Shakespearean-: Women had little autonomy during Shakespeare's time, and though some were educated, they weren't allowed to work in most professions. A woman's primary societal duties were to marry as directed by her family and raise her children. It was not legal for women to undertake any trades unless they were capable of mastering them at home, like making hats and brewing. Women were not allowed to vote, and while they could inherit property, they could not buy it for themselves. Shakespeare showed gender could be used for more than society thought. He showed that men can be women, and women can be men, that gender roles could be reversed. He also put that through in his works like Macbeth, where lady macbeth is portrayed as a cunning and devious woman unlike many norms that the society had for women.
