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Women in merchant of venice
Women in Shakespeare tragedy
Gender roles in the taming of the shrew essays
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Recommended: Women in merchant of venice
Women in Taming of The Shrew, Merchant of Venice, and Hamlet
The question has been raised if Katherina, of Shakespeare’s The Taming
of the Shrew, was really a shrew or a women that had trouble receiving
affection? Her character was portrayed as a strong-willed hellcat who
would just as soon devour any man that came near her. When Petruchio
attempted to pay her compliments it seemed to take her off guard. In the
end Petruchio breaks her of her rude behavior by acting just like her.
Petruchio acting the part of the shrew turns into one.
Portia in "The Merchant of Venice" had a considerable amount of
intelligence. She is dictated by her father's will to accept a husband who
could guess the right casket whether she loved him or not. Portia
disguised herself as a man, pretending to be a lawyer, and saving her
husband's best friend was an accomplishment. Portia overhears Bassanio
tell Antonio that he loved him more than his own wife. Then the icing on
the cake was when Bassanio gave his wedding ring away for payment to the
lawyer (Portia) for saving his friend. This woman is like a Timex watch
that "takes a licking and keeps on ticking."
Ophelia was told by her fiance to become a nun. She was forced by her
father to lie to Hamlet. Then she went crazy because Hamlet was
thought to be dead. In the end she killed herself.
The above examples of females in three of William Shakespeare's
plays are very different characters with at least one thing in common.
They were no better than a piece of land, cattle, or possession that a
man could own and do with as he pleased. The women all seemed devoted to
their men, even when they were treated like dirt. I realize that a man
wrote these plays. I agree with some of the feminist writings I have read
in reference to William Shakespeare, when they wrote about how he didn't
have a high regard for the opposite sex. Was Shakespeare writing about
people and events that might have been transpiring around him or was he
out just to please an audience? I believe he wrote to please himself and
in turn pleased the people around him--or should I say the men? For the
women would not be allowed to make an intelligent move that could be
Even though married women could not own property or anything of the sort, single women were able to own land, make a contract, initiate lawsuits, and pay taxes. Even with the privelages bestowed upon the...
... had gotten post traumatic stress after the war. The Soldiers would have nightmares about the war with those conditions. The war lasted from 1956, to 1975 after North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam and the U.S. The Vietnam war was very bad and everyone will do anything to prevent it from happening again.
Sexism is an ever changing concept in today’s world. Every day the concept morphs a little bit, changing the entire definition of what is sexist and what is not. In The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare, the male characters lie to and abuse their women in order to have the women marry them. Lucentio come to Padua to study, but when he sees a beautiful girl, he pretends to be a teacher in order to marry Bianca. Petruchio on the other hand forces a woman to marry him and then trains her to follow his every command. Although the The Taming of the Shrew is frequently regarded as a particularly sexist play, it is not sexist and demeaning towards women.
In the novel Othello, written by William Shakespeare, there are a variety of ways in which women are portrayed. There are strong willed women such as Emilia, who stands up to the men, especially to her husband. If he is wrong she would openly admit that he is incorrect. There are also women who are thought to be a possession as well as extremely submissive to their husbands such as Desdemona. She is the type of woman that will obey her husband to the day she dies. Desdemona believes that her husband is always right and he will never do anything that will lead her into the wrong direction. Many of the women in this time thought the same way. They are viewed as house workers, cooks, and teachers to the children. In addition to those qualities women obtain, having no authority in marriages is also added to the list. In this novel, there is judgment against women because they are “unequal” to men. They are not allowed to do the same as men for the reason that they do not possess the same qualities as men. Men were considered to be superior to women. Women were treated as their “slaves.” In contrast, today’s time women now have power. They have the right to vote, run for office, and even work outside their homes. Women now play the part as the male and female figure in the households. They are considered independent women, not relying on a male figure. Even if they are married now, they do not listen to everything that their husbands tell them to do. It states in the Bible that a male figure is the head of the households; however women today have strayed away from that view that they had back then. They want to be the dominate figure. Times have really changed from the past to the present. W...
Everybody knows and loves Mickey Mouse, Ever since Walt Disney sparked life into his most beloved character, children all over the world have been mesmerized by Mickey Mouse’s iconic red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves. Created in 1928, the desperation to save his business and name probably was the necessary inspiration for Disney to create the bold and iconic mouse that would dominate the entertainment industry for decades. However that desperation manifested out of another character’s short lived fame, for more than six decades Oswald the Lucky rabbit has lingered in the shadows of obscurity. Playing a crucial part in Disney’s history, bridging the gap between the Alice films and the all famous Mickey Mouse.
In many cases, they are socially restricted and unable to explore the world around them. These women were coerced and controlled by the men in their lives.” Ophelia is exemplified as a character that falls under these characteristics of a middle-class woman with a restricted life. In Act 3, Scene 1, after Hamlet’s “To be” soliloquy, he acknowledges Ophelia’s presence. Hamlet’s reverie us broken by the appearance of Ophelia. Hamlet feels that Ophelia is not the women he had thought of her to be, “…be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow/ Thou shalt not escape calumny./ Get thee to a nunnery, go; farewell / Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; / for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them / To a nunnery” (III,I,137-141). Hamlet compares the chastity of women to the pureness of ice and snow. Ice is frequently employed with rigidity and frigidity. He warns Ophelia to be as hard as ice, to never tolerate lustful love from others and to not fall into temptation. The term nunnery has two distinct meanings. It can be defined as a place for nuns, also known as a convent or a brothel. If Ophelia is possesses similar characteristics and motives, shown by Gertrude, then the definition of a brothel would apply to her. Instead of openly accepting the truth of his love for Ophelia, he demands for her to go to a brothel where she can receive loveless intimacy. Ophelia creates a voice for herself, defying the expectations and standards set by society. She gives distinct flowers to Claudius, Gertrude and brother Laertes, based on their character traits. Rue and daisy are given to Gertrude (IV,V,181-183). Rue is also associated with adultery. It is discovered that it is the cause of most abortions; hence Ophelia keeps some for herself, foreshadowing the death of her unborn. The significance of a daisy correlates to Gertrude for it is a warning to women who are
It is without a doubt that as long as the earth has existed and there have been people to inhabit it, there has always been trouble within the family relationships. Since the 1960’s, America has witnessed a precipitous increase in marriages ending in divorce(Marquardt 26). The entire generation of today’s young adults has been affected some way shape or form by the lasting effects of a parental divorce. A young man, who does not identify himself with any said religion, was observed after his parents’ divorce.
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare is a play that is ahead of its time in its views toward gender roles within society. Katherine is a woman who is intelligent, and is not afraid to assert her views on any given situation. She is paired with another obstinate character in Pertuchio. The Marriage formed between the two is a match made in heaven for two reasons. First Because Katherine is strong enough to assert her views, and more importantly, she realizes when she should assert them. The second reason the bond survives is that Petruchio is strong enough to accept the fact that Katherine has a mind and, more importantly he loves her for that reason. Petruchio cleverly weaves the relationship into the framework of society without compromising the integrity of the relationship. Petruchio does this by comparing Katherine’s at attitude to repulsive clothing. Carefully and calculatingly, Petruchio forges a relationship that is envied by all who witness it.
The women in Othello are synonymous with Venetian societal standards. Only three women are characters in Othello: Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca but the roles these women play give the reader an idea of how women were portrayed, not only in Shakespeare's Othello but in society in general.
The mindset of the unequal genders in the past is thought to have influenced the way playwright William Shakespeare portrayed females in his plays. Shakespeare exemplified this in his revenge tragedy Hamlet, written in 1601 with one of the most significant characters, Gertrude. She is central to the plot due to her relationship with the main character, Hamlet, being his mother. However, not only is she the mother to the tragic hero Hamlet, she is also widow to his laid father, King Hamlet Senior, and also newly wed to Hamlets uncle, Claudius. In this tragic play, we witness not only the downfall of women of the play in general, but specifically the falling out of Gertrude as a mother to Hamlet, as a wife to the new King Claudius, and as a woman herself.
William Shakespeare incorporates many themes and ideas into his play, Hamlet. Of the multiple important ideas, one potentially overlooked is the role of women. Only two of the characters in the play are female. Their lines are scarce, but hold huge importance in relation to the progression and plot of the play. Ophelia, the implied lover of Prince Hamlet, and Queen Gertrude, his mother, do not appear significant, but their actions and characters allow for other events to unfold. Gertrude and Ophelia are manipulated and belittled. In their weak will, they end up betraying Hamlet. Observing their manipulation by other people, Hamlet is able to justify and go through with his actions.
The play Othello is presented as a male-dominated society where women are only recognized as property; objects to own and to bear children. Women in the Elizabethan society and in Shakespeare society were not seen as equal to men and were expected to be loyal to their husbands, be respectful, and to not go against their husbands judgements or actions. Shakespeare presents Desdemona, Emilia , and Bianca as women in the Elizabethan time where they were judged based on their class, mortality, and intelligence. Shakespeare makes his female characters act the way they would be expected to act in an Elizabethan society. The role of these women in Othello is crucial because they show how women were treated and how unhealthy their relationships between men really were in both Elizabethan and Shakespeare's society.
For many years in the past women played a small role socially, economically, and politically. As a result of this many works in literature were reflective of this diminutive role of women. In Elizabethan theatres small boys dressed and played the roles of women. In contrast to this trend, in Shakespeare's Hamlet the women in the play are driving factors for the actions of many other characters. Both Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and Ophelia, Hamlet's love, affected many of the decisions and actions done by Hamlet.
Women in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”. Throughout Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” women are used as a method for men to get what they want. The men in Hamlet, either directly or indirectly, continuously use women to acquire something from other men. The only two women in the entire play are Gertrude and Ophelia, who are consistently used by the current king, Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet.
In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the role of women is quite significant. Although there are only three women throughout the play, Jessica, Nerissa, and Portia, all play a role that affects the outcome of the play. Portia, Jessica, and Nerissa are all very significant characters from this time period. The three women display characteristics of bravery, independence, and intelligence.