The diary of Samuel Pepys is often studied for its first-hand account of important events in London's history. Pepys records information about the restoration of the Stuart monarchy, the plague, and the Great Fire of London, and readers are able to gain a greater understanding of this tumultuous period of time through his writings. The Diary, in addition to being a useful piece of historical literature, is a useful tool for analyzing 17th century gender roles. In addition to recording important historical events, Pepys includes small details about his life. Details about her marriage, her affairs, and her feelings regarding both of the aforementioned topics reveal the restrictive nature of gender roles and the patriarchal institution of marriage at the time. Pepys was a middle-class man in public office, and could be said to be a model citizen of the 17th century. Therefore, by examining the marriage of Samuel and Elizabeth Pepys, readers can understand the restrictive and ambiguous nature of gender roles in a middle-class marriage during the late 1600s. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Even in modern criticism of The Diary, readers insist that Pepys appears, on some level, to love Elizabeth, despite committing numerous acts of adultery and abuse. It is therefore essential to re-examine the definition of love during the 17th century to evaluate the dynamics of the Pepy marriage. If Pepys loved his wife, why did he have numerous affairs? Why did he physically abuse his wife? Why did he feel guilty for his actions but continue to do evil? All of the above questions can be answered by evaluating the role of gender in the institution of marriage as it was perceived in the 17th century. As London is a patriarchal society, men held the power in marriages and women were often considered property. For middle-class men like Pepys, a wife was as important a possession as a nice dress or a house. Claire Tomalin, in her book Samuel Pepys: The Unequaled Self, discusses the concept of marriage at the time: “Marriage was supposed to be a step on the social ladder” (50). Arguably, it wasn't love that drove Samuel and Elizabeth to marry in the first place, but social norms. Alice Clark, author of The Working Life of Women in the Seventeenth Century, argues that Samuel Pepys married because of capitalism. She writes: "It is also significant that men at that time did not view marriage as necessarily involving the assumption of a serious economic burden, but instead often viewed it as a step that could strengthen them in the battles of life." (39). During that time, women were nothing more than commodities that could be used to improve one's social status or well-being. It is likely that Pepys married for the appearance of having a wife rather than for true love. Samuel's treatment of his wife highlights the problematic nature of seventeenth-century gender roles. It was understood that the wife should have children and take care of them, and the husband should take care of the family finances. From the beginning of the novel, Samuel mentions his wife's inability to fulfill her role. He writes about his hope of having a child but his wife not getting pregnant. Although he doesn't delve into the topic, you can tell that he is dissatisfied with their childless union. His dissatisfaction could be the source of his adultery. In The Diary, readers learn that Samuel is a womanizer. He often lusts after women, fantasizes about them, and harasses them. Through theSamuel's interactions with other women, readers gain an understanding of his perception of women as sexual objects and his contempt for his wife. Samuel's affair with Betty Michell most effectively advances the idea that the adultery was based on dissatisfaction with Elizabeth's inability to fulfill her role as wife. In his Diary, Pepys writes of a scandalous moment he experienced with Betty Michell while in the company of his wife: “I came to sit 'avec' Betty Michell, and there I had her 'main', which 'elle' gave me much frankly now, and made hazer whatever I 'voudrais avec la', which made me 'plaisir' 'grandement', and so I put it home with my mind very happy with what I have prevailed so far” ( 2213). Writing in a kind of secret language, Pepys knew he was doing something wrong when he forced himself on other women. This act of courting another woman while in the presence of his wife demonstrates Pepys' lack of satisfaction in his marriage. Pepys's infatuation with Betty Michell continues to bring out his underlying dissatisfaction with his wife. At one point in The Diary, shortly after forcing himself on Betty, he pretends that she is his wife. Pepys writes: "the mistress of the shop took us into the kitchen and there we talked and treated each other very nicely, and he took her for my wife, who I owned and her big belly, and there very cheerful, until I finished my things, and then took the carriage and went home” (2219). It seems that he is happy with the idea of ​​having a pregnant wife. This may reflect his dissatisfaction with his wife's inability to give him a child he era dictated Pepys' actions. It was not uncommon for men to be quite forceful with women. He would certainly be considered a pervert by today's standards, but treating women in such a vulgar manner was not necessarily wrong in Pepys's time very much the women he sees as objects of his desires; he judges beauty and covets their appearances, however, as an asset over which he has control, as a piece of property way Pepys sees the women he desires and the woman he is married to, but this is not the case. certainly not a difference in terms of respect. In “The Irrepressible Pepys,” author Brooke Allen states that “Pepys was a domestic bully” (19). Pepys writes about a particular instance of his physical abuse in his diary. He writes: "Then she gave me an annoyed answer and I gave her such a blow on the left eye that the poor unfortunate woman cried out and was in great pain, but nevertheless her spirit was such that she attempted to bite and scratch me" (1479) . Rather than sexually abusing his wife, as one might expect of a libertine like Pepys, he abuses her physically. This exemplifies the concept of gender roles within marriage in the seventeenth century. Pepys believes that women he does not “own” are sexually attractive and treats them like forbidden fruit. His wife, however, is seen more as an object for gratifying social status than as an object for gratifying sexuality. For men of Pepys' time, “marriage marked the transition from submission within the father's or master's family to rule within one's economic unit” (Peters 77). For women in this period, at least through Pepys' lens, marriage reduced their sex appeal and made them a commodity. For Pepys it seems that marriage causes women to lose their place on the pedestal. It loses its place as an object of desire and becomes an object that must be controlled, even if this means resorting to violence. Another instance where Pepys acts out of anger towards his wife is when he breaks a, 2007.