The Problem of Misogyny in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Hailey McCullough College

Feminist literary criticism has become an integral part of the way in which we study literature in the 21st century. By analyzing the way in which the female condition is represented in works of literature, we can establish how women were repressed in the patriarchal societies of the past. The issue of misogyny is prevalent in a large amount of classic literature and poetry, with well-known authors such as Jonathan Swift, Ernest Hemingway, and William Shakespeare being scrutinized for the way in which they portrayed women in their work. Many scholars and critics have examined William Shakespeare’s body of work and have argued that he is discriminatory towards women, particularly in plays such as Richard III and The Taming of the Shrew, while others have argued he promotes female equality in plays like Twelfth Night and Macbeth. By examining the roles of female characters and their interactions with men in Romeo and Juliet, as well as the excessive promotion of marriage and the importance placed upon female beauty rather than character, it can be argued that William Shakespeare exhibited misogynistic tendencies.

While Romeo and Juliet is not among the Shakespearian plays typically examined for instances of misogyny, the...