Introduction
The issue of gender has always been prominent in literature. Various authors and literatures have explored the position of women in the society. The position of women appears to be changing according to the historical perspective of the author. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the historical perspective concerning the role of women in order to comprehend the metamorphosis of gender in literature. This aspect is the basis for the essay whereby there is the analysis of literatures from different historical and cultural perspectives in relation to the role of women in the society. Some of the literatures analyzed in the essay include The Book of Ruth, Antigone: The Sophocles and The Wife Bath’s Tales. While the role of women has been a prominent theme in literature, this role has evolved in the historical context. Despite the dominance of men in the society, the role of women has changed significantly over time.
It is apparent from the aforementioned literature works that the books have female protagonists. This approach augments the prominence of the role of women in their respective cultural and historical environments. For instance, the book of Ruth is synonymous with the biblical period; Antigone is relevant to the time of ancient Greece while The Wife Bath’s Tales belongs to the middle ages. From this progression, it is evident that the aforementioned works represent different historical contexts. This understanding will enable us to recognize the significance of women in the society and changes, in their role over time.
In the book of Ruth, women appear to be passive in the society. In this historical perspective, the society was male dominated. This is evident in the event when Ruth became a widow, and she endured numerous problems (Lau, 2011). The character appeared to live in poverty with her stepmother Naomi since they were a minority. They gathered their foods by gleaning the fields for leftover grains “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” (Ruth 2:2-7, 17-18). This shows the desperate situation of the women in the society. The condition of the protagonist appears to change when she meets a rich landowner, Boaz who loves her loyalty to her stepmother. Naomi urges Ruth to sleep with Boaz in order to show their gratitude for his hospitality. This showed that the women in the time did not have financial empowerment hence they had to live in the mercy of men. The interaction between the protagonist and Boaz resulted in a marriage between the protagonist and Boaz an occurrence that had considerable significance in the Christian religion.
In Antigone, the position of women appears to be similar to the era of Ruth. However, the women appeared to be more vocal in the society. This is evident in the character of Antigone who openly challenges the king (Sophocles and Johnston, 2007). She appears to defy the societal norm that women should be submissive and obedient to the males. This is not the case for Antigone, when she is unable to bury her brother Polyneices due to the war that ended tragically. The king orders that Polyneices should not experience the expected burial rights and his body should be unattended (Sophocles and Johnston, 2007). Antigone opposes this decree despite the consequence of the death “Welcome, light of the Sun, the fairest/ Sun that ever has dawned upon/ Thebes, the city of seven gates!” (Sophocles and Johnston, 2007). Her actions results in a conflict with the King and the society since she stood for her beliefs. It is apparent that the role of women in this era was evolving with the women emerging from the confines of society in order to express and assert themselves.
In the book, the wife of Bath, female dominance in the society is evident. The wife appears to be autonomous economically and socially contrary to the aforementioned scenarios. She asserts authority both in her household and in society. She also asserts that she wants sovereignty from male dominance “Women desire to have the sovereignty” Chaucer, G. (2007). She reiterates that she is the master in her bedroom and that she has the power to fulfill her sexual desires (Chaucer, 2007). This situation shows the shift in sexual dominance in the society to the female gender. This shows that, in the middle ages, the women were becoming increasingly influential in society than in the previous eras. It is also evident that the woman was economically autonomous. She was powerful in the feudal system whereby she was influential in the clothing trade. Her influence was evident even in the export market. This shows that the women in the era were competitive economically, and they could be equal or better than the men could financially.
It is evident from the three works that the role of women evolved over time. Judging from the historical contexts of the works, it is evident that women became more influential and active in the society. In the era of Ruth, the women were passive and were not autonomous in the society. This changed to some extent in Antigone where the women were vocal and challenged men in the society. However, in the middle ages, the woman appears to be independent socially, economically and sexually. The literatures show the changes in the woman’s role over time.
Conclusion
Women have a significant role in literature. This has made their role in the society prominent themes in several works. Considering the historical perspective of the works, it is evident that women’s positions have evolved. This is evident in the books The Book of Ruth, Antigone: The Sophocles and The Wife Bath’s Tales, whereby the historical perspective of the author appeared to influence the depiction of women in the society. Despite the dominance of men in the society, the women’s position has evolved significantly over time.
References
Chaucer, G. (2007). The wife of Bath. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Lau, P. H. W. (2011). Identity and ethics in the book of Ruth: A social identity approach. Berlin: De Gruyter.
Ruth 1: 1-21. New International Version (NIV)
Sophocles, & Johnston, I. C. (2007). Antigone. Arlington, Va: Richer Resources
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