*WINNER* Star-Crossed Oppression in a Patriarchal Society: A Feminist Critique of Romeo and Juliet

Abstract

This won best undergraduate paper in English.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet tells the story of two young lovers who endure chronic gender-specific oppression due to the expectations of Verona’s patriarchal society. Both major and minor characters clarify the standard gender roles in the society. In this essay I argue that the pressure imposed by this patriarchy and the perpetuation of these patriarchal values by the families of the lovers eventually leads to the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet. I assert that the death of the lovers is a result of institutionalized sexism and necessity for gender role fulfillment.
For this paper I utilize feminist methodology; therefore, I examine the text using a critical technique that involves looking at the oppression of both men and women in the play. I consider symbolic meanings of pertinent aspects of the play, and note how the main characters construct their gender identity. My paper begins with a short introductions and follows in four sections titled; Demonstrations of Verona as Patriarchal, Juliet’s Refusal to Conform, Romeo’s Inability to Conform, and Tragedy as a Direct Result of Oppression. This paper concludes that both lovers eventually kill themselves because they cannot conform to their gender roles.  I wrote this paper as an assignment for my English Methodology course (ENGL 3000) and continue to work on the text as a point of interest for future research.