How Women Were Treated in Roman Times in Julius Caesar...

The way in which women were treated in Roman times is an interesting issue which arises in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. We can look at modern society to see what similarities or differences may exist between the two. How has the treatment of women changed in certain parts of society? We all know that in western civilization the way that women are treated has been altered significantly, but this demographic isn’t the only society in which there has (or hasn’t) been developments in the way women are treated. How would the peoples of the past react if they were to see the treatment of women today and compare that to what they are accustomed to? THE WIVES IN JULIUS CAESAR – PORTIA AND CALPHURNIA In Julius Caesar, there were only few†¦show more content†¦If married, she and her property passed into the power of her husband. The wife was the purchased property of her husband, and like a slave, acquired only for his benefit – and this is similar to what is decreed by The Elizabethan Homily on the State of Matrimony. One example of this in the text studied is at the start of the second scene, with Caesar calling his wife’s name and issues his commands (note that he orders her around rather than asking her) ‘Stand you directly in Antonio’s way/ when he doth run his course’. Infertility was blamed on the wife, not the man – an assumption that has been henceforth disproved due to advances in medical technology and research. This is supported in the text by the quote ‘For our elders say the barren, touched in this holy chase, shake off their sterile curse’ (Act I Scene II Lines 7-9). In this case Caesar’s words reflect a similar anxiety felt by the Elizabethans (which is most probably the double meaning that Shakespeare was trying to incorporate into this particular part of the text). Queen Elizabeth was unmarried and childless, there was no clear heir to England’s throne and the queen’s increasing infirmity gave similar reaction to that seen in the text. In short, Portia and Calphurnia are seen as being powerless figures, in that their opinions are quickly dismissed when the public lives of their husbands muscle in onShow MoreRelatedContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesacademic spheres in accounting, I sense that the two worlds have less and less to do with one another. It is therefore ever more important to reflect on the contributions which Michael Bromwich has made. He played an important role in the diffusion of modern practices of capital investment appraisal in the United Kingdom. He has been constantly open to the insights which advances in economic theory can provide into the accounting art, in many areas pushing at the frontiers of international knowledge inRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesrelevancy should attract readers. Stanley Baronett. Jr., University of Nevada Las Vegas Far too many authors of contemporary texts in informal logic – keeping an eye on the sorts of arguments found in books on formal logic – forget, or underplay, how much of our daily reasoning is concerned not with arguments leading to truth-valued conclusions but with making choices, assessing reasons, seeking advice, etc. Dowden gets the balance and the emphasis right. Norman Swartz, Simon Fraser University