References to Sue's Homosexuality in Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure
Perhaps the most interesting character in Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure is Susanna Florence Mary Bridehead (Sue). Throughout the novel, she is described as everything from boyish and sexless, all the way to Voltairean and just simply unconventional. Some claim she had read prolifically many writers noted for their frankness and/or indecency (Hardy 118). Upon a surface reading, one can't help but wonder about the sexual identity and desires of Sue. At first, there seems to be none; however, upon a deeper reading of the novel, I can't help but suspect that Sue is actually a lesbian.
Sue's failures with men contribute to my feeling; she has endured unfulfilling relationships with at least three men. The critic Robert Heilman mentioned that "Sue cannot really either reject or accept men" (507) which is supported by her blatant disgust of them sexually, especially Phillotson. This man, her husband, was someone Sue found so repulsive that she would rather risk injury to herself than to allow him to touch her, as he tells his friend Gillingham, "she jumped out of window--so strong was her dread of me!" (Hardy 183). Another night, Sue avoided Phillotson by sleeping in a closet. Upon examination of this temporary "nest," Phillotson bitterly remarks to himself, "What must a woman's aversion be when it is stronger than her fear of spiders" (Hardy 176). Although I don't appreciate the stereotype, the statement does its part and makes it quite obvious that she finds her husband repulsive.
With this, his last novel, Hardy is moving away from the convention of the "inner life of the characters to be inferred from their public behavior" (Howe 513), so, although Sue...
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..."lack of respect for existing institutions and contempt for authority" (122). Kudos to Hardy for defending homosexuality, not as a "decision" made by those who wish to rebel against authority, but as a defining trait of perhaps his strongest and most interesting character.
Works Cited
Gosse, Edmund. "From Cosmopolis." Jude the Obscure. Ed. Norman Page. New York: Norton, 1978. 386-391.
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. Ed. Norman Page. New York: Norton, 1978.
Heilman, Robert. "Reasons Against Emotion: The Significance of Sue." Jude the Obscure. Ed. Charles Child Walcutt. Toronto: Bantam, 1969. 504- 511.
Howe, Irving. 'Literary Modernism in Jude the Obscure." Jude the Obscure. Ed. Charles Child Walcutt. Toronto: Bantam, 1969. 512-518.
Ingham, Patricia. Introduction. Jude the Obscure. By Thomas Hardy. Ed. Ingham. New York: Oxford, 1985. xi-xxii.
...a lot about Roderigo’s character and what he is willing to do to be with Desdemona.
When Maurice Keen set out to write a book on the components and development of chivalry, he did not know it would be “the last word on a seductive subject,” as stated by one Washington Post reviewer. Instead, Keen was merely satisfying a curiosity that derived from a childhood fascination of stories filled with “knights in shining armour.” This juvenile captivation was then transformed into a serious scholarly interest by Keen’s teachers, the product of which is a work based upon literary, artifactual, and academic evidence. Keen’s Chivalry strives to prove that chivalry existed not as a fantastical distraction, as erroneously portrayed by romances, but instead as an integral and functional feature of medieval politics, religion, and society. The thirteen chapters use an exposition format to quietly champion Keen’s opinion of chivalry as being an element of an essentially secular code of “honour” derived from military practices.
With Roderigo, someone he commands control over, Iago employs pathos, allowing his plan to appeal to Roderigo’s sensitive emotions about Othello. Roderigo and Iago discuss about how each of them despise Othello when Iago says, “If ever I did dream of such a matter, / Abhor me” using pathos to confirm his hatred towards the General (1.2. 5-6). The play commences with Iago employing direct rhetoric and partnering up with Roderigo to enhance a sense of comradery. Harsh language such as “Abhor me”, exemplifies the hateful emotions Iago feels toward Othello as well as enhances the emotions Iago wants to appeal to in Roderigo (1.2. 6). Affecting Roderigo more influentially, Iago uses deeper, more personal pathos, by highlighting the seemingly good qualities in Roderigo. Iago contrasts Roderigo to Othello pointing out, “Let not they discreet heart think it…manners and beauties: all which the/ Moor is defective in” (2.1. 215, 219-220). Firstly, Iago weighs Roderigo’s positive qualities against Othello’s negatives ones, convincing Roderigo to feel more confident with Iago and following along with his scheme. Secondly, Iago alters this rhetoric to include Roderigo’s love interest, Desdemona. By exemplifying a more personal and sensitive side when talking about “manners and beauties”, Iago can create a bigger impact in
“Murrow, McCarthy and the media frontier analyzed” also discusses how “we as a country walked into the war in Iraq without the media doing its job…It may be official blacklisting or maybe not, but deception is just as possible today in different forms (Sasanow, 3).”
Shakespeare, William. "Othello." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Twelfth Edition. New York: Pearson, 2013. 1290-1390.
People love to believe that they are in full control of their current situation. Most people need to be in control, at least of their own lives. If a sense of control is tampered with people can lose self confidence, awareness and security. This can mean humans feel like they are vulnerable to dangers and negative influences around the world. More specifically, in the play, Othello by William Shakespeare, the second antagonist, Roderigo, is portrayed with having little control over his life and furthermore his reputation. Reputation affects Roderigo’s life immensely because he doesn’t have full control over it. His reputation is solely based on what other people think of him, not about his few actions. Roderigo has no regulation over what others perceive of him, unlike other characters in Othello. Readers are lead to believe that Roderigo is an unintelligent, desperate and jealous man on accounts by two other characters, Brabantio and Iago. Perhaps, there may be more to Roderigo’s story but readers will never know because of the lack of evidence.
Roderigo is an emotional and fool-minded Venetian man that is in love with Desdemona. Roderigo’s life is tortured by his unceasing and unreciprocated love for Desdemona. After Iago tells Roderigo of Desdemona’s secret marriage to Othello, Roderigo feels there is no longer a will to live and says, “It is silliness to live when to live is torment.” (Othello. Act 1 Scene 3: 350.). Iago takes advantage of Roderigo’s sadness and assures Roderigo that if he does as Iago tells him, he will get Desdemona’s love. Iago does not in any way help Roderigo attain the love that consu...
As a minor character, Roderigo has a significant impact on several themes such as manipulation, jealousy and betrayal. Throughout Shakespeare’s drama, Roderigo is manipulated into performing tasks in which Iago does not want to take part in. Roderigo’s jealousy towards Othello increases as the play progresses. His endless love for Desdemona leads him to his tragic death where he has be betrayed by a person in which he once called his friend. At a first glance, a minor character may appear to have an insignificant role, but upon observing them in detail, their role can be much more significant that first perceived.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
Murphy, B. & Shirley J. The Literary Encyclopedia. [nl], August 31, 2004. Available at: http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2326. Access on: 22 Aug 2010.
Murrow is correct to show that McCarthy’s argument against the rules of evidence is fallacious; the fact that McCarthy feels certification is not needed reveals just how weak his overall argument is. As McCarthy continues to generate claims without facts, his argument becomes weak. This is revealed as McCarthy accuses Radulovich of
... has changed drastically. During the Middle Ages, chivalry was a code of brave and courteous conduct for knights. During the Middle Ages, the people who lived during this time use chivalry as a code of conduct .There are some forms of Chivalry today but to a smaller degree than in the Middle Ages. Some examples of chivalry today are helping the elderly, family, and friends with some activities. It’s not possible to be as chivalrous as the knights in the Middle Ages were because our lifestyles have changed. Since the beginning of the Middle Ages, chivalry has been an important part of life. Society had high expectations for knights. Knights strictly followed by these rules and were punished both physically and socially if they broke them. They had many responsibilities such as protect the church, serve their lord, protect the weak and practice courtly love(Chivalry).
One person Iago deceives is Roderigo. Throughout the play, Iago tells him that he hates Othello and that Roderigo should make some money so he could give gifts to Desdemona, who he admires from afar. Thinking that this is sound advice, Roderigo does just that. However, Iago is actually keeping the gifts that Roderigo plans to give Desdemona for himself. Eventually, Roderigo begins to catch on to the act and confronts Iago, but he falls right into Iago’s trap again when he tells him that killing Cassio will help him win over Desdemona. Roderigo is then lead to his death by the hands of "Honest Iago."
Iago’s cunning strength lies in his ability to undermine every single character through their weaknesses. Specifically, Othello and Roderigo are the main victims of his lies and deceit. The trait Iago abuses in Roderigo is his naive nature. From the very start of the play, Iago cheats Roderigo of his money and later tricks him into attempting to kill Cassio: “I have no great devotion to the deed, / And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons. / ‘Tis but a man gone. Forth my sword! He dies!” (5.1. 8-10). Evidently, this gullible character is manipulated through the words of Iago as he attempts to kill Cassio for a chance at Desdemona. After his failure in doing so, Iago stabs Roderigo, as he is of no use anymore. In giving his trust to the misleading antagonist, Roderigo leaves himself completely vulnerable. This demonstrates how ruthlessly Iago uses this foolish character, as his longing for Desdemona is the cause of his death. The other victim, Othello, is the main target and falls furthest into this manipulative villain’s layers of lies. Iago is very strategic in his attacks and notices that Othello has a great deal of trust in him which can be easily torn apart. Iago uses this trait to get Othello to believe everything he says and begins by planting the seed of suspicion that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio because of his understanding of
Abrams, M. H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol I. 5th Ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1986.