Venus In Fur

1657 Words4 Pages

David Ives work of Venus in Fur takes readers through a dramatic audition which explores both reality and the world of theatre. Ives dives into the complexities of relationships, emotions and the way humans interact. Through the use of different relationships, both real and theatrical, readers are able to understand the complexities of gender relations. From the start of the dramatic work of Venus in Fur, David Ives displays a plethora of gender relations by challenging traditional gender roles, relationship and societal norms and presenting power shifts between the genders. The relationship displayed between Thomas and his fiancee Stacy challenges traditional gender and relationship roles through their dialogue and relationship dynamic. …show more content…

Severin was abused by his aunt at a young age, which has made him want to be submissive and feel pain: “There can be nothing more sensuous than pain or more pleasurable than degradation. The Countess had become my ideal you see. Ideal women, ideal mate. An avatar of the goddess of love herself. I’ve been on the hunt for her double ever since-and for a woman of her delicious cruelty” (24). Severin’s obsession with pain and the need to be dominated affects his relationship with Vanda, in which he insists upon being her slave. For most of the dialogue between Vanda and Severin, Vanda is the one that holds the power. During the 1800s, when this would have been taking place, men traditionally held the power in the relationship. Women were supposed to be very submissive to men and not question them or their authority. In this case, Vanda takes the male role in the relationship, leading Severin, who is played by Thomas, to embrace his femininity. This can be seen as mirroring of Thomas’s reality of his relationship with Stacy. In the dialogue between Vanda and Severin, Vanda has found a bookmark with the painting Venus with a Mirror on it. This painting symbolizes the mirroring of Thomas’s reality in his play Venus in Fur. As the play comes to a close the power dynamics in Vanda and Severin’s relationship dramatically shifts. Vanda and Thomas switch roles, Thomas taking on the feminine role of Vanda. At this same moment, Vanda becomes Severin’s slave, shifting roles completely. Vanda begins to display her fragility, something that has not been seen the whole play. Vanda professes her love for Severin taking on the traditional feminine role: “I’ve loved you and wanted you since the first moment I saw you because-I’m not what I seem. I’m weak. I’m so lost, you see” (71). Vanda takes

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