How does Virginia Woolf present women in the sixteenth century in “Shakespeare’s Sister?”
___ is a notable literary work by ___. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of ___.
Answer
How does Virginia Woolf present women in the sixteenth century in “Shakespeare’s Sister?” Discuss. [2021] ✪✪✪ Or, Give a picture of woman in the sixteenth century as presented in “Shakespeare’s Sister.” [2019] Or, What, according to Virginia Woolf, are the barriers that women faced to become a writer? [2017]
Almost every literary work is written based on the social system and the people’s lifestyle of its time. In “Shakespeare’s Sister” (1929), Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) presents a realistic picture of women’s lives in the sixteenth century. She shows that women in Elizabethan England lived under strict control and suffered from poverty, ignorance, and male domination. They had no freedom of education or profession. To clarify her idea, Woolf imagines that Shakespeare had a gifted sister named Judith. The tragedy of this imagined sister reveals the hopeless condition of women of that time.
No Education and Freedom: In the sixteenth century, women were denied all chances of education. Men attended grammar schools, but women stayed home to cook, sew, and care for their families. Woolf says Judith could not read. She utters,
“Horace or Virgil” and had to “mend the stockings or mind the stew.”
Women were treated as servants of the house, not as minds to be developed. This lack of learning made it impossible for any woman to express her ideas freely or take part in public life.
Oppression in Marriage: Marriage was another form of bondage. Woolf quotes from Trevelyan’s History of England. She says,
“Marriage was not an affair of personal affection, but of family avarice.”
Girls were forced to marry men chosen by their parents. Those who refused were “beaten and flung about the room.” Once married, the husband became her “lord and master.” These lines prove that women were treated like property. Their happiness or choice had no importance in society.
Imaginative Greatness but Practical Slavery: Woolf finds a sharp contrast between the image of women in books and their real life. In literature,Unlock this study guide now