Despite being set in the 1890s, the relationships shown in La Ronde have similarities that can be seen in any time period. It is also adaptable to many different eras. The themes of sexual repression and sexual freedom have always been major focuses in all forms of media. Even set in a time of female oppression, especially when it came to sexual feelings, La Ronde was still able to give an interesting portrayal of relationships. There were two scenes that stuck out to me, and that I thought could be well adapted to modern times. These were the scenes involving the Young Wife and Young Husband, as well as the Poet and Little Miss. When one thinks of typical sitcoms, the familiar trope of a bickering married couple often comes to mind. For some …show more content…
The husband likes to think he is a man’s man, and is superior to his simple-minded wife. Watching the Young Husband and Young Wife interact reminded me of these modern-day portrayals. The way the Husband referred to his wife as a “child” showed that he did not see her as his equal, and thought of her intelligence on the same level as a child. They did not act like they were in love, and I think the actors worked to show this lack of physical attraction. The actions seemed forced, more out of duty than actual love. On the bed, the Husband sat cross-legged facing his wife, which I thought was an odd way to interact. He also has to tell her to put her head on his shoulder, showing that this is not a usual interaction between the two. In these sitcoms, the married couple rarely shows signs of actual attraction to one another, often even taking jabs at physical appearance. The Husband also talked down to his wife, speaking to her in a patronizing way. He …show more content…
I think the 1950s would be an interesting time to place this play, as women had been pressed back into the corner again after the wars, and had to fit the “perfect housewife” mold. It would be refreshing to portray women as sexual beings on their own accord, and not as pin-up dolls in these scenes. As the play progresses, the women seem to gain more autonomy and gain more power over their partners. In these time periods, when women were given little freedom, this is a fun concept. Also, the costumes from the 1950s would be fun to play around with, from the poodle skirts to the evolving women’s undergarments. I was not a fan of the 1850s men’s underwear, even though it is historically accurate, I just found it distracting and not aesthetically appealing. It would also be set in America, to fit with the classic 1950s theme. I feel that placing it in this time period would make it resonate more with audiences. The 1950s theme is familiar to most people, while 1890s Vienna does not really strike a chord with many. People know more about the 1950s, and the sexual repression of women. Most history classes include units on the sexism of the day, from the horrific advertisements, displaying women as objects and the possessions of their husbands, to the highly-sexualized pin-up girls. Women were not allowed to be sexual on their own accord, only as a sexual object for
Another effect was the creation of the Men and Women's Club who met to discuss sex, it was composed of: liberals, socialists, and feminists intellectuals. Mrs. Weldon, a wife and medium is used as an example of the changing rhetoric of gender
The use of vernacular speech, in this play, lends to the overall feeling of life in the early 20th century. This definitely aids in establishing a link with this play’s key audience, women. And also helps to establish the play’s surroundings and setting. The use of language provides a backdrop for the play, illustrating the differences between men and women. More so, the purpose of this play was to illustrate the common bond between women, even in the face of the law. It proves that in hard times people of a common bond usually stick together, and written in the face of the up and coming women’s suffrage movement, it provides the reader with a real understanding of the motivation and the dedication these women put into their work.
The characters in the comedy are not realistic, and those that could have been were transformed throughout the course of events depicted. The most trouble with the play, however, seems to come from the representation of the female characters, particularly in comparison with the males. It seems almost that the female characters are written off, rather than merely written out. The male characters of the play are given higher roles, and their characters are followed more faithfully, further proving its chauvinistic composition. The title of the play even suggests a sexist nature in its possible Elizabethan reference to the female genitalia. The play seems to reflect the common thought of its era concerning the social stat...
In Jane Gallop’s Feminist Accused of Sexual Harassment, Gallop details a case in which she was accused by two graduate students of sexual harassment. Gallop, a strong believer in feminism, disputes these claims by making an argument for the necessary intertwining of pedagogy and sexuality. Drawing from anecdotes about her experience with the anti-pornography movement, Gallop expands on her lengthy career as a feminist scholar in order to analyze the discourse in the feminist community during the late 20th century. Although she makes several well constructed feminist arguments, Gallop fails to sufficiently defend her troubling sexual behavior.
Another symbolic part of the play is when the men overhear the women talking about Mrs. Wright’s quilt, wondering if she was going to quilt it or knot it, and they laugh at them. Mrs. Hale is immediately offended by the way they laughed at them where Mrs. Peters is apologizing for them because "they have a lot on their minds".
Throughout the play I felt that the male characters had more of the negative qualities and the female characters had more of the positive qualities. One major reason for this is because men during the 1950s were viewed as stern and the man of the house. This preconceived gender role associated with men automatically required them to come off as negative at times, where the women were more positive. The reason Hansberry had the women represent more positive qualities was due to what responsibilities women had during this era. Women were seen mostly as caretakers, which caused them to be nurturing and encouraging to their children. The roles of men and women during the ‘50s were very different and called for very different views on how to
The actress states, “There’s got to be more to this marriage than a few hastily scribbled words on a small square of pastel paper! By the way. We’re out of post-its,” (Dooley and Holzman, 852). This results in the audience to question the actress’s goal of fixing the relationship with her husband, because the audience understands that she is unhappy with how they communicate, yet still asks for more of the basis of the communicative ways they do now, seeing no end to the repetitive cycle (Dooley and Holzman, 852). It is clear that the conversations between the two characters make the audience questionable of the character’s relationship in many ways.
Contrastingly, Mrs. Darling, his wife, is portrayed as a romantic, maternal character. She is a “lovely lady”, who had many suitors yet was “won” by Mr. Darling, who got to her first. However, she is a multifaceted character because her mind is described “like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East”, suggesting that she is, to some extent, an enigma to the other characters, especially Mr. Darling. As well as this, she exemplifies the characteristics of a “perfect mother”. She puts everything in order, including her children’s minds, which is a metaphor for the morals and ethics that she instils in them. Although ...
Initially he views his wife as a mere possession, a toy doll. which he is able to show off at party’s to the admiration of fellow. members of powerful society, ‘curtsy here, curtsy there – and the vision of loveliness was gone as they say in fairy tales.’ However.
As the story begins, the narrator's compliance with her role as a submissive woman is easily seen. She states, "John laughs at me, but one expects that in marriage" (Gilman 577). These words clearly illustrate the male's position of power in a marriage that is not only accepted, but rather expected at this time period.... ... middle of paper ...
Even after these prejudices were overcome, the education system still maintained sexism in both obvious and subtle ways. Books rein...
One marriage that emerges as a source of comedic relief throughout the novel is Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. The Bennets find a way to argue over everything and in most cases Mr. Bennet causes the argument just to spite Mrs. Bennet. Their arguments raise numerous
more of a surreal, private dinner party, merely acting out events of the past, without having any effect on contemporary lifestyles. So although it does have a relationship to the rest of the play, it is only so much as the subject matter, it comes across as quite a separate entity in practical terms. The rest of the play however, is real life, those situations do present themselves and we do have those problems to deal with. Bibliography - GOODMAN, Lizbeth, Ed. Literature and Gender (London: Routledge in association with The Open University, 1996).
...ve been suffering mental abuse by their husband. This play presents the voice of feminism and tries to illustrate that the power of women is slightly different, but can be strong enough to influence the male dominated society. Although all women are being oppressed in the patriarchal society at that time, Glaspell uses this play as a feminist glory in a witty way to win over men. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters solve the crime by reflecting on Minnie Wright’s unhappy marriage that leads her to murdering. Using the relationship between female and male characters throughout the play, Glaspell speaks up to emphasize how the patriarchal society underestimated women’s rights and restricted women’s desires.
The Father questions patriarchy by illustrating the struggle between husband and wife. In an exaggerated approach, the play reveals that both husband and wife are equally vital in a marriage. Both plays show the power and potential held by women in their struggle for personal liberty. By depicting realistic situations and the wives’ reactions, both playwrights offer their progressive commentary on gender roles and power in marriages.