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Merchant Of Venice Feminist Analysis

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Feminist Perspectives on Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice

Feminist criticism has blossomed to a large extent and it has become one of the world 's most vibrant and vigorously practiced schools for analyzing literature. It has also provoked some spirited warfare in academe.It is obvious that all feminist critics are not only women and they disagree with one another on many debatable points. There is no denying the fact that they share common ground in the belief that literature reflects the oppression of women in a world dominated by men. The society that Shakespeare reflects in Belmont and Venice is largely patriarchal in structure. In spite of the male dominated values of Venice and Belmont, the female characters of the play, become victorious in their pursuits. They overcome the obstacles that the patriarchal society creates on their ways. The female characters of the play are feminist in their spirit. Within the play The Merchant of Venice, the female characters achieve amazing deeds to "clean up" the messes that their husbands had made. Furthermore, the women all eventually achieve their own goals. Women were expected to concern themselves with marriage and motherhood only, and to submit themselves to their fathers and then their husbands in all ways. …show more content…

Subordination, submission, and skill in care giving were valued in women, and they were expected to keep their opinions to themselves.As far as the leading male characters in The Merchant, are concerned, they all are of a patriarchal bent of mind. Their attitude towards women shows that they do not think them of prime concern for them. For them, other worldly things such as money and their relationship with men are more important than their relationship with women. Directly or indirectly they all seem to be

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