... naiveté, and by implication the incapacity of the feudal nobility to resist the power of the new men. In contrast with his father, Edmond believes that nature is a malign force that acts as a powerful motivator, and is concerned only with his own advancement and profit: "When we are sick in fortune. Often the surfeits of our own behaviour, we make ... reflected by the social conventions of patriarchal society, with men believing that it was natural for women to be subservient. As Shakespeare and the Elizabethans saw it, by these women corrupting the structure of power and the natural o...

• Word Count: 1753
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate