To The Ladies - Lady Mary Chudleigh

Lady Mary Chudleigh was a powerful writer, like many other women during her time. She was brave enough to share her opinions on marriage during her time. Although this poem is short, it sure does have a great meaning behind it and she cuts straight to the point with the first line...

"Wife and servant are the same, but only differ in the name:..."

Chudleigh was talking about how awfully treated women were by men. She compares women to servants, meaning that all they do is get bossed around by men and do exactly what they tell them to do.

"For when that fatal knot is tied, Which nothing, nothing can divide:..."

Marriage during this time was for lifetime, no matter what! (With very few exceptions.) Once you were married, you were stuck with that person for life. I feel bad for Chudleigh while reading her poem; all she wants, as well as many women during this time, is a happy and respectful relationship with their husbands. Instead, they're treated like servants.

It is sad to think about this, as we grow up in a period of time where divorce is very common. If a marriage does not work out, you should be able to separate! It is hard for us these days to wrap our heads around the fact that you could only have one person, no matter if your marriage ended up being good or bad!