Gender Roles in Shakespeare - 1834 Words

Gender Roles in Shakespeare It is a peculiar feature of Shakespeares plays that they both participate in and reflect the ideas of gender roles in Western society. To the extent that they reflect existing notions about the proper roles of men and women, they can be said to be a product of their society. However, since they have been studied, performed, and taught for five hundred years, they may be seen as formative of contemporary notions about the relationships between males, females, and power. Derrida was right in asserting that there is no outside to the text. His claim is that every text is affected by every other text and every other speech act. As an instance, most of Shakespeares plays have†¦show more content†¦The contrast between the empowering masculinization of female characters and the paralyzing feminization of males make the latter more appropriate to a tragedy or a satire, the former more useful in comedy. Rosalind speaks several times in ways that display an awareness of her (doubly) altered gender, for instance linking boys and women as cattle of this color (III.ii.414). In a more radical maneuver she addresses the audience as a male epilogue. If I were a woman ... (AYLI epilogue) not only calls attention to the gap between the gender of the performer and the gender of the actor, but demands that the audience recognize of the actor as actor. The tensions set up in the play remain in suspense until Ganymede disappears and Rosalind reappears near the end of Act V. All the complications surrounding Orlando, Phebe, and Silvius are resolved as Rosalind gives up her assumption of a mans prerogatives. It is easy to assume that dominant males in Shakespearean comedy conform to norms of expectation and behavior, but it is more difficult to determine what those expectations may have been in the Elizabethan era. Psychologists have examined the development of sexual awareness as part of identity. Much psychological theory holds that the male childs initial awareness as Other (than Mother) has to do with aShow MoreRelated Gender Roles in Shakespeare Essay1760 Words   |  8 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;It is a peculiar feature of Shakespeares plays that they both participate in and reflect the ideas of gender roles in Western society. To the extent that they reflect existing notions about the proper roles of men and women, they can be said to be a product of their society. However, since they have been studied, performed, and taught for five hundred years, they may be seen as formative of contemporary notions about the relationships between males, femalesRead MoreGender And Gender Roles In Macbeth By William Shakespeare1043 Words   |  5 PagesIn Macbeth by William Shakespeare, gender plays a pivotal role in the development of the overall plot and as the play advances, certain characters, including Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience a reversal in traditional gender behaviors. Additionally, we see gender confusion among other characters that enhances conflict in the play. Originally, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are portrayed in ways that enforce their respective masculinity and feminism in accordance to the society around them. As MacbethRead MoreShakespeare s Viewpoint About Gender And Gender Roles1412 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is Shakespeare’s viewpoint about gender and gender roles in the play? Do you agree? In the play â€Å"Macbeth† by William Shakespeare the play was about power and greed. Macbeth were given prophecies from the witches and one of the prophecies was that he was going to become king. After he heard the news he told his wife what the witches told him. From there on she chose to do anything that was going to make them become apart of royalty. She accomplished this missions by manipulating her husbandRead MoreTransgressing Prescribed Gender Roles in Shakespeare Essay1502 Words   |  7 PagesTransgressing prescribed gender roles in As You Like It Shakespeares As You Like It is both a gentle, pastoral comedy and a complicated, dark debate on the relationship between love, power and gender construction. At the centre of the play is Rosalind, arguably one of Shakespeares most engaging, witty, intelligent, and lovable female characters. Rosalind is the epitome of Elizabethan femininity: beautiful, chaste, and charitable; and yet she is able to transcend traditional gender boundaries to becomeRead MoreGender Roles in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Essay1292 Words   |  6 PagesGender Roles in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Although at the time of Shakespeare, women were thought of as lesser beings, he still manages to portray them as strong, and influential people in his play Macbeth. The orthodox view of females when Shakespeare wrote the play is that they were homemakers, looked after their children, they were quiet, weak and unintelligent, and the only reason they existed is to have male children. Males however were the warriors and theRead MoreGender Roles Of Shakespeare s Taming Of The Shrew 2030 Words   |  9 PagesAngamnuaisiri 1 Narupat Angamnuaisiri Foster English IV 10 April 17 Taming of the Shrew: Gender Roles William Shakespeare was one of the most famous writers in the world during the sixteenth century. He came from England, born in 1564 and died in 1616. He was also a poet with more than one hundred sonnets and two long poems. Many of Shakespeare’s dramas illustrate various forms of domestic and social problems. He was a playwriter of some famous plays, such as Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and JulietRead MoreGender Roles And Roles Of William Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice 1837 Words   |  8 Pages Gender plays an important role in Shakespeare’s comedies. Cross gender roles and cross dressing are essential not only for the inherent humour of the situation but also for the advancment of the plot. English Renaissance stereotypes of women and men and their various roles and responsibilities in society are reflected in Shakespeare. What sets Shakespeare apart is the fact that he also challenges, and at times even breaks down those stereotypes especially in his comedies. Hamlet may proclaim â€Å"FrailtyRead MoreShakespeare s Othello - Role Of Women And Gender Representation1312 Words   |  6 PagesWomen in Othello The role of women and gender representation in Othello challenged the male dominated society in that time period. Women in Shakespeare’s time were seen as being loyal and submissive to their husbands and not going against their husband’s judgment. Shakespeare developed complex and varied female characters in his plays, especially the women portrayed in Othello. In the play, Shakespeare introduces three female characters: Desdemona, Othello s wife, Emilia, Iago’s wife and mistressRead More Gender Roles in Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare Essay857 Words   |  4 PagesRomeo 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 wereRead MoreGender Roles Of Romeo And Juliet By William Shakespeare1259 Words   |  6 PagesGender Roles in Romance Comics Author and civil rights activist Maya Angelou once said, â€Å"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!†. When one thinks of comic books, it is very likely that the subjects that come to mind are Marvel’s Spiderman or DC’s Batman. Although comic books are stereotypically thought to be mainly about super heroes, there are a wide variety of subject matter they could be written about, such as romance. In the 1950s – 1960s, it was common