William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi are fascinating plays with convoluted plots that cause the reader to ponder the possible differences of females roles in 17th century society versus the present day. This is what makes the plays so amazing and interesting, as good literature can easily invoke feelings in its reader, challenging personal morals and beliefs. " In early Modern England, both gender and hierarchy, with the man at the …showed first 75 words of 1584 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1584 total…as entities of lust for men. Shakespeare and Webster both illustrate a comparable society's outlook on women during the early modern period. However, they differ in that Webster illustrates how men obtain the desired control over women through violent schemes, while male characters in Twelfth Night do not possess the need for this; additionally, while Webster displays only women to have a weak sense of reasoning, Shakespeare shows how both genders can sometimes neglect rationale.