Objectification Of Women Analysis

Marriage in Literature.

I will explore two major connections -the objectification of women and the sacrifices made by married women in four texts which examine the concept of marriage in different time periods: The Duchess, a film directed by Saul Dibb (17th century); Pride and Prejudice, a film directed by Joe Wright (18th century); My Last Duchess, a poem by Robert Browning; (19th century) and A Room with a View, a film directed by James Ivory (early 20th century).

Connection: Women were objects of their husband and their families.

One notable connection across most of these texts is the objectification of women and the lack of control women had in marriage. Women were viewed as objects, chattels, things to be “sold” by their families …show more content…
Looking as if she was alive...Will’t please you sit and look at her?”

The Duke has complete control over his late wife, even after her death. By having her plastered on the wall ‘looking as if she was alive,’ the Duke has reduced the late Duchess to nothing but a portrait to ‘look at’. Throughout the poem, we only hear the Duke’s perspective of her. She is completely voiceless behind a curtain which only the Duke can control. We do not know her name and she is referred to as ‘My last Duchess’ by her husband. The Duke’s use of ‘My’ when addressing her, further enhances his control over her and shows that she ‘owned’ by him and is his possession.

Cecil Vyse in A Room with a View displays a similar view about women with his fiancee, Lucy Honeychurch. He tries to control and shape the naive Lucy to be a model of his own making. He wants her to be sophisticated, to be urbane, to like his interests and tastes and to follow him in everything he thinks and does. We see this when Lucy Honeychurch boldly breaks off her engagement to Cecil. She does this because she comes to the realisation that she doesn't love her fiancee, nor does he love her and she will not stand to be merely an …show more content…
In the film ‘The Duchess,’ this view of females is clearly seen from very beginning where the Georgina’s parents are ‘selling’ their daughter to the Duke of Devonshire through a marriage broker. By the promise that their daughter would produce a male heir, in which as Georgina's mother claims that ‘the women in our family have never forfeited in that account,’ the Duke accepts the deal of marrying Georgina. Like Georgina, females were used as assets in arranged marriages to form unions between families and extend property (such as land and other wealth). The parents of the female would benefit by getting rid of a daughter who who only bit into their fortune and through the marriage would gain status and connections from the husband’s family. In Georgina’s case, her parents would be known as the parents of the ‘Duchess of Devonshire.’ The Duke, on the other hand, would benefit by gaining everything from Georgina, her inheritance, her property and her

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