Question

Trace out the plight of women in the Elizabethan age as portrayed by Virginia Woolf in A Room of One's Own.

Accepted Answer

In A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolf portrays women in the Elizabethan age as confined to the home and domestic pursuits, deprived of education, having limited travel opportunities, and likely to be sexually harassed.

Answer

In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf uses the hypothetical case of Judith, the imaginary sister of William Shakespeare, to develop her portrayal of women’s situation in England’s Elizabethan age. This era is named for Elizabeth I (born 1533), who was queen of England from 1558 until her death in 1603. According to Woolf, women’s opportunities were highly circumscribed in that period. Women often married young and had many children, and their activities were supposed to revolve around their role as wives, mothers, and homemakers. She also mentions their lack of education. Girls were not sent to school, and only elite girls might be educated at home, so most women were illiterate and therefore could not become writers.
Women were also expected to remain close to home and not travel great distances. If they did venture out on their own, they would find it difficult to earn a living because they had few marketable skills. Women were not welcome in the theater, which then enjoyed its golden age. Females on their own were susceptible to manipulation and sexual harassment by men, who might offer material support. With so few options available, poor women sometimes made money in the sex trade. While the imaginary Judith dies by suicide, Woolf does not imply that this was customary.

A Room of One's Own

Trace out the plight of women in the Elizabethan age as portrayed by Virginia Woolf in A Room of One's Own.

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