Literature | High school » Asha Gwin - William Shakespeare, Feminine Activist or Male Dominance Advocate

Gwin 1 Asha Gwin English 312 2 March 2008 William Shakespeare: Feminine Activist or Male Dominance Advocate? Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory Oxford: Manchester University Press, 2002 Barry’s book gives an overview of a variety of different theories and how to approach a text while using a particular one. The chapter on feminist theory is not an analysis itself, but gives insight as to what certain theorists believe and how they use the theories themselves. It’s a broad theory, primarily because there are so many instances when one has to consider forces outside of the text being examined. Bartels, Emily C. "Strategies of Submission: Desdemona, the Duchess, and the Assertion of Desire.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 36 (1996): 417-33 A feminist lens is applied to the tragedy Othello, exploring how Desdemona argues the dominant male gender role in society. Bartels uses examples from Othello which exhibit Desdemona’s assertiveness and audacity towards a

male-governed society. Boehrer, Bruce. "Economies of Desire in A Midsummer Nights Dream" Shakespeare Studies 32 (2004): 99-117. Male domination in the sixteenth century was the norm in European society, which was when Shakespeare wrote the majority of his work. This way of life transitioned into his literature, specifically in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Boehrer takes his analysis further by suggesting a possible correlation between Shakespeare’s female characters and animals; something he feels Shakespeare treats equally within his work. Gwin 2 Chamberlain, Stephanie. "She is herself a dowry: King Lear and the Problem of Female Entitlement in Early Modern England." Domestic Arrangements in Early Modern England. Ed Kari Boyd McBride Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press, 2002 169-87 Utilizing Victor Turner’s “theoretical model of social drama”, Chamberlain explores multiple scenes of King Lear and assigns each with a stage in Turner’s social drama.

The essay focuses on Lear’s decision to grant his three daughters an inheritance over his illegitimate sons. The resolution produced pandemonium within the fictional society, as well as the citizens of England at the time, being this was such an unheard of occurrence. Conlan, J.P "The Fey Beauty of A Midsummer Nights Dream: A Shakespearean Comedy in Its Courtly Context." Shakespeare Studies 32 (2004): 118-72 Politics and the English court both play a big role in Shakespearean literature; although previous scholars and critics have thought that they were not relevant. Conlan introduces the idea that many of Shakespeare’s plays may not follow the rules of the English Court exactly, mainly because he adopts other political courts as well. The essay has little to do with gender, other than briefly stating that the marriages at the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream follow the political outline and gender roles of every society. Cox, Catherine S. "Sons of Eve: Ambiguity

and Gender in the First Tetralogy" Upstart Crow 17 (1997): 53-65. Gender identities and constructs are major themes throughout the first three parts of HenryVI. Cox suggests that the women exhibit non-traditional attitudes and characteristics, which was completely unprecedented during this period. Shakespeare completely disengaged himself from the cultural and gender boundaries of the sixteenth century within the lines of the play by creating strong and outspoken women. Darraj, Susan Muaddi. "The Sword Phillipan: Female Power, Maternity, and Gwin 3 Genderbending in Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra.” Schuylkill: A Creative and Critical Review from Temple University 4.1 (2001): 23-32 Cleopatra may be the closest resemblance to Queen Elizabeth that Shakespeare has ever created. Darraj discusses the parallels between the two queens, and how using sexuality as a motivator worked in their favor. The correlation between the two exhibits Shakespeare’s attempt to depict

Cleopatra as believable as possible while still possessing male-like traits. Frame, Jeffrey D. "Now will I to the chink, / To Spy : Scopophilia as Gender Sport in A Midsummer Nights Dream." The Upstart Crow 19 (1999): 50-61 The characters in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream are very much influenced by how other characters view them. Frame discusses that through the act of scopophilia, which is the viewing of naked bodies for pleasure, both male and female characters are manipulated into providing what their “watcher” wants to see. Holmer, Joan Ozark. "Desdemona, Woman Warrior: O, these men, these men!’(4359)" Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England 17 (2005): 132-64. Desdemona is analyzed as being an extremely strong and virtuous woman, often referring to herself as a warrior. Othello praises his wife within the context, which many gender and feminist theorists overlook when evaluating their observations of the play. Hopkins, Lisa. Writing Renaissance

Queens: Texts by and about Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 2002 Writers and poets of the sixteenth century often based their leading women characters off of Elizabeth I, the Queen of England at the time. According to Hopkins’ chapter on Elizabeth and Shakespeare, Shakespeare took a different route by practically insulting Queen Elizabeth in some of his works. In fact, the chapter is written primarily on the lack of Elizabeth-like characters in Gwin 4 Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and how the character Theseus is more closely related to the Queen than the other female characters in the play. Jardine, Lisa. "Cultural Confusion and Shakespeares Learned Heroines: These are old paradoxes." Shakespeare Quarterly 381 (1987): 1-18 Shakespeare’s women possess traits that not many other female characters had during this time. For instance, many of his leading ladies were witty, strong-willed and assertive, sometimes refusing

to take backseat to their husbands. Portia from The Merchant of Venice is a prime example of this; she is an educated, strong woman who blatantly indicates that she will be under the order of none other than herself. Pechter, Edward. "Too Much Violence: Murdering Wives in Othello" Women, Violence, and English Renaissance Literature: Essays Honoring Paul Jorgensen Ed. Linda Woodbridge and Sharon Beehler Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2003. 217-42 Women’s relevance in Othello takes a backseat to the murder and hatred portrayed towards them. Desdemona and Emilia especially are victims to their husband’s violent acts and belittlement. Aggressive male-dominance throughout the tragedy promotes hostility towards the women, while the females have done nothing to deserve the mistreatment. Plasse, Marie A. "The Human Body as Performance Medium in Shakespeare: Some Theoretical Suggestions from A Midsummer Nights Dream." College Literature 19.1

(1992): 28-47 The critical theorist Michel Foucault’s study of the human body assists Plasse’s critical essay. Plasse critiques the characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream as acting not only as human characters, but as nonliving beings also. She calls this juxtaposition a transformation from human being to a pretentious gesture. Gwin 5 Stone, James. "Androgynous Union and the Women in Hamlet" Shakespeare Studies 23 (1995): 71-99.When one thinks of Hamlet, an insignificant, down-played coward rarely comes to mind; but Stone explains how one could conjure this thought. Stone suggests that the androgyny, the breakdown of sexual differences, in Hamlet makes it easy to believe that Hamlet wasn’t the big hero that he is portrayed to be. Rather, the women in the play deserve the credit for being strong and self-assured, something that females rarely possessed. Suzuki, Mihoko . "Gender, Class, and the Ideology of Comic Form: Much Ado about Nothing and Twelfth

Night." Feminist Companion to Shakespeare Ed Dympna Callaghan. Malden: Blackwell Publishers, 2000 121-43 A comedic lens focusing on women’s roles, this essay suggests women are just as vital to Shakespeare’s plays as the men. Suzuki discusses that although Hero is treated horrible at her own wedding in Much Ado About Nothing, it is comical when “another Hero” emerges, causing Claudio to question his sanity. The essay empowers women characters in Much Ado and Twelfth Night, while referencing instances where the men are the ones being ridiculed