Page No. : 47-50

In almost all periods of history, including the present one, different standards have been applied to the sexual conduct of men and women. It is much more so when it comes to sexual freedom outside wedlock. Men have, of course, enjoyed this freedom in all ages and cultures but whenever women have chosen to exercise it, the social fabric of almost every society has felt threatened. In the 16th century England both humanists and puritans raised their voice against women discrimination but as far as the question of chastity is concerned it came to mean only female chastity. Some of the feminist too feel somewhat uncomfortable while dealing with this question. Even William Shakespeare who is otherwise most sympathetic to women, could not help sharing many of the contemporary biases. "Frailty thy name is woman" was the main male slogan in the period against women. The Elizabethan Age therefore came to believe that it was the duty of the husband to control her and to discipline her. The advice given to parents was that they should not let their daughters be exposed to temptation of any kind. Painstaking cultural conditioning of girls was emphasized. The present studies also focuses on the view in detail that rigorous cultural conditioning fabricates virtual wives. It will be studied by referencing and contextualizing Shakespeare’s works.