The Renaissance period is one which saw significant advancement in the arts and culture of Europe as a result of the coming to an end of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern period. It was a period that brought with it great changes in society although the latter essentially remained a patriarchal society. The submission of women towards men was considered to be the ideal in society and even those women who had considerable power, such as Queen Elizabeth I were required to be seen to submit to the ‘wisdom’ of their male advisors rather than taking their own counsel in matters concerning the governance of the state. Women, considered to be lesser creatures than men, were denied real power because of the feeling by society that they were not equipped to wield it.
The reign of Queen Elizabeth I can be considered to be among the best in English history because she presided over great achievements. It was under her that England was able to first exercise incredible ability as a naval power that would rival other great maritime powers such as Spain and Portugal. Furthermore, for the first time in history, the country was led by a strong woman who, unlike her sister Mary before her, took an active part in government and did what she had to do to ensure the security of her kingdom. However, despite these achievements, Queen Elizabeth, as a woman, was expected to receive counsel from her male advisors; meaning that society was not ready to admit that women had the ability to lead. In a world which was dominated by religious beliefs, women were believed to be inferior to men to such an extent that they needed a constant male presence in order to make major decisions. Women were relegated to taking care of their households and were expected to constantly submit either to their fathers, husbands, or to other male members of their families. Such a situation proved to be serious especially in a situation where women, especially in English society, were for the first time taking the throne in their own right. The ability of women to lead was constantly disregarded by the patriarchal society which sought to make sure that the role of women was kept in the background rather than given prominence in the rest of society.
Additionally, despite England being ruled for over half a century by women during the Renaissance, there were really few changes in society when it came to the achievement of political power by women. This is especially the case considering that women had almost no legal rights and could therefore not participate in public life. Even Queens Mary and Elizabeth had to a large extent to submit to the will of their male advisors when it came to matters on governance; essentially continuing to propagate the male-dominated society within which they lived. It was also through the development of the norm of female dependency before and during the Renaissance that women were almost completely excluded from public life. The belief that women had to be completely dependent on the men in their lives meant that the freedoms that they had previously enjoyed were brought to an end (Deats, 2003, p.189). Women had to submit themselves to their fathers, and after marriage, to their husbands. Women who did not submit to a male authority more often than not earned themselves a bad reputation in society and ended up being marginalized. Therefore, women were expected to remain in the background of public life and were not to be heard while their male counterparts took an active role in it in addition to having almost complete authority over the women. All real political power in society remained in the hands of men and very few women were able to achieve any significant role in the governance of their society.
Moreover, it is important to note that during the Renaissance period, the major vocation of women was marriage; expected of women of all classes. One of the most significant aspects of marriage during this period was that it led to a situation where women ended up losing all their rights and freedom of action. They could not own property and had to be completely submissive to their husbands because once married, their husbands had full rights over their persons. It is most likely as a result of such circumstances that Queen Elizabeth chose not to get married because marriage would have restricted the exercise of her power. Instead, she remained unmarried for the whole of her reign since marriage would have almost automatically led to a situation where her husband became king and the main decision-maker in the running of affairs in England. Elizabeth’s decision not to get married may have been wholly political since it was a means of not only securing her reign, but also making sure that her position remained intact through denying any potential husband her birthright. In addition, she chose to use the potential of marriage as a political tool to secure the interests of England because of the significant number of suitors from powerful European countries. However, while the promise of marriage ensured the security of the interests of England, it never came to fruition because Elizabeth was able to skillfully maneuver her way out of such arrangements. Therefore, despite the expectation that she would end up getting married and submit to her husband, Queen Elizabeth was able to transcend such social expectations by choosing not to get married; retaining her political power in a male-dominated society.
Furthermore, there was a failure by men in Renaissance society to recognize the value of women in their lives. Among the values that were often ignored by men was that their societies could not continue to function without the women in them. Even though they were not allowed to take part in the social and political life of their societies, women played an active role in making sure that they projected a positive image on behalf of the men in their lives. However, despite this, women continued to be relegated to the background with those who dared to speak their minds being considered an anomaly and discriminated against by the rest of society. Women themselves may have also helped to prop up the patriarchal system which was meant to make sure that they were kept out of power because they allowed themselves to be almost completely dominated by the men in their lives. Even the perceptions they had of themselves were often shaped by the views that the men in their lives had of them (Levy, 2001, p.83). The refusal to submit to the opinions of the men in their lives meant that women had to endure isolation as well as fear from both men and women because being outspoken was considered to be against the natural order of society and deserved to be broken off the women involved. Thus, men were justified in using whatever means necessary, including violence, as a way of making sure that the women in their lives remained submissive and in the background; conforming to societal norms.
Also, the religious nature of Renaissance society played a significant role in making sure that women were kept away from power. This was especially the case where religious teachings emphasized that women had to submit to their husbands and fathers as a means of making sure that they did the will of God. However, there was often a failure to note that women were given equality to their male counterparts in the New Testament and that they took part in similar activities as the men. Despite this argument, women in the Renaissance period were not allowed to take an active part in the administration of their own property as long as either their fathers or husbands were still alive. The only way for women, especially from the upper class, to attain a degree of freedom as well as to exercise their rights was through making sure that they did not get married at all (Enterline, 1999, p.25). As seen in the case of Queen Elizabeth above, women were able to achieve a level of independence by not having men in their lives because under such circumstances, they did not have to cede their rights. While this may have been the case, Elizabeth was still required, to an extent, to be seen to submit to the counsel of her male advisors because of the common belief at the time that women had no political sense and that only men could be able to take part in it without the involvement of emotion. It is as a result of such perceptions that it became possible for a great number of women to be kept out of public life with those who spoke their minds being described in derogatory terms.
However, while it was uncommon for women in the Renaissance to participate in public life, there were instances where some of them were able to privately influence the opinions of their sons and husbands. Women were able to exercise their influence through pushing the men in their lives to adopt their views; leading to a situation where these women, through their husbands, were able to push their own agenda in society forward. Therefore, while not having any real political power, women were able to bring about diverse changes in their societies either through the men in their lives or their actions which can be considered to have been acts of protest. In Shakespeare’s The Rape of Lucrese, Lucrere, the main character, ends up committing suicide as a result of being raped by Tarquin and it is as a consequence of this suicide that the populace of Rome overthrows the Tarquin dynasty and becomes a republic (Kirkland, 1999, p.660). The depiction of the actions of women having an influence on the course of society in this play shows that despite the discrimination that they faced when it came to public life in the Renaissance period, there were instances where they had a profound impact (Shakespeare, 1997, 2.3.259-60). Renaissance writers, however, seem not to consider the actions of these women to have been conscious actions and instead, their consequences were indirect and not intended. The recognition of the role of women in public life remained limited in the Renaissance and these continued to be relegated to the background in the belief that women had no constructive place in male-dominated society and had to submit to men.
In addition, Renaissance literature shows a majority of women as being completely dedicated to domestic chores while the men got involved in public life. In Lucrere, the title character is shown to be an individual who is highly proficient in domestic tasks as well as being able to make sure that she undertakes tasks that are essentially feminine. However, there is the propagation of the idea that women are weak individuals and need constant male protection in order to be safe. In this case, Lucrere is shown to be an individual who, despite her proficiency in domestic tasks, is neither able to protect herself or the home from an invasion by the stronger Tarquin (Shakespeare, 1997, lines 232 - 238). The violation of her body by Tarquin and her devastation afterwards is a sign of the fragility of women and the need for them to have male protection. Lucrere’s lack of male protection at the time of her rape shows her vulnerability because there was no one to stop Tarquin from doing such a vile act (Kelemen, 2005, p.151). Lucrere’s rape can also be considered to be a means of showing the power of men over women in all social matters because it is women who have to submit to the will of men. It is also a sign of the unwillingness of the patriarchal system to recognize that women are the equals of men and that they have a right to have a place in public matters. The subjugation of women to the will of men in society is a means of the latter exercising their power and dominance over women in such a way that it propagates the status quo.
Also, upper class women were often used for the purpose of advancing the interests of their families. These women were married off to more powerful and affluent families in order to form alliances with them. This is especially the case in Renaissance European countries where fathers were the ones who made decisions concerning who their daughters could marry in a bid to secure useful alliances for their families. A famous example is that of Pope Alexander VI who made use of his daughter Lucrecia as a means of solidifying alliances with powerful Italian dynasties when it was convenient for him. The various marriages that Lucrecia got in and were annulled were for political purposes because they ensured that the wealth and power of the Borgia family were maintained. Therefore, while such women as Lucrecia got more opportunities for mobility that other women of their time, they still had to submit to the will of their fathers for the sake of their families. Furthermore, they were not able to gain significant power despite their mobility because they had to submit to the will of their husbands so that they had to conform to the ideal of being the caretakers of the household. As a result, a major theme of Renaissance literature was the subjugation of women because they were not often prominently featured in the said literature, and if they were, their role was supplementary. Thus, women were depicted as fragile individuals whose role in society was in the periphery and that their involvement in public affairs would lead to chaos.
Likewise, women were denied a voice in society because of the belief that they were inferior and that they were emotional individuals who did not have the capacity to think rationally (Carrera, 2005, p.63). Women who would have been rulers in their own right, such as Maria-Therese of Austria could not achieve real power because they were expected to submit to their husbands. Maria-Therese’s husband, Joseph, is the one who took over control of the Austrian Empire when her father died while she took on a more subordinate role. The result of such circumstances was that women ended up being denied their inheritance and property rights by their husbands; making it more difficult for them to advance in society than their male counterparts. Even in those situations where women found themselves to be unmarried, they were expected to seek a close male relative to not only protect them, but also to manage any wealth that they might have. Women in the Renaissance period, as reflected in its literature, were considered to be essentially weak individuals who could not be trusted to govern their own affairs and instead had to make sure that they placed themselves under the protection of the men in their lives in order to achieve a level of security. The enforcement of the masculine dominance of society came about as a result because women ended up being largely accepted as the lesser of the members of society while at the same time having to endure being denied all the rights that were accorded to men. Female monarchs such as Queen Elizabeth did not seek to change the status quo and instead sought to propagate it; making it possible for the patriarchal system to perpetuate itself.
In conclusion, women were denied real power because of the belief in society that they were not equipped to wield it. Despite this perception, as shown in the discussion above, the reign of Queen Elizabeth I can be considered to be among the best in English history because she presided over great achievements. Additionally, during her reign, there were really few changes in society when it came to the achievement of political power by women since the major vocation of women was marriage. Furthermore, there was a failure by men in Renaissance society to recognize the value of women in their lives. This is also the case where the religious nature of Renaissance society played a significant role in making sure that women were kept away from power. However, there were instances where some of them were able to privately influence the opinions of their sons and husbands. Also, upper class women were often used for the purpose of advancing the interests of their families; hence greater mobility for them through marriage. Finally, women were denied a voice in society because of the belief that they were inferior and that they were emotional individuals who did not have the capacity to think rationally.
References
Carrera, E. 2005, “The Spiritual Role of the Emotions in Mechthild of Magdeburg, Angela of Foligno, and Teresa of Avila.” The Representation of Women’s Emotions in Medieval and Early Modern Culture. Ed. L. Perfetti. Gainesville, FL: UP of Florida.
Deats, S. 2003, "The 'Erring Barbarian' and the 'Maiden Never Bold': Racist and Sexist Representations in Othello." Women, Violence, and English Renaissance Literature: Essays Honoring Paul Jorgensen. Eds. L. Woodbridge and S. Beehler. Tempe, AZ: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
Enterline, L. 1999, "What 'Womanhood Denies' the Power of 'Tongues to Tell'." Shakespeare Studies, vol. 27, pp. 25-36.
Kelemen, C. 2005, “Images of Passion, Rape, and Grief: A Comparative Analysis of Shakespeare's Rape of Lucrere and Titus Andronicus.” Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 151-73.
Kirkland, L.R. 1999, “To End Itself by Death: Suicide in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.” Southern Medical Journal, vol. 92, pp. 660-66.
Levy, E. 2001, “The Problematic Relation between Reason and Emotion in Hamlet.” Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 83-95.
Shakespeare, W. 1997. Othello (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series). New York: Routledge.
Shakespeare, W. 1997. The Rape of Lucrere (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series). New York: Routledge.