Romeo and Juliet - context

• Fate and free will - the Elizabethan belief was that the stars and moon are above kings as they believed that fate was determined by the stars. This was called the great chain of being.
• men and women in Elizabethan society - Juliet is a typical Elizabethan woman since she has an arranged marriage which is for social status, talked about as a possession and has no authority or rights over the men in her household. (Patriarchal society)

  • men were expected to bring honour and wealth to their families. They were also expected to be violent and hot tempered.
  • Shakespeare is critical of these hegemonic masculinity ideals
• masculine honour:

  
  

  Hegemonic masculinity = the over exaggeration of traditionally masculine traits such as honour, violence, bravery and competition.

  • honour codes meant it was shameful and feminine to turn down a duel
  • focus on honour can lead to consequences, such as a more violent and destructive society.