The critique of women in Shakespeare's plays
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Meeting name
Sponsors
Date
Journal Title
Format
Thesis (Undergraduate)
Abstract
In many of William Shakespeare's plays, women play a central role in moving the plot forward. These women become catalysts for the drama that unfolds, especially in Shakespeare's tragedies, where the reactions of the other characters depend on the actions of the women. Desdemona from Othello and Lady Macbeth from Macbeth play this role in their respective plays. Both women play similar roles even though their personalities are vastly different. Desdemona becomes an almost stereotypical woman once she marries Othello. This new personality affects her negatively because it ultimately leads to her demise. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, blurs gender lines by acting similar to a man for personal gain. But, like Desdemona, her personality leads to her death. Shakespeare uses Desdemona and Lady Macbeth as important plot devices and to experiment with gender roles. His female characters then become subtle critics on Elizabethan society's traditions and views of women.
Table of Contents
DOI
PubMed ID
Degree
B.A.
Thesis Department
Rights
OpenAccess.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.