Feminist Criticism In Shakespeare's Othello

Feminist criticism focuses on relationships between genders and examines a text based on the patterns of thought, behavior, values, enfranchisement, and power in relations between and within the sexes. Throughout the play, Othello mostly shows his love for Desdemona and at the end, hate, but she never stops loving him and sticks up for herself. When you compare their relationship

I believe that the critical lens that provides modern society with the most compelling view of literature is Feminist Criticism because it analyzes distrust and disloyalty among relationships, women being treated as possessions and shows the representation of powerful women. Modern society would analyze literature using a feminist perspective because most literature analyzes the relationship between genders and the powerful influence and meaning it has to the readers life. Othello is a great play to analyze with many different types of literature criticisms, but Feminist Criticism analyzes the plot and the main characters situation most. It is still so common to see many of the points presented in the book till this day, men believing that they are stronger than women and treating them as inferior. Even so women are trying to make their voice be heard and demonstrating everyday the vital impact they have in society.

It is very interesting to read this play because people have been questioning gender roles in society a ton recently, so it is fascinating to see what Shakespeare wrote 400 years ago. Shakespeare uses the complex theme of gender roles throughout the play to show the stereotypical characteristics of what men and women are thought to

Throughout all of macbeth, gender roles are present in all of the halls of Macbeth's castle. It is extraordinary how William Shakespeare has molded and set examples of the male masculinity struggle and to uphold it, while on the other side how women must be treated as fragile birds. Shakespeare uses gender roles ironically to portray the complexity of the characters he has created. With all of human characters, the witches on their own face gender roles in the way of their appearances. Banquo speaks that “Banquo: Upon her skinny lips.

He Becomes She: Acting in Shakespearean Plays Shakespeare capitalizes on the power of women, their varying personalities, and the men who played these female roles. A law barring women from the stage caused Shakespeare to use men to add strength to his female characters. Because of this law, men acted the roles of women, and women disguise themselves as men to have the power to perform. Men who portrayed women played unique roles in Shakespeare’s plays. According to Bardstage, “the acting profession was not a credible one and it was unthinkable that any woman would appear in a play.” A law required men to play the role of women.

In the tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare depicts the role of women, through the ladies of the Capulet household and their suppressed role compared to that of a man which consequently, results in the women being slandered, objectified and being forced to comply with decisions they don’t

In particular, it will focus on the character of Katherine from The Taming of the Shrew who appears to have submitted to her husband’s will but upon deeper scrutiny can be seen to manipulate Petruchio’s behaviour. To a lesser extent, Bianca and the Widow’s actions will also be examined as both of these women use conformity to patriarchal standards in order to marry men who they will be able to control. The four female leads of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will all be considered for their attempts to gain political agency: Hermia and Helena leave Athens despite being ordered otherwise, Titania leaves Oberon rather than bowing to his will, and Hippolyta uses her influence over Theseus to manipulate his decisions. In the case of All’s Well That Ends Well the character of Helen – who charms the Countess and King into letting her choose to marry Bertram, who is above her station and uninterested – will be investigated. As will the Countess – who agrees to her plan so that she herself will gain a better position in court – and Diana – who, along with her mother, aids Helen in the bed trick on the promise

The emasculation of great men led to their downfall; the perpetrators were the women in their lives. As such, Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth are to blame for Antony and Macbeth’s ruin, respectively. Such is the argument of many critics whose basis of accusation is far from grounded. Both women are powerful Shakespearean characters marked with a stain, not of guilt or crime in its entirety, but rather one of womanhood. Through the creation of double standards with their male counterparts, both female characters are subject to sexism and objectification.

The home became the woman’s domain with the female as the center of morality for the family. Domestic ideology emphasized virtue and purity and women were above feeling sexual desire. The woman’s job was to keep the men in the family morally pure. Women worried about their men being led astray by immoral women. In a letter to her brother Lealand, Amy Galusha wrote she was worried about him becoming attracted to a “fancy woman” who would lead him astray thus ruining his life (Antebellum Women, pg 119).

Desdemona is the rest of the characters to survey, in any case she is in like manner the most basic. Desdemona is managed outlandishly in light of the way that she is a tried and true wife, who appreciates her mate specifically. Regardless, through the help of Iago, her companion, and Othello suspects Desdemona is undermining him. This is not substantial, yet rather still Othello believes his partner much sooner than he would listen to the woman who loves him. Othello then, as opposed to treating Desdemona conventionally thusly for her love, battles with and mocks her.