed not only respectable, but
also acceptable. So Bronte creates Jane, and Jane becomes the embodiment of ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
In this passage from the novel, Jane begins to understand what will become of her if she gives into
the consuming passion that she often feels:
A ridge of lighted heath, alive, glancing, devouring, would have been a great emblem of my mind
when I accused and menaced Mrs. Reed; the same ridge, black and blasted after the flames are dead,
would have represented as meetly my subsequent condition. (69; ch. 4)
Bronte takes the fire and transforms it to illustrate the image of sexuality and passion. By doing this,
she also proposes the way in which internalized feelings of opposing ideas give into self–depleting
energy through the loss of self–control. Here, Jane has the fear of becoming like Mrs. Reed. She
comes to the realization that if this is not what she wants to be like, then she must keep her passions
under control. Otherwise, she could become "black and blasted after the flames have died." This is
presented to embody what Victorian society believed to be true and is a fine example of everything
that it despises, which is namely the expression of passion. The fulfillment of self becomes the
foundation of society's views, on which the fears of women and their passionate behaviors are laid.
Indeed, fire and tumult are major themes within the novel, but these images also invade Victorian
arguments pertaining to a women's place in society, and the possible consequences that could occur
if a women

How Did James Montgomery Change The Idea Of Grief
Since the early sixteenth century, elegies and grief themed poems have developed substantially.
William Lisle Bowles' "Time and Grief" and James Montgomery's "A Poor Wayfaring Man Of
Grief" from the Augustan Era, Paul Laurence Dunbar's "Love and Grief" and George Meredith's
"The Lesson Of Grief" from the Victorian Era and Charles Bukowski's "Consummation of Grief"
and Thomas Hardy's "How Great My Grief" from the Modern Era have changed the idea of grief
from something that was feared into something that is better understood. As the length of the poems
began to decrease, the tone of the poems became less depressing and more insightful, and historical
eras and expectations, changed the ideas of grief in the real world was understood better which
made it something that ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The length of a poem specifically, can convey the overall thoughts of the poet. In James
Montgomery's "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" from the Augustan Age, had a very long and
descriptive structure which exaggerated the story within the poem as well as the theme it portrayed.
He was, "Stripped, wounded, beaten nigh to death"(Montgomery Line 33). James Montgomery
turned grief into something that was emotionally slow and agonizing with all the details he used to
allude to Jesus' suffering. In George Meredith's "The Lesson of Grief", had shorter, simpler lines that
were used to explain grief furthermore. "When I had shed my glad year's leaf,/ I did believe I stood
alone,/ Till that great company of Grief/ Taught me to know this craving heart For not my own"
(Meredith 6–10). George Meredith used shorter lines to get his idea straight across and show that
grief is not only something that is painful but also becomes a part of who you are as a person. In
Charles Bukowski's "Consummation of Grief", the structure of the poem consisted of many short
lines that are all separate and aren't part of any stanzas. I listen to the water/ on nights I drink away/
and the sadness becomes so great/ I hear

Women Of The Elizabethan Society
Women of the Elizabethan society, such as in Shakespeare's Othello, are particularly not considered
as equal. Women were more often seen as less of people who need to be helped and aided by man.
This ideology was spread by both men and women of that time by them playing into the gender
roles of male and female. Othello gives a relative example of the male and female ideology being
accepted and spread throughout society in the Elizabethan age. With it only being three women in
the play, Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca and then the rest of the members being male species, it is
difficult to not come across gender issues. There are many expectations of women as well as roles
that they acquired back in the Elizabethan society. Firstly, women were treated as objects of
possession towards men. For example, when the duke had decided to give permission for
Desdemona to escort Othello to Cyprus. Othello speaks to Iago, coincidentally relating to him as a
man of 'honesty and trust', informing the Duke that 'To his conveyance I assign my wife' (I.3.283).
Desdemona, being as Othello's wife, is treated as his possession and it is implied that she is a like a
commodity to be guarded and transported. Later, the first Senator, send farewell wishes to Othello,
concludes by hoping that Othello will 'use Desdemona well' (I.3.288). The word 'use' seems to
suggest that women are indeed looked at as objects which also supports the Venetian expectation of
women. That they are to obey the wills of

The Female Role Of Women In Shakespeare's Othello
In the play 'Othello' written by William Shakespeare, we see not only the main male character leads.
But we also see the female characters, Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. These three women were
portrayed in ways that showed them being inferior to the other male roles as well as society during
the Elizabethan Era. But Shakespeare made each of these individual ladies characteristics quite
unique to one another having the traits of a feminist. Even though in the play we read how the male
characters did somewhat control them and made them look weak compared to them, there were
moments where Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca stood up for themselves.
In 'Othello' Shakespeare portrays the main three female characters as being quite inferior to the other
male characters such as Othello himself, Iago and Casto. Because during that time of which
Shakespeare was writing these plays in the Elizabethan era. Society was in which religion was as at
the very most top and after was men being the second part of the social ladder and later come
women and rule justified women's subordination as the natural order because women were thought
to be physiologically and psychologically inferior to men women were expected to be silent, chaste,
and obedient to their husbands, fathers, brothers. Even education during the Elizabethan era was
only for smart men, and not for women, the women were only allowed to work as cleaners and
being mothers. Which makes them inferior to the male sex, we see this in

Elizabethan Vs. Jacobean Periods
The Elizabethan and Jacobean periods characterized the architecture of English developments in
large country houses. Antique styles of earlier times changed by the architecture of Elizabethan
bringing the beauty of Renaissance expose. Even nowadays, there are everywhere examples of the
Elizabethan architecture, places like country houses, as a proof of the good work of builders and
architects. The houses were built to resist difficulties through the years.
At the present time, the choice of living counts on the income and the social class with which is
identified, just like at the past. This means that they were various kind of homes. Countryside began
to rectify. Small farm houses turned to great houses with promoted gothic styles and Renaissance
detail. The architectural style of Elizabethan affected England from the late 1500 's until 1600 's.
The earliest characteristic was that churches construction stopped and the building of houses started.
To express their wealth, the houses were built by strong statesmen, successful merchants and the
enriched nobility. As Elizabethan royalty increase, their homes also became bigger and better, with
gorgeous stone foundations with various levels and a lot of rooms. The houses were looked and
appreciated as symbols of social class and personal status. Elizabethan visual expression of order
and harmony, is the most unique characteristic in these great dwellings, by the use of classical
symmetry. Symmetrical plans were popular. In

The Isolation Of Women During The Victorian Era
1.This quote goes back to the concept of isolation and independence. Here just like in the beginning
of the book, Jane feels isolated and alone and feels like no one can help and ironically it is her
cousins who alienated her to begin with but now are bringing her in.
2. Another clear reference to gender equality and the lack of it as well as a comment on class roles.
Here Bronte shows the absurdity of gender restriction and attempts to shed light on the fact that
women during the Victorian era had no rights and were too restricted.
Ferndean
1. "Then he stretched his hand out to be led. I took that dear hand, held it a moment to my lips, then
let it pass round my shoulder: being so much lower of stature than he, I served both for his prop and
guide." (Bronte 520)
2. "Reader, I married him." (Bronte 521).
1. This quote shows how while before Mr. Rochester used to lead Jane when Jane was
metaphorically blind and used to support her, the opposite has just happened and now Jane leads the
actually blind Mr. Rochester and supports him because now she is rich.
2. Bronte addresses the reader personally which signifies that something important is about to
happen, and it does. Jane and Mr. Rochester have switched roles. Jane now can see while now
Rochester can't. This perfect role reversal emphasizes how it is possible to reach gender equality and
how someone from a lower class can actually work their way up and get lucky and end up in a
higher class while the opposite can happen to

The Old Market Woman Is A Marble Statue
The Old Market Woman, is a marble statue that dates back to the Early Imperial period, which also
known as the Hellenistic period. Artists became fascinated with the idea of childhood and old age,
instead of beauty and masculinity. More become interested in seeing a statue that has characteristics
that catches the viewer 's eyes. We are naturally attracted to beauty as humans. What the artist of
The Old Market Woman did, though was they had taken that beauty that we are attracted to, and
transforms it into reality and then uses it to tell a story. The use of realism relates strongly to the
religion that the Woman of this statue believed in. When examining the statue, there is an old
woman bent and weary. Her posture helps clue us in, with her age and the state of her health. The
figure is dressed in cloth that drapes off her body as she carries a basket that is filled with what we
may think are offerings. On her head, there are vines that create a band around the top of her head
used to signify the festival that was going on during that time. The specific detail that is seen on this
statue persuades us to want to know the story of this woman. Doing so, the process involves lots of
research about the time and art. During the hellenistic period, artists begin to introduce more inner
beauty than physical beauty. There is an opportunity to learn more about the structure itself, then
settle for what is given and seen. In the Hellenistic period, "artists became concerned with

Essay on Protecting Miles and Flora in The Turn of the Screw
Protecting Miles and Flora in The Turn of the Screw
"I saw my service so strongly and simply. I was there to protect and defend the little creatures..."
The governess sees it as her duty to protect Miles and Flora. What do they need protection from and
how does Henry James illustrate this in his novel "The Turn of the Screw"?
Henry James's 'Turn of the Screw' can be interpreted in many different ways. He constructed his
novel in order to make allusions to sexual topics, (without stating anything explicitly) madness,
ghosts and the
Victorian society. In this essay I will be analysing each of the above in order to make a conclusion as
to what I think the children need protecting from.
As for the ghosts being present or not, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
But either way I don't believe the governess saw the ghosts based on two main factors; first being,
her vague description of Miss Jessel, and secondly, the fact Mrs Grose never saw either of the
ghosts.
I think the children need protection from the governess and her imagination. The governess comes
across to have an unbalanced behaviour which doesn't go well with the children. I also think
madness links into the fact the governess is hallucinating. I believe the hallucinations have lead the
governess to get carried away, which slowly turned her insane and made her very over–protective
towards the children. The more the governess hallucinates the more insane she is going to get, which
is not going to protect the children in anyway as she would be trying to sort out her imagination. The
governess is only a child herself, having to cope with two other children alone maybe a bit to much
too handle, so having this other pressure (the hallucinations) to cope with might just leave her to
break down mentally. In the turn of the screw, Henry James never identifies who is to blame for the
chaos at Bly. The interpretation bought about by the
Victorian society is that the master is to blame. By neglecting his responsibility to provide a
stabilizing environment at Bly, he allowed everything to breakdown into chaos:

An Analysis Of Oscar Wilde S The Importance Of Being Honest
Chiderah Onyeukwu
Professor Daniel Galvin
English 213
18 April 2013
Role of Marriage in Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde's
last and most famous play, debuted in London on February 14, 1895. Throughout the play, one
major theme seems to override the others. That theme is the role of marriage; the question of
whether marriage as an institution is "pleasant" or "unpleasant" comes up repeatedly. It seems as if
every character has a strong stance on the role of marriage and how it affects them, no matter how
futile or unreliable that opinion may be. As a whole, The Importance of Being Earnest embodies a
complete criticism of the role of marriage, representing both sides of the argument; by taking a ...
Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a very delicate
exotic fruit. Touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically
unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it
would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in
Grosvenor Square" (Newby).
The absolute absurdity of these statements effectively makes foolery of Jack's quest to marry
Gwendolyn through the approval of her mother; in comparison, Wilde effectively makes foolery of
the social requirements and specifically the rigid structure of the marriage process as a whole.
According to Jen Ziegenfuss in her article Marriage in the Victorian Era, there were certain rules
that applied to most marriages during the Victorian era. For example, Victorians were encouraged to
marry within the same class; marrying into an upper class was acceptable but marrying down meant
marrying an inferior, which brought about a certain degree of shame. Wilde touches on this dilemma
with another relationship within the play, the relationship between Miss Prism and Doctor
Chausable. Miss Prism lives at Jack's country house and is Cecily's governess while Doctor
Chausable is the rector on Jack's estate; the two of them harbor romantic feeling for the other that
are largely suppressed because of different social classes. As the play goes on, their

The Sexuality Of The Victorian Century
In modern day America and many other countries, it is common for women to express their
sexuality. Trends such as crop tops and high–waisted shorts have allowed this to be acceptable to
society. During the 19th century Victorian era, behaviors like such would be outrageous and
horrifying. In that time, sexuality was especially feared. Women were viewed as domestic
goddesses; their only desire was to care for the family and fulfill their husband's needs. It became
quite common that women came to also have anxiety over their sexuality. This is clearly seen in
Dracula through Lucy's diary entries. Despite her ultimate transformation into a sensual character,
she begins as a woman hiding her sexual cravings. In his gothic novel, Dracula, Bram Stoker uses
the title character to expose the repressed sexuality of the other characters, especially the females,
criticizing the beliefs of the Victorian Era about woman as sexless figures. Throughout the novel,
Lucy and Mina embark on a transformation from ideal Victorian woman to vampires. This
represents them crossing the line between conservative women to sexual beings. Even in Lucy's
most domestic state, she expresses a desire for sex. In one day, Lucy is proposed to by three
different men. Overjoyed by these proposals she states, "Why can't they let a girl marry three men,
or as many as want her, and save all this trouble? But this is heresy, and I must not say it" (Stoker
80). Essentially, Lucy is stating that she would like to

The Age Of The Upper Class
From 1837 to 1901 marks a new era for England, as it is ruled under Queen Victoria bringing an age
of peace, prosperity, and a new nationalistic attitude within England itself. The large increase in
population and a shift to a trade and manufacturing economy brings a new sense of competition
amongst the citizens, developing a new value in aesthetics, status, and wealth to prove dominance in
the ever–growing society. Economic success, an ideal which began as a strictly upperclass desire,
soon trickled down to the lower classes as new economic focuses permitted the conditions of the
lower classes to improve due to the growing demand in industrial jobs. With social mobility at
several poverty stricken citizen's footsteps, many could not help but to project the feelings of the
upper class in their social lifestyles. An overarching attitude of competition in Victorian era England
brought way to the diminishment of the former hierarchical notions as all classes displayed similar
characteristics: the fixation on vanity, the indulgence in hedonistic tendencies, and the corruption
accompanying influence, all of which are apparent in the dramatic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde, and poems by Alfred Tennyson, Matthew Arnold, and Robert Browning. Oscar
Wilde's exceptional novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, follows a seemingly innocent young man
who initially partakes under the wing of his accomplice, Basil Hallward, to let him paint him. After
viewing the

Progressives And The Progressive Era
The progressive Era was times in History were local state and federal government took a leap
forward in power and activism. In addition, the progressive era, was a time of development of new
reforms and changes for America. Progressivism handles a wide range of problems and struggle for
America. Such problems were created by unstructed industrialization, urbanization and immigration.
As well as, the unfavorable distribution of power and wealth. Progressives believed strongly that
problems such as these needed immediate action. Progressives existed in churches, organized labor,
local political life, organizations and progressives of high education. Progressives wanted to make
America better through inniatives, arranged action, idealism and social scientific research.
Progressive had a tendency to expect the best possible outcome of situations. By, the 1920's,
progressives put in effect, changes of all aspects of society and government. Nevertheless,
progressives had unhonorable qualities as well. They were biased of class and prejudiced against
races. The eventual goals of the progressive movement was a better democracy, uncorrupt and
improved working government ,regulations in business and social justice for the working class.
Progressives believed the governmenrt's involment in society could make an impact of reaching
those goals. Progressives also had a tendency to maintain traditional order. Some regulations
reformers wanted to put in affect was prohibition of alcoholic

Funhouse Mirrors: Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason Essay
Tim Bartlett
ENG 396
March 23, 2011
Funhouse Mirrors: Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason "Jane Eyre" is a book centred around female
duality. In a time when females were still expected to fulfill their "womanly duties," Charlotte
Bronte wrote a novel dealing with a woman's view on morality & sexuality, passion & sensibility,
and conformity & insanity, among other themes. This motif of duality plays a strong part in the
dynamism that makes up the book, and is not limited to the themes, but is also used to relate many
of the characters to the titular Jane. In "The Mystery at Thornfield," Valerie Beattie makes claims
that the character Bertha Mason's insanity is a representation of rebellion toward the limitations of
Victorian women. Not only is ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Although Bertha's seclusion is a result of her insanity and unacceptable behaviour, Jane's isolation
seems to be the cause of some mental illness, throwing her into a panic attack in the red room where
she believes her Uncle Reed's ghost dwells. It must be noted, though, that Jane is a child at this point
in the novel, with an active imagination. Bronte may be making a point then, that children should
not be shunned for their inventiveness and imagination, as was so common in her day. However,
there is a fine line, and socially acceptable age, that separates a healthy imagination from madness.
There is a clear lack of this knowledge in Bertha, whom does not appear to have a firm grip on
reality. Madness, however, does not merely deal with concepts of reality in "Jane Eyre." Jane has
bouts of uncontrollable speech, in which she must say what comes to her mind. Jane first loses
control of her tongue in chapter IV, in which she accuses Mrs. Reed of wishing her dead, and later
exclaims "I am not deceitful: if I were, I should say I loved you; but I declare, I do not love you: I
dislike you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed," and goes on to evaluate the
terrible treatment Mrs. Reed has given her, and the lack of love and compassion she has been shown
while at Gateshead. In this instance, madness works in Jane's favour. This temporary bout of mania
allows Jane to finally express the

Romantic And Victorian Themes Of The Strange Case Of Dr....
Chloe Keleny
Intro to College English
Mary Frauley
December 08, 2014
Romantic and Victorian Themes and Preoccupations in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written during the height of the Victorian era. In
this period, there were huge debates concerning pursuing desire versus doing what was socially
acceptable. There were also constant scientific discoveries being made. Stevenson 's piece, using a
telescopic framework, is a product of romantic and Victorian traditions since it incorporates
Victorian gentlemen, dark romantic subjects and duality within both Victorian and Romantic society.
Being a gentleman and upholding your reputation in the Victorian era was the most important
character trait, and seeing how a perfect gentleman like Dr. Jekyll could have such an evil side was a
shock for society. The actions of Mr. Hyde went completely against social norms and expectations.
Romantic topics like the subconscious, fears and nightmares/dreams are also depicted in this work.
As well, there is something dark beneath the facade Victorian people wore. The contents of the story
have an eerie vibe and demonstrate the potential dangers that people keep hidden. And finally,
duality within Victorian and Romantic society is evident throughout the piece with self–control
against desires and what's on the surface against the subconscious. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll
and Mr Hyde takes place during a time of large scale social

Sensible Nonsense in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland has been a beloved children's classic for over a century and was originally told
to entertain a close friend's child, Alice Liddell; yet, it has now become one of the most analyzed
children's stories with its many paradoxes. While it could be acclaimed to feminism with its many
intense female characters that often illustrate poor decisions or historical with its Victorian era time
frame, the two that best fit are psychoanalytical and existentialism. Via these schools of literary
criticism, one can make a complete picture of a young girl in an irrational adult world. Alice in
Wonderland is set near a riverbank where her sister is reading a book in which Alice finds extremely
tedious as she wonders "what is the use ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
As she falls she often notices various things on the walls as it takes her what seems like several
hours before she reaches the bottom. When she does finally reach the bottom she comes to a room
with several doors and a table with a glass proclaiming "drink me." She chooses to do as she has
been told and drinks the little potion. Soon she begins to shrink and notices through the keyhole of
the smallest door a beautiful garden. However, having drank the liquid she can no longer reach the
key. Soon she finds a small cookie which also has a demand for her "eat me." Yet, again Alice does
as she is told and soon grows too large to fit through the small door. In despair, Alice begins to cry
in her frustration for this place she has found herself in. She soon come along many characters that
do nothing but confuse her further when they ask her to recite well–known children's lessons which
Alice frequently muddles. The satirical effect is one that outlives the originals they ridicule and
"emphasize the underlying senselessness of Wonderland and highlight Alice's own sense of
displacement." (Novels for Students, p29) Eventually, Alice reaches the garden, though, it isn't as it
had seemed. Ruled by a fanatical Queen of Hearts, the characters in the garden lead a panicked life
doing their best to avoid the infamous words "off with their heads!" As Alice meets the characters
she quickly

Elizabethan Fashion Essay
Elizabethan Fashion
The Elizabethan Era was a time that reflect the mood and values of the 16th century though the use
of fashion. It was a period in which a lot of originality and creativity was evident was used to create
new styles of dress (Black & Garland 16). The Fashion in Elizabethan England at this time reflected
the values and Ideals of the era. It was an Era that based everything on the Great Chain Of Being;
which was a concept that everyone had a position in the social standings of society that was given to
him or her by God (Leed 1). The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The foreign look was the look that society wanted to achieve during the Elizabethan era, for it
reflected the values of Queen Elizabeth, who happened to be the ideal women of the era. Things that
are not controllable sometimes have an influence on society that is not expected. One effect that
should have been expected was that Queen Elizabeth would have an impacted on the society that she
gave her name to. The one thing that wasn't expected however was the extent to which Queen
Elizabeth would influence fashion. Queen Elizabeth was passionate about fashion and she spread
her love for it through out the kingdom. One of Queen Elizabeth's talents was her ability to use any
situation to her political advantage (Boucher 17). She wanted to be seen as a person with power and
capability and she thought rich cloths would help obtain that opinion. The rich fabrics and jewels
displayed incredible wealth, power and prestige (Leed 1). Wealth and power were not the only thing
Queen Elizabeth achieved with her wardrobe. She had a great fondness for foreign dress and this
had an incredible

`` France Virile : Des Tondues A La Liberation, Sexuality,...
In this figure 2–1, two women are walking bare feet and their head have been shaved because they
have been accused of sleeping with the enemy. One can also notice the Swastikas tattooed on their
foreheads. A French woman describes the fate of women accused of collaborating with the enemy:
The war was not finished, but in Paris it assumed another form – more perverse, more degrading ...
The "shorn woman" of rue Petit–Musc... walked along with her wedged–soled shoes tied around her
neck, stiff like those undergoing a major initiation. Her face was frozen like a Buddha, her carriage
tense and superb in the mist of a shouting, screeching mob of faces contorted by hatred, groping and
opportunistic hands, eyes congested by excitement, festivity, ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
In fact, in behavioral science, studies of physical appearance have demonstrated that most women
(and men for that matter) equate self–worth and the worth of others with the attainment of
attractiveness (Bull and Rumsay 5). Therefore, to deprive women from her head hair equates a near
total loss of self–worth.
The shearing as the sexual punishment is to be found in numerous societies, from antiquity to the
present. It modifies the appearance of a woman at a time when the body is the object of aesthetic
valorization. It changes the relationship with the self and with the others. By cropping women,
society rejects its whole guilt on women who are considered seductive. Consequently, public
shearing allows a process of re–appropriation of the feminine bodies. It becomes the symbol for the
destruction of the guilty body, the desecration, which forbids the guilty women to have access to her
own femininity and sexuality. Through the process of shaving, the body becomes the reflection of
the "moral ugliness." In fact, because head hair expresses or manifests attractiveness and power, to
be bald deprives a woman of the ability to fit into our society, to be a woman in the public sphere.
Hair as a symbol of virility for men and attractiveness for women is found in widely separated
cultures throughout the ages and in all parts of the world. It is surprising to find such a difference of
meaning between women and

Female Characters Of The Play By William Shakespeare 's '...
First impressions of any play or novel are largely gained from its title. In this case, the title also
happens to be the concluding line of the play itself; " 'Tis Pity She's a Whore" suggests the play is
based around a woman and her promiscuous actions. This instantly places women in a bad light
before the play even commences suggesting that there was a woman in a shameful situation due to
her 'whore' like actions towards men and how things could have been different if she did not allow
her promiscuous side to take over control. This title makes women appear to be inferior to men as if
this would not have happened to a man as they would never have found themselves in a situation
such as this woman has found herself in. There are a vast variety of female characters in the play
with many diverse personality types. Ford writes most of the female characters to be weak and
inferior to men to fit with the Victorian audiences idea of how women were to be perceived –
'powerless and at the mercy of men'. There are also certain female characters such as Putana and
Hippolita who appear to go against the stereotypical idea of how women should act and behave
during the Victorian era, these characters would have been extremely shocking for a 19th century
audience. At the end of the play all of the women die nasty deaths and in all situations are due to
their actions that surround men. They all die or are murdered for different reasons but in all
circumstances involve being misunderstood

Women In The Jacobean Era
Women in the Jacobean era were still viewed as the property of their male superiors; their lives were
determined by their fathers, brothers and husbands who dictated their rights and freedoms.
Shakespeare depicts this reality in many of his plays. He uses the female characters in his plays
Othello and Antony and Cleopatra to explore the function and roles of women within societies and
worlds controlled by military engagement and war. In societies where the warrior and men with
military prowess govern, women are left to deal with the consequences. Unable to hold positions of
power or authority, they are subjugated and left to endure the ramifications of men's actions and
decisions. Tragically, the female characters in Othello and Antony and ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Throughout the play, Desdemona displays nothing but obedience to Othello, following his every
order even as he grows cold and violent towards her, banishing her to her room. Further, Emilia
demonstrates the same obedience to Iago as she steals the handkerchief from Desdemona and assists
Iago in turning Othello against his wife. Both Desdemona and Emilia, however, are destroyed by
their initial disobedience; Desdemona's betrayal of her father in marrying Othello, even for love,
causes Othello to see her as a deceptive, disobedient wife which leads him to kill her while Emilia
finally disobeys Iago and tells Othello of Desdemona's innocence, causing Iago to kill her.
Shakespeare uses the deaths of Desdemona and Emilia to show the suffocating constraints of a
society driven by violence and war on women beyond their roles. Similarly, Shakespeare uses
Desdemona's sexuality and the brazen depiction of her unconventional sexuality to again explore
how a male–dominated world cannot accept the sexual nature of women. Desdemona speaks openly
and publicly about her affection for her husband, pleading with the Duke to allow her to accompany
Othello to Cyprus

The Importance Of Being Earnest By Wilde
'The Importance of Being Earnest', is utilised by Wilde to draw attention to the superficiality of the
social facades predominantly maintained by the upper classes, through the physical depiction of
Jack and Algernon's aliases. Wilde further exemplifies his discontent with widespread social
conventions at the time by satirising the arrogance of the aristocracy with a constant underlying
representation of the lower classes as a more humble and less pretentious social division. Moreover,
the playwright embeds heavy hypocrisy and explores the general understanding of what it means to
be 'earnest' in order to mimic and highlight the flaws of Victorian society at the time. In Act 1, Jack
is discovered to have been using the false identity of "Ernest Worthing" while in "town" in order to
escape his responsibilities in the country, while Algernon is revealed to be using a fictional character
of his own to escape arduous social obligations. The two protagonists must use these aliases to
enable them to defy the typical social expectations of the late nineteenth–century. Wilde employs
this substantial element of the play to epitomise his view that the breadth of social requirements can
become overbearing; the simple fact that Jack and Algernon feel the need lie extensively to gain a
sense of social satisfaction indicates the great depth of societal constrictions placed upon the upper
class. This becomes apparent when Algernon attempts to make use of his fabricated relative in order

Jacobean Era Research Paper
How did visual art change the culture and the influence of modern art today, from the Jacobean and
Elizabethan eras? Well, to put into perspective, the Jacobean era was best known for the literary and
visual arts, which was ruled by James I of England. Comparing it to Elizabethan art, it was heavily
influenced by the European Renaissance ideals. But most importantly, the art that was composed
around this time, was immensely based around Queen Elizabeth's liking. "The distinctions between
the early jacobean and the preceding Elizabethan styles are subtle ones, often merely a question of
degree, for although the dynasty changed, there was no distinct stylistic transition" (Jacobean Age
1). To have an outlook on the rest of this paper, the artists ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
"The arts in Europe blossomed into bold new forms, blending the philosophy, and creative forms of
the ancient civilizations of Rome and Greece with contemporary European style" (Elizabethan
World 1). England was held up in a religious dispute during the fifteenth century, slowing them
down on the new influences of the Renaissance. Queen Elizabeth I reign was known as the
Elizabethan era, often referred to as the "golden age," is when the first steps to the English
Renaissance had begun. Elizabethan artists were heavily influenced by the English Renaissance, as
well as Queen Elizabeth I. Her picture was usually incorporated in literature, as well as paintings.
Her love for pageantry, music, and dancing helped the artists get a better point of view of her in their
paintings, and sculptures. She did not care much between popular entertainment, and higher arts.
She was easily entertained watching bear baiting, or watching fireworks, as to listen to her personal
entertainers. Iconoclasm began under the rule of Elizabeth's younger Protestant brother, Edward VI.
Iconoclasm was the planned destruction of monuments, statues, images, pertaining to religious
icons. Elizabeth admired the art of the Catholic religion so much that she played primary role in
preserving some of the art that was trying to be destroyed. The wealthy upper–class Elizabethans
loved portrait

Parodies of Victorian Lifestyle Essay
Parodies of Victorian Lifestyle in Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass and What
Alice Found
"It is no accident that the grotesque style in literature tends to be prevalent in eras marked by radical
change and stress. Such was the Victorian period, within which a whirl of social, economic, and
religious change took place . . ." (Chang par. 2). This distorted writing can be unquestionably seen in
the works of Lewis Carroll, namely his world famous pieces, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and
Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There (commonly known as "Alice in
Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass"). In several instances throughout the Alice books,
Carroll mocks Victorian lifestyle. These ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Accepted norms now seem foreign to Alice, and in many ways she becomes an outcast" (Polisner
par. 3). Carroll is mocking the Victorians because with every new thing that Alice learns, they seem
to cancel out her past lessons.
Since Victorians were so concerned with learning more about themselves and the world around
them, they came to be great inventors; they were the first to invent to create solutions to problems
and better themselves. Alice realizes the fruitlessness of the White Knight's inventions upon
discovering the mousetrap on his horse's back. In response to this, she remarks, " 'it isn't very likely
there would be any mice on a horse's back' 'Not very likely, perhaps,' said the Knight; 'but if they do
come, I don't choose to have them running all about' " (Through the Looking Glass ch. 8). Instead of
making like simpler, the solutions to the Knight's problems create more problems. " 'I see you're
admiring my little box,' the Knight said in a friendly tone. 'It's my own invention – to keep clothes
and sandwiches in. You see I carry it upside–down, so that the rain ca'n't get in.' 'But the things can
get out,' Alice gently remarked. 'Do you know the lid's open?' " (Through the Looking Glass ch. 8).
The title of the chapter, 'It's My Own Invention', suggests that Lewis Carroll is making a mockery of
Victorian inventions. This also holds true because of the repetitive use of the

The Awakening By Kate Chopin
In the Victoria Era, women were fighting to break free of a society that suppresses a free spirit. In
Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening, Edna is the main protagonist of the story that has become
awakened and now realizes the type of society that she lives in. Her husband, Leonce Pontellier,
disagrees with her behavior; Robert Lebrun– Edna's lover– has a complex relationship with her, and
Victor Lebrun and his mother Madame Lebrun are Edna's friends that are observant of her changes
throughout the novel. Not to forget Alcee Arobin, a man she is having sexual relations with, and
Mademoiselle Reisz who is a mother figure to her. Edna's children– Etienne and Raoul cause her to
second think a lot of choices in her life and Madame Adele Ratignolle, another close friend to Edna,
provides to her opinions and advice. Edna's unfulfilled life as a mother and wife urges Edna to
release herself from the norm that is society. Now that she sees the domestication that a woman is
expected of, Edna cannot return to the life she used to live. Marriage is unsatisfactory to Edna, and
becomes something she hates, and something she learns she does not need. Edna's hatred toward
marriage has become palpable, and her husband, Leonce, is not very happy about it. Edna's marriage
is constricting, and restrains Edna from her true self. Having a ring on her finger makes her feel as
though she needs to suppress her awakened side and her true self. In Chapter 22 Leonce is telling
Doctor Mandelet how

The Dichotomy of Honesty in Oscar Wilde's The Importance...
Oscar Wilde's, "The Importance of Being Earnest" revolves around the dichotomy of the true
definition of honesty versus the victorian definition of honesty. It is apparent that Wilde's opinion is
that true honesty is expressed through being genuine to one's self as opposed to putting on a front as
is important in victorian ideals. In this work, Wilde uses humor to off–set the seriousness of the
theme of the story. One who has studied this work can also clearly see that Wilde is using sarcasm to
say things that would not have been accepted by society if they were said bluntly. For example he
exemplifies in a very sarcastic manner the hypocracy that victorian society represents by the very
fact that they pretend to uphold honesty above all ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The main character of Wilde's story, Jack Worthing creates an elaborate deceit in which he invents a
brother in the city but also reinvents his entire self. He created his fake brother to get away from the
country and go live a more exciting life in the city. However, his deceitfulness leads to him being
completly honest with himself, and finding a true love. Something genuine. There one would see the
dichotomy in Jack, or as he's known in the city, Ernest.
Algernon Moncreiff on the other hand, lied to get to the coutnry so he could find something more
genuine as opposed to the false honesty of the city. Again, one sees the same dichotomy as one
would see in Jack. Alge lied to get to Cecily, his true love, which again is genuine. Cecily Cardew
has a dichotomous personality as well. On the outside, Cecily appears to be innotcent and very
victorian like, which represents the victorian dewfinitionof honesty. However, if one dug a little
deeper, they would see that Cecily is much like a female version of a dandy. She has wicked
thoughts, which represent her genuine, truly honest self.
Miss Prism also represents the dichotomy and somewhat relates to Cecily. In the fact that she acts in
the manner a respectable victorian woman should, she is secretly (or so she thinks, though it is
apparent to others) buring with passion for Rev. Chasuble. While around him she acts mannerly and
as if she has no intrest in

Dracul A Fundamental Step Stone For Horror Literature
Written and set in the Victorian era, Bram Stoker's novel Dracula is a fundamental stepping–stone
for horror literature. Unlike most novels of its time, Dracula not only showcased the ideals of its era,
but it completely flipped it on its head. Firstly, there are numerous examples of female sexuality and
symbolism throughout the entire novel. In Victorian society, it was believed that women had no sex
drive and only partook in sex when their male partners insisted. It was unheard of for a female to be
sexually assertive in any way, and such an idea would likely have been a very disturbing and
frightening concept to a conservative society. Needless to say, women often had to suppress their
sexual desires during this period in order to keep ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
But along with along with being depicted as a traditional woman, she also represents the "new
woman" of the time. Whereas Mina's traditional woman aspects are more so depicted through her
sentiments and principles, her "new woman" aspects are depicted through her intelligence. Mina is
regarded to as a "new woman" due to her job as an assistant schoolmistress, seeing as to most
women who worked were in order to make ends meat if their husbands were sick or injured and
typically were jobs requiring manual labor. Stoker basically wrote Mina to represent the ideal
Victorian woman with even Van Helsing praising her saying that she is "one of God's women,
fashioned by His own hand to show us men and other women that there is a heaven where we can
enter, and that its light can be here on earth. So true, so sweet, so noble..." (Stoker 114), but she is
also simultaneously classified a "new woman". She is the only female character who keeps the
Victorian ideals constant throughout the novel, even after being "vamped" by Dracula and being
confronted later on by his three brides. Now where Mina is the quintessential Victorian woman,
Dracula's three brides are on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, the real "new women".
They were completely sexual every time they showed up within the novel. Considering the high
standards of purity Mina was held to due to her common Victorian nature, these three were a
Victorians nightmare.

William Shakespeare 's ' Hamlet ' And ' The Duchess Of...
Shakespeare and Webster represent the female characters in 'Hamlet' and 'The duchess of Malfi' by
using general themes such as the patriarchy and the social control, the female identity and its
independence, this institution of marriage, the expressions of sexuality and finally women shown to
be either conformist or transgressive. Men were firmly in control in the Elizabethan and Jacobean
era, and the expectations for women were to stay home, cook, clean and raise a family. Women's
status and roles were subject to the Tyranny of patriarchy, they were given strict disciplinary rules to
follow whether by law or unspoken norms to prevent from rebellion. Women's rights were restricted,
legally, socially and economically, unlike today were women are more powerful and independent.
Today women and men are seen to be equal and women can do pretty much everything a man can
do (voting, working, becoming president) although there are many people still today who disagree
with women having these rights.
There are aspects of renaissance patriarchy demonstrated in both plays, which is exercised as a form
of social control using dominant gender ideologies. Hamlets in his first soliloquy talks about his
mother and how quick she was to remarry after only 1 month of his father's death, he then says
"Frailty, thy name is woman" not only including his mother but the whole women population also
indicating that he has superior intellect and moral understanding. He dedicates the word frailty to a

Human Nature: The Double Character of Dr. Jekyll Essay
Naturally, it is human nature to yearn for some sort of evil. Sinning is common on a daily basis.
Kids lean towards destruction. Countless people have the urge to gamble at casinos. Human beings
are lustful creatures and have sexual notions constantly in their minds. Evil is not something that can
be avoided. For those who appear perfect, their "evil" is well hidden. Thus, ."..humanity
is...synonymous with the struggle of good and evil" (Abbey, et al. 328). Robert Louis Stevenson's
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde centers on the dual nature of the human personality
through the good and evil facets of Dr. Jekyll's character.
Victorian morals are significant in the establishment of duality due to the moral conflict ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The division of good and evil in London mirrors the division between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Imagery plays a key role in the exploration of Dr. Jekyll's double character. Stevenson's use of
imagery intensifies the plot and its relationship between good and evil (Rollyson 1863–1864). For
example, Hyde is described as "apelike" and "like a monkey" while Dr. Jekyll is portrayed as
handsome and elegant with "proper stature" (25–26, 38). This example indicates a "reverse
evolutionary process" and confirms Jekyll's disastrous attempt to interfere with the order of nature
(Page 763). In general, Hyde is illustrated as animalistic, ugly, and deformed mainly to conjure an
evil opinion of this character. However, the physical description may be more than simply symbolic.
"During the Victorian era, many believed in physiognomy," which was the belief that one could
judge a criminal from his or her physical appearance. Hyde is depicted as a vampire who "feeds on
the very life of his victims" (Abbey, et al. 327). ."..[Hyde was] drinking pleasure with bestial avidity
from any degree of torture to another, relentless like a man of stone" (33). This vampire image
suggests the way in which indulgence of evil eats away man's capacity for goodness. Lastly,
Stevenson chose ideal names to suit and describe the personalities or actions of his characters. Just
as Hyde hides in Jekyll, "Je kyll" hides in "Jekyll." In French, "Je" means I and "kyll" probably

Blood Spurts From The Female Vampire 's Chest
Blood spurts from the female vampire's chest, as her human lover drives the stake further and
further into her heart. The scene where Lucy is killed can be interpreted in different ways due to the
varying interpretations of blood. One way to interpret blood and vampirism in Bram Stoker's
Dracula is through the psychoanalytical critical lens. In this interpretation, blood symbolizes sexual
fluid and vampires are a metaphor for eroticism. The novel was written in Victorian England, which
had strict morals regarding female sexuality. In an article, Jesse Battan describes ideals from this
time period as "insist[ing] that women 's erotic impulses were shaped by maternal instincts and a
social conscience". Victorian society trained women not to act upon their desires and instead to
repress their sexuality. Lucy Westerna, a main female character in the novel, has a sleepwalking
habit that reveals her subconscious desires. However, as the novel progresses, her desires are no
longer merely subconscious because her sexuality is expressed through her vampirism. This prompts
the hunters to try and remedy this issue by murdering her. Bram Stoker conveys that Lucy defies
Victorian England standards due to the progression of her character from the typical nineteenth
century maiden into a sensual creature. At the beginning of the novel, Lucy follows society's
standards by suppressing her sexuality and only revealing her repressed desires through her
sleepwalking. After discovering Lucy

Essay on Diary of a Victorian Dandy by Yinka Shonibare
Yinka Shonibare's five–part image narration Diary of a Victorian Dandy exhibited in the London
Underground invites public transit users to partake in the daily lifestyle of a black Victorian dandy.
The irony inherent in the presence of a black dandy as the work's centerpiece dismisses the
functionality of British restrictions set in the Victorian Era by delving into the notions of race and
social class. Specifically, by emphasizing the black dandy's superiority over his white counterparts
and introducing a harmonic interplay between lower and upper–tier social classes, Shonibare makes
evident to public viewers that Victorian norms favouring upper–class society were not static and
could have been transcended in both a racial and social ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Contrarily, Shonibare communicates to the viewers that the stereotyped inferiority of the black race
during the Victorian Era was not absolute. Though rare, black people could have transcended this
racial norm because "11:00 hours" proposes that there is no evidence suggesting that they were less
capable than white folks. In another case, Shonibare addresses the norm that the black race was
more primitive than its white counterpart. Victorian Britain became more racist when Darwin's
theory on evolution gave all races a shared primitive ancestry (race and racism). As an add–on,
scientific and technological superiority became the prime indicator of racial superiority, and Britain
fit this category due to its massive colonial expansions and development in weaponry (race and
racism). These advancements led to the belief that the British race was evolving from the primitive
lifestyle faster than the black race, which ultimately tagged all black people as primal. Shonibare
challenges this idea in "3:00 hours" where the black dandy engages in an orgy with his lackeys at
three in the morning. In Captain Jesse's The Life of George Brummell, esq., Commonly Called Beau
Brummell, Brummell "had too much self–love ever to be really in love" (119). Brummell is unable
to profess his love for anyone but himself, characterizing a dandy as one whose self–obsessed
infatuation grants them a rare emotional composure to restrain

Downtown Abbey: Victorian Values
Downton Abbey shows the need to leave the Victorian era behind to usher in twentieth century
values because women wanted to choose their own life paths rather than following tradition.
However, numerous people associated with Downton believed that maintaining tradition had more
of an importance than moving on with the twentieth century. During the first season of Downton
Abbey, there were many instances where the viewer could see the conflict between characters who
wanted the Victorian period values to be cherished and maintained, while others wanted change.
During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century in England, many believed that
society was moving too fast and that Victorian values should be valued. In Downton ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Pamuk in her room. It was tradition that women would stay virgins until they would be married. It
was uncommon for women to show affection for men prior to marriage. It was also fairly
uncommon for women to have relationships with men prior to marriage. Mr. Pamuk died
presumably of a heart attack in Lady Mary's bed, so it was hard to cover up for the mistake. Her
mother and the servant, Anna helped her move his body back into his room to prevent anyone else
from finding out what happened. If word would get out about what happened, Lady Mary's father
would most likely disown her, which would also make the family look bad. Lady Mary wanted to do
things her own way instead of following the tradition of not having men in her room until after
marriage. Lady Mary also went against the common traditions of the time period with the way she
was looking for a suitor. Most women during the time seemed to just get married to someone to
increase their standing in the society. Lady Mary would have the opportunity to have her husband
inherit Downton when her father would die. However, Lady Mary would rather find a suitor that she
is in love with rather than just marry someone for a higher social standing. An example of this is
with Mr. Pamuk. Lady Mary also showed emotion when Mr. Pamuk was around and also when he
had died. Women during this time were not to be the ones to show emotion or feelings for men. The
men were to be the ones that

The Conflict Of Good And Evil In The Duchess Of Malfi
First performed in 1613, 'The Duchess of Malfi' is a timeless and tragic piece of literature which
explores both the conflict of good and evil within Jacobean society and the underlying corruption
which inhabited the courts and government of James I. Webster particularly uses the setting of this
Machiavellian Italian court to offer a direct political and social commentary on the abuse of power
within the era and the hypocrisy of the church. Heavily influenced by Webster's skeptical and
forward–thinking views on religion, 'The Duchess of Malfi' also explores the inequalities within
society through the Duchess and the misogynistic world in which she dwells. Characterisation and
symbolism plays a critical role in execution of expressing Webster's views; focusing on the bleak
idea of evil being an innate force within the world and good being something hidden.
Even within the first scene of act one, we can identify the characters' awareness of the corruption in
the court and their responses to it. Having just returned from France, Antonio sheds light on this
matter by commenting on the French king's act of cleansing the court; giving the image of a good
court being 'like a common fountain' which should flow 'pure silver drops in general'. Essentially,
his dialogue seems to indicate his own personal motivation to cleanse the Italian court and restore
honesty and good within the country and its leaders. Ironically, as they speak of the 'flatt'ring
sycophants' which the French king

Economics of the Late Victorian Era Essay
Economics of the Late Victorian Era
With the power of wealth and concentration of industry, the tremendous development in machinery,
and power to drive machinery; with the improvement of the tools of labor, so that they are
wonderfully tremendous machines, and with these all on the one hand; with labor, the workers,
performing a given part of the whole product, probably an infinitesimal part, doing the thing a
thousand or thousands of times over and over again in a day–labor divided and subdivided and
specialized, so that a working man is but a mere cog in the great industrial modern plant; his
individuality lost, alienated from the tools of labor; with concentration of wealth, concentration of
industry, I wonder whether any of us can ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The cabinet members in the government were mostly noblemen. The middle class had very little
influence on politics and government (Boardman 38).
In the early nineteenth century people where using labels like "working classes" and "middle
classes." This designation was to separate people who had achieved success in commerce, industry,
and other professions. They were considered the upper class. The upper class had a great control
over the political system. This was not good for the working class and middle class because it left
them no say in the government. However, some of the more powerful middle class men pushed for
the Reform Act of 1832 and the deletion of the Corn Laws of 1846 (Wohl 1).
The high Victorian era ended toward the end of the 1860s–1870s. The year that started the late
Victorian era was 1867 when the Second Reform Bill was doubled. In this year the town workers
were starting to have some say in town government. Now what had been unraveling for decades was
taking affect. The middle class had already achieved power in government and now it was the
worker's turn. The upper class was bitter over the success that the workers were gaining, but they
had no other choice than to accept what was happening (Boardman 38).
Increased industrialization was becoming a concern of the workers. They started strikes protesting
the addition of machines because their jobs were being compromised. The only that workers were
heard was

A Tale Of Two Cities Or A Tale Of Two Worlds?
Karen Vanderford Ms. Faris Honors English IV 29 May 2015 A Tale of Two Cities or A Tale of Two
Worlds? A person's class status in today's world is based on what one owns and how society views
an individual; nothing else really matters. Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities exemplifies the
importance of social status through the way society views and treats its characters. Lucie Manette,
from England, is the "golden thread" who everyone adores, especially a man named Sydney Carton,
who is known as a failure who drinks all the time. He has a look–alike named Charles Darnay, who
is part of the aristocracy in France, marries Lucie and later has to go on multiple trials for a number
of different reasons. He is found not guilty in each trial until his last trial, where he is proven guilty
of being an aristocrat, causing harm to an innocent man and sentenced to die in the next twenty–four
hours. Hearing this, Lucie panics and starts to imagine life without Charles, which harms her health.
Therefore, Sydney Dalton, who looks identical to Charles and loves Lucie more than life itself,
decides to change places with Charles in Charles' jail cell by drugging Charles and making him
unconscious so he cannot have a say in what happens. Carton faces the guillotine next day by is
beheaded because he is supposed to be Charles but no one knew that until the switch was done and
at this point, there was no going back. All of this is what led to the making of the French Revolution
because the

A Feminist Reading Of The Tempest

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Sherry Bailey

More from Sherry Bailey (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

A Feminist Reading Of The Tempest