Portrayal of Women in William Shakespeare's Plays
The critical question of most scholars studying William Shakespeare's writing was whether he was trying to stress the importance of equality and fairness amongst women or was he, as a male raised in the 16th century, expressing his beliefs of women as a gender. Did Shakespeare truly believe, as he had Richard in Richard III state, that the differences of male and female was as simple as the words male and female being associated with different statements? For example, the word male being associated with "bruised arms," "stern alarums," and "barbed steeds," while female is associated with "merry meetings," "delightful measures," and "sporty tricks" (Lenz 36). This word association was not only implying that men are "strong" and women are "weak", but it also shows Richard's "determination to obliterate those who represent the opposite - those who are women" (Lenz 37). As most scholars find Shakespeare did not use the abuse and ridicule of women as form of entertainment and education but more of a way to show the audience the inequality that women are faced with. He showed the mistreatment of women in his plays to make his audiences recognize it, not agree with it.Many readers who have not sat and taken the time to thoroughly read
Waller, Gary. Shakespeare's Comedies. New York: Longman, 1991. Of this fair mansion, master of my servants Queen o'er myself; and even now, but now, "Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, With Othello we deal with women, Desdemona, and the subject of women as whores. A whore is always lower-class, a rake is always upper-class. To call a woman a whore, as Othello calls Desdemona, not only casts aspersions on her morals, but takes away her position in society" (Dusinberre 52). Although Othello idolized Desdemona and cherished her, he disposed of her word at the moment Iago initiates doubts of her love and faith. Othello, despite his deep love, still held the tendency to think of Desdemona as an object (Lenz 212). The personal worth of women is lowered in this play because "a man might sleep with a woman not his wife and remain courageous, generous, honest. A women, on the other hand, in that one act registered her own worthlessness in every other sphere" (Dusinberre 53). I am ashamed that women are so simple,
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Approximate Word count = 2201
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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