Summary of John Ruskin's Sesame and Lilies Lecture 2 - Of Queen’s Gardens

Introduction             

            The theme of this lecture is how women can possess kingly power conferred to them by education.  If women get education, they become powerful and prestigious.  There is no difference between man and woman; they are complementary to each other.  Aim of education is to get acquainted with the wisest and greatest people through books.

Women in Literature

            Shakespeare is said to have no heroes but only heroines.  Othello, Hamlet, Julius Ceaser, Merchant and Orlando are all weaker than Desdemona, Cordellia, Isabella, Portia and Rosalind.  Tragedy occurs because the heroes does fatal mistake.  Shakespeare’s women are clever and intelligent.  Among Shakespeare’s women Ophelia is weak and Lady Macbeth, Regan and Goneril are wicked.  Thus, Shakespeare views women to be more capable than men.  He also quotes women characters of Walter Scott, Dante and Chaucer.  Women in these literature are real and not imaginary.

Role of Women at Home

            The view that men are always wiser, the thinker and the ruler is wrong.  Women are not dolls.  They play the role of a lover to encourage and guide men.  The lover has sense of duty towards her man.  Their marriage marks the change of temporary service into eternal affair.  Man works out of his home.  He faces a lot of trouble and he is hardened.  Woman is the mistress of home and she is to maintain peace and good atmosphere at home.  A good wife is a home in herself.

Education to Women

            Women must be educated in physical training.  They should gain good health and beauty.  The best poem that reflects this is Wordsworth’s “Education of Nature”.  A woman’s good nature is reflected in her face.  She should never suffer.  She should have three characters – physical beauty, natural instinct of justice and natural tact of love.  She must read history.  Theology is a dangerous science for women.  It makes her superstitious.  Her knowledge must of general nature.  She need not specialize in a specific field.  She must not read romantic novels and poetry, because they contain falsehoods.  Girls should be left in library.  They must be taught music, because music has healing power.  As boys are courageous, girls are also courageous.  They should not develop any complexities like superiority or inferiority complex.

Women in Society and Politics

            Later he talks about role of women in society and politics.  Man’s public duties are extensions of his duties at home similarly woman’s duty could be extended to public.  Man defends the country and a woman defends the family economy.  A woman is a queen, a queen of her lover, queen to her husband and children.  She can be called the “prince of peace”.  Ruskin is not surprised by the loss of life in war but the wasting of women power surprises him.

Conclusion

            The world is a big garden.  There is war all over the garden.  If women walk in the garden there could be change in war.  Women should come into the garden.  They must help men to get shelter.