Gender Roles In The Merchant Of Venice
Christie Yeo Qing Wen Professor Kevin Riordan HL1002: Survey of English Literature I 6 November 2015 The Deception of Gender In The Merchant of Venice, deceptive façades are reinforced by Portia’s seeming subjugation to male rule, but in truth, her status as an empowered female who maintains her autonomy and ultimately outwits and subverts the authority of the patriarchal Elizabethan society. Framing Portia as being a “fair” and “sweet” (I.I, III.IV) object of desire in the introductory, and many subsequent, scene highlights the Renaissance ideal of women as being “silent, chaste, and immured within the home” (Howard 424). However, she subsequently disproves the ideal of women as submissive and blurs the gender binary by taking on masculine …show more content…
After fulfilling her father’s wishes, despite using slightly underhand means, she tests Bassanio’s resolve and loyalty through the tangible “ornament” of a ring, which serves to assert her dominance in the relationship. Mahon notes he “unknowingly relinquishes his control to her” (331) by accepting the ring and the terms that had come with it. While Garber states that rings are customarily symbolic of females (473), Portia undoes these traditional readings, and by her offering him the ring, betroths him. Symbolic of her “possession of him” (Mahon 331), the ring thus proves her autonomy and is employed as a tool of feminine …show more content…
Portia deceives the characters and audiences into thinking of her role as constructed by male rule. However, with the play beginning with her and the fact that she ultimately controls the fate of all characters and the plot emboldens the idea of her as a surrogate artist-figure. She is able to make all the choices, manipulate people and situations, while appearing to follow by the rules of the patriarchal society which has relegated her to be viewed as a traditionally feminine character. The preoccupation of society’s anxieties about gender is singularly encapsulated by this female character in a multitude of hidden truths, thus, while Portia may not embolden or topple any of the social structures, she allows for the viewing and questioning of its constructedness through the layered
Gender Roles In The Pirates Of Penzance
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638 Words | 3 Pages‘’It’s not often you get female characters who don’t fit in a box’’, complained actress Rebecca Hall. Females are considered to be extremely emotional and one dimensional characters in classic literature. They point to classic pieces such as Pride and Prejudice’s character Elizabeth and The Scarlet Pimpernel characters. Though female characters can bring humor, conflict, or romance even though they are critiqued otherwise. In The Scarlet Pimpernel, the Comtesse brings happiness and a loving tone to the story while Marguerite brings the conflict and the troubling romance.
Essay On Women In Othello And A Streetcar Named Desire
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William Shakespeare's Portia As A Powerless Woman
849 Words | 4 PagesShakespeare’s language and choice of words portrays one of the most vital characters of the play, Portia, as a powerless woman to a large extent… but only in a certain way. Being ‘powerful’ has three meanings, one is “having great strength”, two is “having control over people and events”, and lastly three is “having a strong effect on people’s thoughts and feelings”. The two latter definitions are similar yet very different in this context. Making it possible for Portia to seem like a powerless woman, but surprisingly remain one of the most important characters.
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Feminist Criticism In Othello
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The Misjudging Of Women In Shakespeare's Othello
766 Words | 4 PagesThroughout Shakespeare's play, Othello, the mistreatment and misjudging of women is a reoccurring event. The mistreatment and misjudging of the women, in particular Bianca, Emilia, and Desdemona, is demonstrated by every character throughout. The mistreatment is shown through stereotyping, accusations and abuse. The use of stereotyping is mostly used against Bianca. Bianca is considered to be Cassio’s mistress.
Feminist Point Of View In Shakespeare's Othello
1031 Words | 5 PagesThe feminist perspective challenges sexism and other beliefs and practices that result in the domination of women. When we look at Othello from feminist point of view it is important to note how the women of this play are treated and stereotyped.
The Role Of Women In Shakespeare's Othello
1592 Words | 7 PagesWhile Desdemona is a remarkably strong character, Emilia also displays independence unmatched by any other female in Othello, and there are multiple details of Shakespeare and his time that may have prompted such a portrayal. In Elizabethan England, many women worked behind the scenes of productions, like Shakespeare’s, as uncredited authors and editors (Crowley). Due to their anonymity, nobody can be sure that women were involved in Shakespeare’s plays nor Othello in particular, but there is a genuine possibility that female writers did have leverage. This may have had to do with how Emilia was portrayed as resilient from the time of Desdemona’s death all the way until her own, standing up for herself regardless of the ridicule it caused her (Iyasere). In fact, it even killed her in the end.
Masculinity In Othello
1010 Words | 5 PagesFor Shakespeare’s plays to contain enduring ideas, it must illustrate concepts that still remain relevant today, in modern society. Shakespeare utilises his tragic play Othello, to make an important social commentary on the common gender stereotypes. During early modern England, Shakespeare had to comply to the strict social expectations where women were viewed as tools, platonic and mellow, and where men were displayed as masculine, powerful, tempered, violent and manipulative. As distinct as this context is to the 21st century, the play exposes how women were victimised by the men who hold primary power in the community in which they compelled women to conform to the ideal world of a perfect wife or confront an appalling destiny for challenging the system. Moreover, Shakespeare utilises the main antagonist, Iago, to portray how men are desperate to achieve what they want and to indirectly fulfil the stereotype of masculinity and power through manipulation.
Comparison Of Feminism In The Handmaid's Tale By Virginia Woolf
1141 Words | 5 PagesWith that purpose in mind, she revises some aspects of women’s place/absence in history, society, and literature and mixed it with some fiction in order to explain how she came to adopt that thesis. For example, she asks herself what would have happened if Shakespeare had had a sister
Sympathy For Women In Shakespeare's Othello
328 Words | 2 PagesIn his play “Othello,” Shakespeare is very compassionate towards the women of his era. He treats Desdemona with special sympathy. She is the victim of two crossed male aspirations — the devilry of villain Iago and the jealousy of her husband. The main cause of Desdemona’s tragedy is the total absence of women’s personal liberty. The lack of self-development without restrictions of society and family constricts the mind.
Gender Role In Ariel Dorfman's 'Death And The Maiden'
1506 Words | 7 PagesThe psychological impacts of a patriarchal society are seen throughout the production. Paulina is not only the victim of a crime, but also the victim of a society that has acted in a misogynistic way toward her. An interesting idea that Dorfman explores is whether this victimisation has served Paulina a significant disadvantage. Gender inequality seems prevalent throughout the play, particularly demonstrated through the relationship between Gerardo and Paulina. When Gerardo returns home in the first act, Paulina questions him regarding the truth commission leading to the revelation Gerardo has accepted a job that deals directly with the assault she faced without asking her beforehand.
Women In The Merchant Of Venice
1054 Words | 5 PagesIt is rare to see woman from this time to be portrayed this way because they were not thought of this way. “They shall think we are accomplished with that we lack” - Portia (3.4.) It was expected back then that only men had the capacity to handle such jobs as lawyers so Portia had no choice but to disguise herself as a man to become a lawyer. Society during that time, believed that women weren’t intelligent enough to take on such roles. Women in the Merchant of Venice go against their gender roles.
Essay On The Role Of Women In The Merchant Of Venice
1104 Words | 5 PagesRole of women in The Merchant of Venice Women during 16th century had no individual freedom. Despite the fact that a single woman ruled England at the time of Shakespeare, the Elizabethan society was patriarchal. Women were considered the weaker gender and always in need of being protected. Wealthy woman were highly educated but they had no right to have professions while poor women sometimes would turn to prostitution or become servants to survive. The book The Merchant of Venice was settled in Venice because Shakespeare wanted to show that even in the foundation place of Renaissance were prejudicial ideas and woman was considered as a weak character.
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