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Women in shakespeare tragedy
Gender roles shakespeare
Shakespeare's ideal gender roles
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The majority of researchers who study William Shakespeare share a common understanding that in the Shakespearean tragedies there is a correlation between certain representations of gender and genre - comedy and tragedy. Studies shows that charismatic, intelligent and courageous women, for example: Portia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Viola, Helena, etc. dominate in comedies, whereas the plot of a tragedy usually revolves around the shattering experiences of a frustrated man, for example: Titus Andronicus, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Macbeth, etc.
However, an important exception to this rule is brought to us by the tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra, in which Shakespeare creates a very magnetic, interesting and different female character that seems to change and destroy the notion we previously had of the above genre (drama).
This first part of my research proposes a rethinking of Cleopatra - one of the most complex female characters created by Shakespeare. The study focuses on the way Shakespeare built the character taking into account the cultural background of his time and the idea the society...
Stacy Schiff author of Cleopatra strives through her book to denounce all historical myths surrounding Cleopatra. With the rigor of a true historian she is able to distinguish historical veracity from historical myth surrounding the queen from antiquity. The author highlights Cleopatra’s role as a powerful woman and in particular how she attempts to manage the various political or economic predicaments she faced. Stacy Schiff gives us a story that is masterfully reconstructed, allowing the reader insight into the historical context of the time- shedding new light on a woman whose greatest fault was not being a man.
Changing social habits of a contemporary society have seen Cleopatra depicted in many different ways. Whilst few artefacts remain of the true image of Cleopatra, we see from her portrait on the coins (Fear, 2008, p, 21 Fig 1.4) that despite being no legendary beauty, she had the power to captivate two of the greatest Romans of her time. Cleopatra consummated her union with Julius Caesar, which strengthened her grip on the throne, following his assassination; she formed alliance with Mark Antony, in opposition to Octavian, a coalition that would lead to her downfall as both Antony and Cleopatra’s combined forces would be defeated against Octavian in the battle of Actium in 31 BCE. (Fear, 2008, p.7)
Pitt, Angela. "Women in Shakespeare's Tragedies." Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint of Shakespeare's Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.
In this research paper I will be writing about Cleopatra VII. Her early life, family and her relationships’. Cleopatra VII was born around 69 BC and was the daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes and Cleopatra V of Egypt. Her parents got married in the year 79 BC. Her father Ptolemy XII Auletes was the king of Egypt during 80-58 B.C. and 55-51 B.C. He was born in 117 BC and was also known as the “Piper” because he played the flute. He died in 51 BC, Alexandria, Egypt from being exiled. Her mother Cleopatra V was the queen of Egypt, born in 95 BC. She vanished around the time of Cleopatra’s birth in 69 BC then died in 57 BC. Some people believe she was either murdered or that she may have died while giving birth. (“Cleopatras Family”)
In my essay I will be analysing two critics Jan H. Blits and Mary Hamer that discussed whether or not women did play a vital role in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
Cleopatra’s upbringing, specifically her education, falls under one of the influences which provided her with the necessary ...
Shakespeare wrote timeless literature pieces, set in the Elizabethan era. His stories relate to conventional views of Renaissance culture while maintaining a realistic, morphable view concerning issues, such as gender roles. By questioning and challenging Elizabethan hierarchy, stories such as Macbeth posed a threat to stereotypes and ideology while respecting values. Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, explores femininity, gender stereotypes, and allusions to Greek mythology to investigate relativity between cruel behavior and masculinity. (NEED ONE SENTENCE)
Yet this man’s role can be seen as sublimely reversed when in the presence of Cleopatra, the domineering, hedonistic Queen of Egypt, his love. Caesar says of Antony in Act 1 scene 4- “… (Speaking of Antony) he fishes, drinks, and wastes the lamps of night in revel; is not more manlike than Cleopatra, nor the Queen of Ptolomy more womanly than he.” Coming from Caesar, one of Antony’s triumvirate counterparts, this is a strong statement, highlighting the problems Antony has caused.
Shakespeare is debatably the greatest poet and writer of all time. However, that does not mean that these plays adapt to the changing times. In Shakespeare’s, Othello, gender plays a large role in understanding the culture of the time and makes the play out of date, if not used properly. Understanding the gender roles and how they are defined in Shakespeare’s culture, looking at each individual women in the play, and the way Shakespeare should be taught today in order to adapt to the times allows readers a deeper appreciation of Shakespeare’s work. Shakespeare is a wonderful artist and writer. Used properly, students today can learn thousands of lessons and insightful ways to insult one another from the great play writer. “Students have trouble
Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello is an unfortunate example of gender bias, of sexism which takes advantage of women. The three women characters in the drama are all, in their own ways, victims of men’s skewed attitudes regarding women. Let us delve into this topic in this essay.
Imagine a world where women were completely subservient to men. Imagine what it would be like to live in a society where women were home-schooled, and not allowed to attend any type of university. What would today’s society be like if women lawyers, doctors, actors, and military soldiers were nonexistent? It would be a modern day version of the Elizabethan era in England. This was a time period where women had little rights, but the dramatic arts flourished due to Queen Elizabeth’s appreciation for them. It was during this time period that literary genius William Shakespeare wrote his many plays including The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Living in this time period caused him to look at women in a somewhat submissive way and portray them as so.
Neely, Carol Thomas. "Shakespeare's Women: Historical Facts and Dramatic Representations." In Holland, Norman N., Sidney Homan, and Bernard J. Paris, eds. Shakespeare's Personality. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989.
Throughout the historical literary periods, many writers underrepresented and undervalued the role of women in society, even more, they did not choose to yield the benefits of the numerous uses of the female character concerning the roles which women could accomplish as plot devices and literary tools. William Shakespeare was one playwright who found several uses for female characters in his works. Despite the fact that in Shakespeare's history play, Richard II, he did not use women in order to implement the facts regarding the historical events. Instead, he focused the use of women roles by making it clear that female characters significantly enriched the literary and theatrical facets of his work. Furthermore in Shakespeare’s history play, King Richard II, many critics have debated the role that women play, especially the queen. One of the arguments is that Shakespeare uses the queen’s role as every women’s role to show domestic life and emotion. Jo McMurtry explains the role of all women in his book, Understanding Shakespeare’s England A Companion for the American Reader, he states, “Women were seen, legally and socially, as wives. Marriage was a permanent state” (5). McMurtry argues that every woman’s role in the Elizabethan society is understood to be a legal permanent state that is socially correct as wives and mothers. Other critics believe that the role of the queen was to soften King Richard II’s personality for the nobles and commoners opinion of him. Shakespeare gives the queen only a few speaking scenes with limited lines in Acts two, four, and five through-out the play. Also, she is mentioned only a few times by several other of the characters of the play and is in multiple scenes wit...
Neely, Carol Thomas. “Shakespeare’s Women: Historical Facts and Dramatic Representations.” Shakespeare’s Personality. Ed. Norman N. Holland, Sidney Homan, and Bernard J. Paris. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989. 116-134.
One of the biggest internal struggles in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra is Antony’s struggle between reason and emotion. One of the times this is shown is when Antony turns his ships around after noting that Cleopatra has done so in Act III scene 10. Shakespeare decided to show Antony’s internal struggle by having him follow Cleopatra to emphasize how strongly his emotions and reasoning lead him to mix business with pleasure, intertwining his role of general with his role of lover. From turning his ship around mid-battle to dressing himself after spending the night to outright stating his feelings, Antony shows over and over the unavoidable mutual existence of his roles as general and lover.