What does shakespeare suggests about marriage?

Answer 1

Throughout his plays Shakespeare extols the virtues of marriage. He shows us all kinds of marriages--marriages in the process of forming, stable marriages, and marriages in trouble.

In Benedick and Beatrice he presents people who are cynical about marriage and shows them won over to its merits. In Juliet, Ann Page and Hermia we see women who are faced with unwanted arranged marriages, and Portia in Merchant of Venice, Imogen and Sylvia all face unwanted suitors in the persons of Cloten and Thurio, Morocco and Aragon. But Shakespeare constantly affirms that the greatest happiness arises when women are allowed to choose their mates, as all of these women do. Even though Portia is constrained by the casket game, the result is the result she desires to her happiness.

Men, however, are to be satisfied with the women fate sends them. Nowhere is this more clearly shown than in All's Well that Ends Well. Bertram objects to the marriage arranged for him but we have no sympathy for him. His duty is to carry on and be a good husband to Helena. Likewise we have little sympathy for Angelo in Measure for Measure when he is forced to marry Mariana. And Sebastian in Twelfth Night is approved for going along with a marriage to a woman he has never met before, just because she insists upon it.

Marriage is sometimes marred in Shakespeare by the jealousy of one of the parties. With Adriana in Comedy of Errors, this is a nuisance, but in Othello and Postumus and Leontes it is downright dangerous. The accepted wisdom in Shakespeare's day about the likelihood of wives to stray and the jealousy of husbands seems extremely silly these days, and it seemed silly to Shakespeare. Almost all jealousy in Shakespeare is unfounded, and the virtuous spouses do not engage in it.

There is a certain amount of adultery. Goneril in King Lear is an example, as is Queen Margaret in Henry VI Part II, and Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. In the cases of Margaret and Antony, the marriages they are unfaithful to are political matches not the product of their affections. Shakespeare seems to be more tolerant of adultery in these marriages than in the case of Goneril, who had apparently chosen Albany.

On the other hand, Shakespeare holds fidelity in marriage up as a shining virtue. Desdemona is a particular example of a wife so true to her husband that she will not do him wrong even after he has murdered her. We also see this in fourteen year old Juliet saying "Shall I speak ill of him who is my husband?" Juliet knows her duty as a wife and she matures immeasurably when she accepts it.

And that leads us to the problematic Taming of the Shrew. Kate's final speech would seem to hold up the subservient wife as a model to be imitated. Shakespeare did indeed hold fidelity in marriage (not just sexual fidelity, but holding true to one's spouse) as most important--that is apparent throughout the plays. But at the same time he had a high standard for husbands as well, a standard which all too many of the husbands he created failed to meet. It is unfortunate that we do not hear a speech like Kate's describing how men should bow to the needs and wishes of their wives, because Shakespeare clearly believed that too.

Answer 2

Shakespeare explores various aspects of marriage in his plays, suggesting that it can be both a source of happiness and fulfillment, as well as a source of conflict and pain. He emphasizes the complexities and nuances of romantic relationships, showing that they require communication, trust, and understanding to succeed. Overall, Shakespeare's portrayal of marriage highlights the ups and downs of love and partnership.