Marriage in the 17th Century - 1546 Words

The seventeenth century was a fascinating time period of English history, and has always got a lot of attention from historians around the world. In this time period men had all the power over their women and had all the laws on their side of a marriage. During the seventeenth century marriages were slowly escaping the time when a lot of marriages were arranged by parents and people where starting to be able to choose their partners for themselves. This paper is going to be providing an outline of the seventeenth-century English marriage. Thing such as basic marriage values, concluding marriages, duties of a married woman and even possibilities of divorce were a lot different back then than they are now. In seventeenth-century England,†¦show more content†¦While the number of arranged marriages was decreasing as opposed to the previous centuries in England, young women were still expected to consult their parents and relatives on their choice of a marriage partner. Generally the poorer a women was the greater freedom she had in choosing her future husband. Even people from poor families were expected to ask for their parents blessing even though money had a small part to play here. In this time period there were several criteria which decided that a couple was appropriate for one another to get married. Among those things the most important were that the couple should be of similar age, financial circumstances, background and have similar religious beliefs. Also having similar interest was beneficial as well. The husband and wife should like, or love, and respect one and look inner qualities and not just looks. It was always believed that love came after a couple was already married instead of them falling in love which would lead to marriage. One of the main qualities that a man looked for in a woman was her ability to run the household efficiently. This was normally the biggest factor for a man in his choice of a wife, especially in less fortunate families. A word ‘helpmate’ was a term commonly use when referring to a good wife during this time period in England. While being a good house wife was important, romantic love would sometimes overpower the want to have a woman who wasShow MoreRelatedJohn Dryden s A Song From A Marriage1350 Words   |  6 PagesIn John Dryden’s A Song from a marriage à   la mode a women speaks of sexual freedom. The Woman is in a marriage buy she is thinking of finding a lover outside of her relationship If I have pleasures for a friend, and farther love in store, what wrong has he whose joys did end, and who could give no more? (Dryden). She feels that at this point in their marriage there was no point of procrastinating their love and that it was time to make change We l ov d, and we lov d, as long as we could, TillRead MoreThe Tempest By Julie Taymor1446 Words   |  6 Pages4. The most recent version of The Tempest by Julie Taymor changes Prospero to â€Å"Prospera,† a female figure played by Helen Mirren. Consider both 17th-century gender issues and more recent ones in examination of the play’s discussions about virginity, marriage and femininity. In the 17th century, the issue with the gender roles being switched would be presumed as something different. I use ‘different’ because it could go both ways, it could be perceived as something good or bad to the audience. WeRead Moreï » ¿Would it be correct to say that in Tom Jones, Fielding considers marriage to be a mere socio- economic arrangements under which women feel continuously suppressed? Discuss.1005 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Would it be correct to say that in Tom Jones, Fielding considers marriage to be a mere socio- economic arrangements under which women feel continuously suppressed? Discuss. The true history of the English countryside has been centred throughout in the problems of property in land, and in the consequent social and working relationships. By the eighteenth century, nearly half of the cultivated land was owned by some five thousand families. As a central form of this predominance, four hundred familiesRead MoreThe Freedom Of The Free Love Movement Essay1582 Words   |  7 Pagesshould be up to that individual. Free lovers challenged the dominant ideology at that time and pushed boundaries of religion and politics. Marriage during the colonial period was closely linked to reproduction due to the heavy influence religion had on European settlers. However, as they became introduced to Native American cultural practices of marriage their once held beliefs shifted. This shift correlates with the change in a consumer/ industrial society. Religion moved out of the bedrooms andRead MoreThe Flea By John Donne Essay923 Words   |  4 Pagesunderlying features regarding the themes of marriage and even religion. Basically, the poem in its entirety consists of vague, flattery language to reference sex without ever speaking directly of it. Each new rhyme scheme result in the introduction of a new idea. Within the first four lines, the speaker sets up the idea of bloodlines mixing, both literally and figuratively. The mingling of the two characters’ blood inside the flea symbolizes the act of marriage and the woman’s potential loss of â€Å"maidenhoodRead MoreReligion And Religion1112 Words   |  5 Pagesgoal to make their society and way of living connected to God in every way, shape, and form. In the seventeenth century this standard to keep God by your side has deeply affected politics and lawmaking, and has even caused some people to be continuously persecuted. From the strength of their religious beliefs stemmed these radical ideas, which deeply affected lives in the 17th century. Though these ideas were a way of life at one point in time, if these ideas were applied t o our government todayRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, The Taming of1100 Words   |  5 Pagesfor the freedom of the individuals intellect through acceptance and celebration. This emphasis on â€Å"individualism† however, did not proceed to influence the highly sexist views of the time, which had transgressed from previous centuries and continued through to later centuries. Gender inequality was prevalent, with brides (and females in general) being viewed as merely commodities. Loyalty is presented as an essential quality for all â€Å"proper women† and male attitudes towards women are explored throughRead MoreThe Movement Of The 18th And 17th Century Essay1526 Words   |  7 Pagesinclude Greek Poetry Schools (6th century BC), Provencal literature (11th-12th century), Silican court poets (mid 13th to early 14th centuries), Elizabeth and Romantican poets (late 16th- 17th century), American Transcendentalists, Paris expatriate (Surrealist) and Beat poets (20th Century). These movements have been fundamental to change the course of poetry in and out of their eras. This essay will be a critical literature review of the movement in the 16th and 17th century, the period after the ItalianRead MoreJudith Leyster s Self Portrait795 Words   |  4 Pagesexplores throughout her works. Leyster worked for several years around Utrecht and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, however, by 1633, she was a member of the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke. She was one of the only women accepted into this guild in the 17th century, but within two years of her joining the guild, she already had 3 male apprentices. Leyster even had her own workshop, with paying pupils. This was truly rare for a woman in her time. However, she did live in northern Europe (Netherlands), andRead MoreSome Reflections Upon Marriage By Mary Astell1119 Words   |  5 PagesMarriage is not what it seems Marriage seems like the perfect love story for woman in society, however throughout the 17th century this was not the case for many feminist writers. The pamphlet, Some Reflections Upon Marriage was written by Mary Astell at a time in history where many feminist writers used their voice. Mary Astell was one of the most influential and conservative feminists of this time. She, along other feminist writers, wrote for gender equality. These writers believed the only way