The Role Of Women In Alexandre Dumas La Dame Aux Camélias

In Alexandre Dumas’ La Dame aux Camélias, central characters are played by women. Guiseppe Verdi, in his adaption, likewise places Violetta as the centre of La Traviata. Despite similarities in their storylines, the portrayals of women differ between the literary works. It can be argued that the function of women in La Dame aux Camélias is to perpetuate the idea that women, even those fallen or of a lower standing, are capable of being in power and behaving in a logical manner, while La Traviata’s Violetta is a mark of the tragedy of love that seems all too common in the human experience.
Dumas’ focus is in his views of women, expressed through the characters of Marguerite and Prudence. These women, typically viewed as of a lower standing,

Marguerite chastises Armand, pointing out that she is not just “some girl who cannot live without ... luxury” (Dumas, 139), choosing instead to sell of her personal possessions in order to sustain their way of life in the countryside, where they were living together blissfully. There is much effort being placed into understanding the situation and making preparations for surviving her new life, and she has the willpower to cast off her old way of life for the sake of love. Following this, she tells Armand that she “had expected better [of him]” (140). Her honesty and frankness with which she addresses Armand gives the reader and idea of what women can actually be without the fear of backlash from society. Similarly, this is also seen in Prudence, who incredulously

She is the object both of beauty and tragedy, tormented by her inability to remain with her love. She alone is the representation of women. The focus differs between the works, the relationship being the most vital part of the play – Violetta considering the possibility of learning to love, of opening herself to being hurt, to being sacrificial for the sake of her love. Verdi’s story is one of great self-sacrificial love, making her death in the arms of her love, thinking she is returning to life, even more tragic. In contrast, the story being told by a narrator outside of the text, second-hand from Armand, makes it possible for the focus to be on the object of his love – Marguerite. His loss deepens his guilt and his emotions towards Marguerite, making her life and her actions that main consideration of the work, impressing on the reader how women can be equally competent, and perhaps also equally cruel. Violetta, however, shares the spotlight with both Alfredo and his father, who play equally important roles in discussing the issues of male dominance over women, and societal expectations and stigma. Violetta does not have the strength that Marguerite displays, begging Alfredo’s father to tell Alfredo of her part in their separation, afraid that she will lose his love if he cannot comprehend her actions. In contrast, Marguerite asks nothing more, her story secondary, but turns it out to