How is masculinity depicted in Romeo and Juliet?
Throughout Romeo and Juliet different aspects of what would have been typical Elizabethan
masculinity at the time are portrayed through the different characters, and Shakespeare
powerfully displays how this laid the foundation for society, and for men, as it drove them on
the path for power, honour and for love.
In Act 1 Scene 1, Elizabethan masculinity is depicted to make men phallocentric and power-
hungry, which would have been seen as inspiring by the Elizabethan audiences. Elizabethan
masculinity is shown through Sampson whose phallocentric nature is displayed through him
seeing the maids of the Montague household as loot spoils of war as he prepared to “thrust
[their] maids to the wall”. The sexual innuendo behind the verb “thrust”, connotes the
aspect of Elizabethan masculinity associated with the domination of women and this
alongside the other sexual innuendoes behind the verbs “stand” and “stir” and the noun
“tool” at the beginning of the scene emphasises the obsession with sex expected of
Elizabethan males during the Elizabethan period. Furthermore, the theme of honour is
evident as the servant Gregory said that the “quarrel is between our masters, and us their
men”, and was clearly prepared to fight against the Montague household in the name of his
master. The theme of honour is built upon through Sampson’s initial metaphoric reference
to a member of the house of Montague as a “dog”, which effectively dehumanises them,
and the repetition of this displays his passion in fighting for the honour of his master, and
Elizabethan audiences would have seen behaviour such as this as extremely masculine, as
despite his low class he was clearly ready for a fight to uphold the honour of his household.
Finally Elizabethan masculine power is shown through Tybalt and his “hate” of the word
“peace”, as this juxtaposition subtly conveys not only his willingness and ability to fight.
Nevertheless, his power is also shown through his class and status as he differentiates
himself from the “heartless hinds”, which bestial imagery has a double meaning of being the
servant’s lacking courage or female deer without male protection. Both meanings display his
masculinity through either the derogatory view that women were below men as he insulted
the servants by relating them to female deer, or as he insulted their courage knowing that
their power was incomparable to his. Thus, through the use of the characters Sampson,
Gregory and Tybalt in Act 1 Scene 1 Shakespeare powerfully conveys Elizabethan masculinity
as a force that makes men power-hungry and leads them on a search for honour and the
domination of women.
However later on in Act 1 Scene 1, masculinity is shown as a strong driving force through
Romeo’s Petrarchan love for Rosaline and is subtly portrayed to be a cause, and through this
Shakespeare shows a subversion of typical Elizabethan masculinity. Romeo’s repetition of
the word “love”, when speaking to Benvolio conveys his obsession and his chivalric romance,
allowing Romeo to conform to Elizabethan masculinity through his ability to love a woman.
Nevertheless, Elizabethan masculinity is subverted through Romeo as he clearly lacks
stoicism as he rambles on about his emotions to Benvolio, and Romeo is portrayed as a
young and inexperienced lover more in love with the concept of being in love than the
woman. Elizabethan masculinity is depicted as a strong force in Romeo’s quest for love as he
succumbs to the typical Elizabethan belief that men should venerate women and treat them
Throughout Romeo and Juliet different aspects of what would have been typical Elizabethan
masculinity at the time are portrayed through the different characters, and Shakespeare
powerfully displays how this laid the foundation for society, and for men, as it drove them on
the path for power, honour and for love.
In Act 1 Scene 1, Elizabethan masculinity is depicted to make men phallocentric and power-
hungry, which would have been seen as inspiring by the Elizabethan audiences. Elizabethan
masculinity is shown through Sampson whose phallocentric nature is displayed through him
seeing the maids of the Montague household as loot spoils of war as he prepared to “thrust
[their] maids to the wall”. The sexual innuendo behind the verb “thrust”, connotes the
aspect of Elizabethan masculinity associated with the domination of women and this
alongside the other sexual innuendoes behind the verbs “stand” and “stir” and the noun
“tool” at the beginning of the scene emphasises the obsession with sex expected of
Elizabethan males during the Elizabethan period. Furthermore, the theme of honour is
evident as the servant Gregory said that the “quarrel is between our masters, and us their
men”, and was clearly prepared to fight against the Montague household in the name of his
master. The theme of honour is built upon through Sampson’s initial metaphoric reference
to a member of the house of Montague as a “dog”, which effectively dehumanises them,
and the repetition of this displays his passion in fighting for the honour of his master, and
Elizabethan audiences would have seen behaviour such as this as extremely masculine, as
despite his low class he was clearly ready for a fight to uphold the honour of his household.
Finally Elizabethan masculine power is shown through Tybalt and his “hate” of the word
“peace”, as this juxtaposition subtly conveys not only his willingness and ability to fight.
Nevertheless, his power is also shown through his class and status as he differentiates
himself from the “heartless hinds”, which bestial imagery has a double meaning of being the
servant’s lacking courage or female deer without male protection. Both meanings display his
masculinity through either the derogatory view that women were below men as he insulted
the servants by relating them to female deer, or as he insulted their courage knowing that
their power was incomparable to his. Thus, through the use of the characters Sampson,
Gregory and Tybalt in Act 1 Scene 1 Shakespeare powerfully conveys Elizabethan masculinity
as a force that makes men power-hungry and leads them on a search for honour and the
domination of women.
However later on in Act 1 Scene 1, masculinity is shown as a strong driving force through
Romeo’s Petrarchan love for Rosaline and is subtly portrayed to be a cause, and through this
Shakespeare shows a subversion of typical Elizabethan masculinity. Romeo’s repetition of
the word “love”, when speaking to Benvolio conveys his obsession and his chivalric romance,
allowing Romeo to conform to Elizabethan masculinity through his ability to love a woman.
Nevertheless, Elizabethan masculinity is subverted through Romeo as he clearly lacks
stoicism as he rambles on about his emotions to Benvolio, and Romeo is portrayed as a
young and inexperienced lover more in love with the concept of being in love than the
woman. Elizabethan masculinity is depicted as a strong force in Romeo’s quest for love as he
succumbs to the typical Elizabethan belief that men should venerate women and treat them
