/ She witched by brother” (“Sir Gawain” ll. 181-189). The core element of the ballad is obviously the common motif of the wicked stepmother who strives to punish or even get rid of her husband's children due to greed, negative feelings and jealousy towards them (cf. Francus 129). In this case, she does so by enchanting them: she transforms her stepdaughter into an ugly woman and casts a spell on her stepson which forces him to challenge men who cross his way to a duel or to solve his riddle (cf.
Appearance is always the fundamental theme of fairy tales, especially in “Donkeyskin”, “Catskin”, and “The Princess in the Suit of Leather”. The appearances of the girls caused many of the actions made by the other characters. For example, the princesses’ unmatchable beauty made their fathers or an old man to desire to marry them. But appearance is not just about the beauty of the people; it is, also, about the social appearances. It seems that other people’s view of the princesses changed as the girls switched between social classes.
Stereotypes even go deeper than the power an individual is able to obtain. After reading the Brothers Grimm version of “Cinderella,” and watching the film version by Rodgers and Hammerstein, I saw many significant differences and similarities between the two. The similarities and differences I will touch on are diversity, gender issues, characteristics, interpretation, and exaggeration. The list can go on and on, but the bigger picture I want everyone to see is “sterotypes,” that are created from this particular short story/film. Both versions tell of a young lady, Cinderella whose fathter marries a wicked woman who hated her.
Austin, Texas: Haverford College Press, 2008. Clery, E.J. Introduction to: The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Howells, Coral Ann.
Voices of Ancient Philosophy. Ed. Julia Annas. New York: Oxford, 2001. 100-109.
The connotation of dark as evil is prevalent in many stories throughout the history of western civilization. Fairy tales “emanate from specific struggles to humanize [forces initially perceived to be evil], which have terrorized our minds and communities in concrete ways” (Zipes), and their usually-heroic endings make us forget on a conscious level the lessons they’ve taught us. However, their impact remains on our subconscious views of the world. Because of this, fairly tales often address issues far more serious than one would think to teach to a young reader. The Brothers’ Grimm tale “Ashputtle”, the basis of our modern-day Cinderella archetype, takes advantage of this to address the issue of the continued oppression of women.
If it were only the witches' prophecies, then Macbeth would surely not have murdered Duncan. It was because Lady Macbeth constantly harassed her husband, that he was driven to commit all this evil. "... her blood thickened, her milk changed to gaul - into the inhuman, the distortion of nature..." (Ludwyk 233). This illustrates the complete metamorphosis of Lady Macbeth from a loving, beautiful, caring, kind wife to a ruthless, nasty, shrew of a woman. The women in this play distort Macbeth's intuition so much that he thinks he is doing the right thing.
Lear sees Goneril as being nothing more than an ungratefully child with a beastly attitude (Lind). Shakespeare shows how money and power are usually the root of all evil and can affect a person ethical values and moral judgment. Albany must have been blind by love when he married that witch! As for Lear, a father by blood has no choice but love her and her evil sister. Regan, Lear 's middle child, keenly fulfills the role of a deviant woman by demonstrating a violent nature, "first by plucking poor Gloucester 's eyes out, and then by killing her own servant" (Teach).
Thus, it is only through Jane's help and a proper English school that Adele ceases to be the exotic seducer. Many women in nineteenth century literature were depicted as demonized or something to be greatly feared either because of their sexuality or their resulting madness. Often times, these women were stereotyped as the "exotic other," such as Adele and Celine Varens. This is also true of Bertha Mason, Rochester's Creole wife, who has become a prisoner in the attic because of her madness. Bertha is often compared with Jane because of similar plot twists, but they are clearly intended as opposite characters.
It could have been the Queen Elizabeth I. on the throne, or a certain influence of his marriage with older woman. Some modern critics claim, he was a feminist, or on the contrary it is historically incorrect, because we shouldn’t forget that he wrote maily for a male entertainment. Particulary in his comedies we frequently see a woman take on the strongest character, while often in his tragedies he has a male play the isolated tragic hero. It’s highly necessary to know the context to fully understand it. The women couldn't do much of anything but cook and clean for their husbands.