Shakespeare’s Representation of Women in The Merchant Of Venice
In ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ Shakespeare portrays the character of
Portia as a subservient woman but as the play progresses he develops
the character and Portia becomes the most dominant character in the
play, overcoming the stereotype that restrains women in the society at
that time.
Throughout the play Shakespeare develops Portia’s character from what
seems like a subservient woman, who is forced into a marriage, to an
independent woman who is considered an equal by her husband. The
arranged marriage shows that Portia was given no freedom by her
dominant dead father, which may be why Portia seems to make horrible
comments about all the suitors that come to try to complete the life –
changing task.
At the beginning of the play Portia has no control over her financial
well-being or an unarranged marriage, she is a prize to be won – here
the woman is trapped in a patriarchal society, “I may neither choose
who I would nor refuse who I dislike; so is the will of a living
daughter curb’d by the will of a dead father”. (Act 1 scene 2 line 22
– 25)
Another way of illuminating that Portia is not appreciated in the
beginning of the play is when Bassanio borrows money from Antonio to
woo Portia, telling him that he would pay him back when he marries
Portia. This shows that this is Bassanio’s key objective in wooing
her.
Moving forwards through the play Shakespeare exposes Portia’s
character as an obedient woman in a patriarchal society since she
literally gives herself to him – she’s just a possession being handed
from father to husband, “Myself and what i...
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...men were held in
great esteem was because the greatest Queen who ever ruled England
(Queen Elizabeth) was at the throne at the time. Also because after
reading The Merchant Of Venice for the first time I thought that
Portia was admired and was free/ independent. But after studying the
text more closely and looking for evidence of this conclusion I
realised that most women were dependant on men and that strong female
characters, such as Portia, were great role models but were the
minority in the female population.
Finally, I think women weren’t given many opportunities and had to
suffer under many constraints at that time e.g. that women were mainly
controlled by their father’s or ‘the man of the house’ – this was due
to the stereotype that all women should stay at home and cook, clean
and look after the children.
by using it as a comic device, but also to sort out situations so that
dialogue from Act III, Scenes I and II. She had sacrificed his love because her father and
The Elizabethan era was a time that had very strict expectations of what it means to be a man or a woman. However, these expectations are not followed in Macbeth. In Macbeth, Shakespeare investigates and challenges the common gender roles of the time. Through defying the natural gender roles, he shows how people can accomplish their goals. He challenges the stereotypical Elizabethan woman through Lady Macbeth and the Weïrd Sisters, and he investigates how the stereotypes for men are used for manipulation.
The portrayal of gender roles in William Shakespeare’s play Othello, demonstrates the inferior treatment of women and the certain stereotypes of men placed on them by society. Both the male and female characters in the play have these certain gender expectations placed on them. In a society dominated by men, it is understood that the women are to be seen rather than heard. The women are referred to and treated much like property. If indeed they do speak up, they are quickly silenced. One woman’s attempt to be the perfect wife is what ultimately led to her demise. The expectations of men are equally stereotypical. Men are to be leaders and to be in control and dominant especially over the women. The male characters compete for position and use the female characters in the play as leverage to manipulate each other. Shakespeare provides insight in understanding the outcomes of the men and women who are faced with the pressures of trying to live up to society’s expectations, not only in the workplace, but also in the home. The pressure creates jealousy issues amongst the men and they become blind to the voice of reason and are overtaken by jealous rage, leads to the death of many of the characters.
"Put on what weary negligence you please, / You and your fellows. I'd have it come to question. / If he distaste it, let him to my sister" (14 -15).
William Shakespeare attained literary immortality through his exposition of the many qualities of human nature in his works. One such work, The Merchant of Venice, revolves around the very human trait of deception. Fakes and frauds have been persistent throughout history, even to this day. Evidence of deception is all around us, whether it is in the products we purchase or the sales clerks' false smile as one debates the purchase of the illusory merchandise. We are engulfed by phonies, pretenders, and cheaters. Although most often associated with a heart of malice, imposture varies in its motives as much as it's practitioners, demonstrated in The Merchant of Venice by the obdurate characters of Shylock and Portia.
Men's Control in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the scene opens to reveal a society controlled by men. Men, who live in the foreground of Venetian society, wield their power in business, government, and family life.
In the Elizabethan society, it was expected for women to be obedient and to be in her place.
In both of Shakespeare’s plays, "Othello" and "The Merchant of Venice", there are several instances in which the non-white and non-Christian characters are marginalized and are often the victims of prejudice and outright racism. This occurs in both "Merchant of Venice" and "Othello" particularly through the use and power of language and terms of reference. What is most fascinating about this seeming racism and bias against these characters, Othello and Shylock, is that they aren’t represented in either text as completely fitting the villainous or negative stereotypes other characters wish to put them in. Both Othello and Shylock are presented as sympathetic to varying degrees and although they posses several character flaws that some of the white and Christian characters wish to attribute to their race (Jewish as greedy and heartless and Moors as savage and barbarous) Shakespeare does not completely rely on these stereotypes to draw his characters of these two men. Although Shylock is indeed money-hungry, greedy, and oftentimes heartless, he is still portrayed sympathetically at points and his faults are not shown to be something associated with his race. Othello, most notably at the end of the play commits a savage act, but throughout the rest of the text, he is shown to be mild-mannered and exceptionally “civilized” as a general and aristocrat. This softening allows the characters to be represented as more rounded, but the fact still remains that racial bias and outright racism and prejudice are present in both texts.
The Theme of Prejudice in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. In The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, there are two main characters. themes, prejudice, and loyalty. Prejudice is the more evident theme.
In Shakespeare’s play Othello, the male characters perceive women as adulterous and property, treating them as inferior that need to be submissive and obey. Iago creates a false perception of his wife thinking she is promiscuous. Also, Othello sees his wife as promiscuous, an impression created by his jealousy and one he has convinced himself of it. Furthermore, Iago and Othello perceive their wives as inferior, and by his words, the reader can see that they are both their wife and subordinate. At last, the male characters refer to Desdemona’s marriage as a “steal” and “purchase” of property, then, Iago and Othello end their wives’ lives because they see them as possessions of no good.
Shakespeare has written some of the most outstanding pieces of literature through out history that have lasted through out the ages. But, critics often critique Shakespeare as being sexist towards women in his work. He often portrays them as weak minded, evil, or as sexual objects. Ophelia, Queen Gertrude, Lady Macbeth, and Juliet Capulet are just a few female heroines that are accused of being feeble or heinous. Shakespeares Othello represents Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca as weak characters that do not become triumphant by the end of the play. While they have ardous intentions, none of them ever defend themselves. Desdemona is a passive victim who lets Othello abuse her, Emilia allows herself to be abused by Iago, and Bianca lets Cassio take
Shakespeare, one of the most famous play writers in history, wrote Macbeth in 1606. Many women were not allowed to perform in plays during that time period; however, Shakespeare did have very few females act out roles in his play (Shakespeare: Sample). Shakespeare viewed his women as strong-willed individuals (“Macbeth.” 227 ) when in reality they were often gone unrecognized (Women in Anglo). The character, Lady Macbeth, was a frightening, ambitious woman. Lady Macbeth often wished to “unsex herself” to carry out the killing of King Duncan on her own as her husband showed no manly characteristics to do it. Women during the Anglo-Saxon time period however, were way different then the way Shakespeare viewed his women during his time period.
Shakespeare's Portrayal of Female Characters in The Merchant of Venice and Henry V. Shakespeare's presentation and portrayal of his female characters in The Merchant of Venice and Henry V follows a typical pattern that is present in all of the Shakespearean plays that I have read so far. When looking closely at the fate of his female characters, this pattern becomes even more evident as it repeats itself no matter how different the plays are. For instance, Henry V and The Merchant of Venice are different in every respect. The female characters not only come from different backgrounds, they also have very different personalities. However, as different as these plays and their characters are, the female characters end up suffering the same fate.
Isabella's only power could be in saying 'no', her 'no' to Angelo that she would not leave the world despoiled and soulless, 'no' to Claudio that she would sacrifice herself, 'no' to the nunnery that she had wished to enter or 'no' to the Duke's offer of marriage. Isabella's role ability to be self-determining was quite different from Portia's advocacy in The Merchant of Venice, for Isabella was the tool of the Duke, fulfilling his scripting. Her nun's garb should have ensured a neuter role, and she intended her pity and love for her brother to involve her in this world only so far as to counsel him in honour. Despite her self concept, two men of the world with power over her saw her as a beautiful sexual object to be acquired. Against this, Isabella's strength was in theological purity, going straight to the sense of the Gospels. We cannot cast the first stone. We must have mercy for others, because "he which is the top of judgement" had mercy on us. Because the censors usually eliminated the word 'God', references were oblique, but there could be no real substitution of 'Jove' or 'the gods' here where the sense was so very New Testament. Isabella was preaching to a society which had gone far in condemnation and execution in the name of religion; she was a beacon of clear light.