Portrayal Of Women In William Shakespeare S

Plays Essay, Research Paper

The critical question of most scholars studying William Shakespeare s writing was whether he was trying to stress the importance of equality and fairness amongst women or was he, as a male raised in the 16th century, expressing his beliefs of women as a gender. Did Shakespeare truly believe, as he had Richard in Richard III state, that the differences of male and female was as simple as the words male and female being associated with different statements. For example, the word male being associated with bruised arms, stern alarums, and barbed steeds, while female is associated with merry meetings, delightful measures, and sporty tricks (Lenz 36). This word association was not only implying that men are strong and women are weak , but it also shows Richard s determination to obliterate those who represent the opposite those who are women (Lenz 37). As most scholars find Shakespeare did not use the abuse and ridicule of women as form of entertainment and education but more of a way to show the audience the inequality that women are faced with. He showed the mistreatment of women in his plays to make his audiences recognize it, not agree with it.

Many readers who have not sat and taken the time to thoroughly read and study Shakespeare are quick to assume, because of some of the offensive ways Shakespeare portrays women in his plays, that Shakespeare was another sexist man. Readers also do not understand why Shakespeare could not conduct plays that provided the answer to these discriminating ways. Yet, through summarized excerpts and examples it is easy to see that, in the words of Karen Newman, Shakespeare liked to raise issues rather than provide solutions (Waller 40).

According to A.L. Rowse, Puritanism was a movement within the Church of England for closer identification with the principles of the early Protestantism (3). Puritanism was highly influential in the ways of men of the 16th century and the way Shakespeare portrayed women in his play. Shakespeare was a normal boy who had a normal education. Shakespeare, the well-known genius was a man who was much like that of a modern grammar-school boy, not good enough for college (Rowse 1). His plays are very grammar-schoolish in sense of methods and drama (Rowse 2). When Shakespeare was being raised and educated, Puritanism was at a high point of teaching. The Puritans teachers were not willing or interested in changing the views women and their inferiority, and in fact they wanted to enhance the attitudes already held, such as forced marriage, marriage for money, child marriage and marriage between young women and old men (Dusinberre 4). These Puritan teachers were highly concentrated on morals. They focused on sex, whether it was inside marriage or outside marriage, and on the male attitudes towards female virginity (Dusinberre 24). Juliet Dusinberre points out that Puritanism pushed the dramatists into talking about women. The preachers posed questions about attitudes to women which provided the playwrights with raw material, and created an atmosphere which stimulated them to use it (30).

In the play, The Merchant of Venice there is a theme of submission of women to men as authoritative figures. Portia who is preparing to marry her wooer, Bassanio, states this speech of submission to him:

Happiest of all, is that her gentle spirit

Commits itself to yours to be directed,

As from her lord, her governor, her king.

Myself, and what is mine, to you and yours

Is now converted. But now I was the lord

Of this fair mansion, master of my servants

Queen o er myself; and even now, but now,

This house, these servants, and this same myself

Are yours (http://tech-two.mit.edu/Shakespeare/works.html).

Portia s submission is almost impulsive to her, because that is the way women were raised to be. Her obedience, submission, and making of him her King is considered a true act of love to Bassanio. Submission in Puritan eyes, was the handmaid of harmony in marriage (Dusinberre 85).

According to Dusinberre, a wife-tamer granted his wife fill liberty once she allows him all authority (85), as in Hamlet where man and wife, once married, are viewed as one. For example when Hamlet is leaving, he must make one final salute before he leaves to England. He salutes him with: Farewell, dear Mother. Claudius corrects him smoothly: Thy loving father, Hamlet. and Hamlet bursts out My Mother father and mother is man and wife, man and wife is one flesh, and so my Mother (Dusinberre 99).

In the course of Romeo and Juliet, the theme is a socialization tragedy of young men and women in their societal roles. They were always told to defend themselves, families and honor. Yet, it still has a sexual teaching in it for the boys and men. Coppelia Kahn claims that Romeo and Juliet fosters in the sons fear and scorn of woman, associating women with effeminacy and emasculation, while it links sexual intercourse with aggression and violence against women, rather than pleasure and love (Lenz 172-173).

With Othello we deal with women, Desdemona, and the subject of women as whores. A whore is always lower-class, a rake is always upper-class. To call a woman a whore, as Othello calls Desdemona, not only casts aspersions on her morals, but takes away her position in society (Dusinberre 52). Although Othello idolized