This week in class we have been focusing on Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. In the book, the readers found out about two different types of Women during the Renaissance period. Mrs. Whitley gave the class characteristics of a quiet woman and a unquiet woman. A quiet woman,“her Patience is a Vertue that winnes the heart of loue, and her wisedome makes her will well worthy regarde: She feares God, and flyeth finne” A quiet woman is seen as patient, worthy, loving, a good wife, submission to her husband, and fears God. However, a unquiet woman is “the grief of nature, a word, but not of Grace, a creature but not of wisedome, and a feruant, but not of God.” An unquiet woman is compared to the lowly of the lowest, a creature. An unquiet woman is not of God and deserves not to marry. Her straightforwardness is a shame to womanhood.
Reading Much Ado About Nothing, the audience come across a quiet and an unquiet woman in Act I alone. It can be assumed that Hero is an quiet woman. She allows her beauty to speak for itself, she never interrupts, and allow men to speak, which contributes to the reason why Claudio acknowledges her beauty and desires to marry her. Beatrice can be considered an unquiet women. Someone who will speak up to a male and is willing to make jokes and state the obvious. Some males and quiet women might look down on her because she does not allow her beauty to speak - it is all her mouth.
Which women are you? I think I am an unquiet women because I love to state my opinion, and I'm very outspoken around everyone. However, I do not agree with the Renaissance definition of what women should be. I believe more unquiet women should come out the closet, and stand up to everyone and be fearless, outspoken, and powerful! To whom do you belong - quiet or unquiet?
I am definitely an unquiet woman. I honestly do not care if you're a MALE or female; I will state my opinion with the utmost confidence. If any male tried to tell me that being obedient and submissive was the way to go, I'd smack him and walk away. That's not who I am and no one will belittle me like that.
ReplyDeleteUnquiet women unite!
My problem with the definitions of a quiet and unquiet woman is the fact that you have to be one or the other. If you're quiet, you have to be submissive and perfect. If you're unquiet, you're seen as a witch and ungodly. There are quiet women who are horrible, and unquiet women who are good people.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm definitely unquiet because don't feel like I have to stay quiet just to seem perfect and holy.
I agree with Jaena because there seems to be no in between. Your either the quiet women or the unquiet women. I know that when it comes to certain classes or some people I will be seen as the quiet women, but if will not submit to any man or not state my opinion when it concerns me. I will not stay quiet when I feel something is wrong. I am in between.
ReplyDeleteJust like Stated above its either one extreme or the other it can also be seen in Hamlet. Ophelia is a quite woman even if she does not want to be she is forced to stay in that role because she doesn't want to be seen the unquite woman who is someone bot to be married. She is staying in that position because she does not want to be looked down upon like an unquite woman is and one day she wants to be able to get married. This was what most women looked forward to was getting married and this forced them to stay in this role. The problem I have with this time period is that it's either one or the other unlike today where there is always a grey area.
ReplyDeleteI love that you're connecting Aljeanette's ideas from Much Ado to our reading and Ophelia's character. Just be careful - they're quiet and unquiet not quite and unquite.
DeleteI'd also like to suggest that maybe this time period isn't as different from our own as we would like it to be. Just like Hero and Ophelia are ready to be married and dedicate themselves to obeying their fathers in preparation for one day obeying a husband, many women today have very distinct life plans that dictate exactly when they should get married (whether they've found the right person yet or not).
I am defiantly an unquiet women! Whatever is on my mind comes right out. Growing up, the women in my family could not speak above or against men. However, my mother raised me differently. If a man has the right to say whatever he wants so do I. Women should not be afraid to speak. Imagine a world full of women like "Beatrice." Great Blog Al-Jeanette
ReplyDeleteI am a quiet women. I do not like to talk out much. If you think your idea is better I will try it but when it fails I will just simply walk away. There is no use crying over spilled milk. I like to simply learn from my mistake and move on. No need living in the past and i feel like the quiet woman has to be like that. Just constantly moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI believe I am both. Sometimes I am the unquiet woman, where I say exactly what is on my mind. However, sometimes I keep my opinion to myself and be the quiet woman.
ReplyDeleteI think that I'm both, because honestly there's a time for everything. Stating your opinion and speaking your mind is great, but we can't all speak our mind all the time. Especially at a job/ workplace, we might not agree with some of the things we have to do but speaking your mind has a big price! So I think it's good to keep your thoughts to yourself sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of being a quiet woman is very literal in the Renaissance. I understand being a modest woman, but a quiet woman is a woman who, literally, says nothing. That's ridiculous. I am glad that Shakespeare challenges and makes fun of the social norms of that time period.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in today's society, being unquiet is more acceptable, but at the same time the quiet woman is still encouraged. This seen to be true in the reality stars of today. They exemplify most of the new expectations of women, (not entirely but enough) which is to be loud and proud, but when it comes to your man be quiet. This is not to say that it is a bad thing but I guess many of us find ourselves in the middle of those definitions, such as myself.
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