Leading Ladies is a comedic play written by Ken Ludwig which was published in 2006. It revolves around two men who attempt to dress up as women in order to gain inheritance from a woman who supposedly passed away. Things become difficult once they realize that the old woman, who they must call Aunt Florence, is still alive. The two men, Jack Gable and Leo Clarke, are two Shakespearean actors who are struggling to make it big. The rest of the cast involves a soon to be wed couple Meg and Duncan, the men’s “Aunt” Florence, a simpleminded diner girl, and father-son duo Butch and Doc. Doc mistakenly thought Florence was dead which led the boys to dress up as her long lost nieces in order to gain millions in inheritance, however they soon find out
the truth. When Leo and Jack meet Meg and Audrey, they quickly fall in love with them. The play goes on with Leo trying to get Meg from Duncan, and Jack wanting to win Audrey over. At the end of the hilarious play, Leo and Meg are happily in love as well as Audrey and Jack. Aunt Florence is still alive and well, and Doc is still a horrible doctor. As we put on the play, I was watching through a backstage perspective. I did all of Jack’s, some of Meg’s and Leo’s quick changes. Between each change, I watched from both wings and saw the entire play through rehearsals and the actual performances. I quite enjoyed working with the actors first hand and making sure they have everything they need costume wise, so they will not go out on stage looking half dressed.
In the book Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England 1650-1750, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich attempts to highlight the role of women that was typical during this particular time period. During this point in history in hierarchal New England, as stated both in Ulrich’s book and “Give Me Liberty! An American History” by Eric Foner, ordinary women were referred to as “goodwives” (Foner 70). “A married woman in early New England was simultaneously a housewife, a deputy husband, a consort, a mother, a mistress, a neighbor, and a Christian” and possibly even a heroine (Ulrich 9). While it is known that women were an integral part of economic and family life in the colonies during this time, Ulrich notes that it is unlikely
Leslie Van Houten was finally found suitable for parole after 46 years in prison and 21 appearances before California’s Board of Parole Hearings. But if recent history is any indication, this participant in one of the most shocking crimes in American history likely won’t go free. In the justice system there are a lot of shocking turns and twists that could go since this trial is very popular since the late 60s. Manson who mostly in the U.S. knows about, was not just a serial killer he had a cult/ group of followers in is scheme to somehow murder famous people in the Los Angeles area. When Van Houten was arrested and paraded into court with Manson’s
Gender roles are society’s concept on how men and woman should behave. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hamlet by William Shakespeare, gender roles are evident in how characters act and distinguish each other.
the women are more observant than the men. The women in the play discover Mrs.
The 2002 and 2003 Globe productions of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night according to James Bulman’s article, “Bearding the Queen: Male Cross-Dressing at the New Globe,” used a cast completely composed of grown men. This casting choice added an extra layer of irony behind the love triangle of the play, causing the comedy to become an even more comical experience for the audience. For example, Olivia is in love with Viola because she thinks Viola is a man. However, in the production described by Bulman, Olivia and Viola are both obviously played by men. Even when gender confusion is straightened out at the end of the play, the audience still sees members of the same sex marrying each other due to the all-male cast. Trevor Nunn’s 1996 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night used a traditional cast of females playing female characters and males playing male characters. Although the film maintained comical elements with a cast of both genders, it removed suggestive elements from Shakespeare’s original play. For example, Shakespeare wrote Antonio telling Sebastian, “I could not stay behind you. My desire,/More sharp than fil...
Richmond, Macrae Hugh. "Women's Roles" Shakespeare's Theatre: A Dictionary Of His Stage Context (2004): 502-504. Literary Reference Center. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
"As truly as God is our Father, so truly is God our Mother, and he revealed that in everything, and especially in these sweet words where he says:... I am he, the power and goodness of fatherhood; I am he, the wisdom and the lovingness of motherhood"(Damarosch,478). In today's society it is commonplace, even routine to think of Christian divinity in terms of male gender. How amazing it seems then, to be presented with medieval language which portrays God as a female gendered divinity. Where did the idea arise to portray God as feminine? And what purpose does it serve? This essay seeks to examine whether Julian of Norwich's gender construction of the divine is subversive and radical in light of the reduced power of women in medieval Christianity.
Firstly we will commence by discovering how women are presented in Shakespeare’s play .Through-out the play women are presented as immature , impuissant characters : Lady Capulet & Juliet ,all women are regarded as possessions of men ,for them to do as they please . They are ornaments, they cannot speak their minds nor can they make their own decisions. Women are in the men’s shadows.
Throughout Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, there is an overlaying presence of the typical roles that men and women were supposed to play. During Elizabethan times there was a major difference between the way men and women were supposed to act. Men typically were supposed to be masculine and powerful, and defend the honor. Women, on the other hand, were supposed to be subservient to their men in their lives and do as ever they wished. In Romeo and Juliet the typical gender roles that men and women were supposed to play had an influence on the fate of their lives.
Agnès Varda made several films during the New Wave that were pertinent to women. She herself is in an atypical profession in the male dominated industry of film. She continues to challenge male-dominated filmmaking and creates films and characters that also challenge the traditional role of women. Any preconceived notions of what a woman should be are nowhere to be seen in Varda’s films. Feminism is manifested in many of Varda’s films. She shows the journey of different women in a male dominated society. Cléo in Cléo from 5 to 7 goes through her journey trapped by the male gaze, imprisoned. However, Mona in Vagabond chooses to be free from it, the camera and its gaze does not bind her. These films seem to be strongly interested in the roles women inhabit in French society. Varda is able to present those roles with frank, yet complex honesty. Her women characters are unconventional for her time, especially when compared to other films directed by men like Truffaut and Godard. She does not just put them in the predictable roles like the mother, the caretaker, the maid, etc. Instead she places them in the front of her films and makes them the protagonist. She gives them real issues and conflicts to battle with. She is able to use the cinema as a means of looking deeply into the women’s psyche and personal choices.
From the start of the book we can see that women in the book are
Often times in society, people have a set image of what roles specific people should have, especially when it comes to men versus women. The love between men and women is often a complicated position to be in and the way society places gender roles on people does not make it any easier. In the play Twelfth Night, Shakespeare utilizes character’s romantic relationships in order to portray the standards that society places on gender roles. Shakespeare uses the characters Olivia and Viola to show how women are often given gender roles, showing that women can have power over men, and that women have the ability to be strong and fight for what they want even if it means breaking a few rules along the way.
Men have so much control in this society and Shakespeare has a little bit of a change in the women in his play.
Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997. 366-398. Neely, Carol Thomas. “Shakespeare’s Women: Historical Facts and Dramatic Representations.”
With all of the male characters changing their identities, Shakespeare tried to portray the women as being ignorant and not realizing what was going on. With at least two major characters changing parts to get closer to their loved ones, the women seemed to be clueless. Shakespeare portrayed these women as being easily tricked. While it seemed like all the men were trying to suit Bianca, Petruccio was taming Kate.