Arcangela Tarabotti: Equality Between the Sexes and the Problem of Women's Freedom

Abstract

It is a matter of presenting the discussion on women's freedom, as addressed by Arcangela Tarabotti (1604–1652). In her treatise Tyrannia Paterna, the Venetian philosopher denounces the arbitrariness of fathers in sending their daughters to convents without their consent, depriving them of freedom without any crime committed. Tarabotti criticizes the contradiction between devotion to God and forced enclosure, emphasizing the importance of free will, which, according to her, is granted equally to men and women. Her work is a fervent defense of freedom, produced in a period that marginalized women from a long and fruitful philosophical debate on topics such as equality and political freedom. To advocate for women's freedom, she rejects the idea that the convent is the only place for devotion to God, viewing it as a form of tyranny exercised by men over women, going against divine will. Based on this, the aim is to investigate the problem of free will, the theme of passions, and the issue of fragility concerning women's bodies, in order to understand the specific limitations imposed on women as perceived by Tarabotti.