... the play. Emilia's character with her experience and realism is used by Shakespeare to illuminate Desdemona's innocence and idealism. The third female character Shakespeare creates, along with Emilia, to strategically heighten Desdemona's innocence, is Bianca. Bianca is a harlot who is in love with Cassio. The fact that Shakespeare created the character of Bianca as a harlot immediately gives the reader a sense of her experience, and ... lack of loyalty to one man. It also dismisses any ideas of her being innocent and pure like Desdemona. Also in contrast to Desdemona, but similar to Em...

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• Grade Level: High School

Shakespeare is often accused of being a misogynist for creating female characters who are silly, foolish, and weak, then ultimately controlled by strong, clever, and wise male characters. At first glance, The Taming of the Shrew might seem like an exception, as Katherine is presented at the outset to be extremely cross, always arguing with ... people dislike her more. Katherine longs for the attention that her younger sister Bianca receives, but goes about getting it in the wrong way, by acting out physically and verbally. She is easily upset, becoming verbally and physically violent. In Act ...

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... fate is not an important aspect of the original plot. A common theme in the two plays is a contrast of characters. In these works, Shakespeare presented women as either terrified or idealized. They were either a whore or a virgin. This can be seen through the characters of Kate and Beatrice: hardheaded, ... swearing by it" (4.1, 325-326). Finally, in the last act, Beatrice fully confesses her love for Benedick (with a little help from her friends), but still remains a strong character. After all, Benedick has to kiss her to "stop her mouth." So, like Kate, Beatrice stops the charades, and...

• Word Count: 2533
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... goddess go; My mistress when she walks treads on the ground. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. In his poem, "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun," Shakespeare engages his reader by presenting a woman realistically rather than romanticizing her. He does this by criticizing the courtly love tradition, thereby reversing the conventions of his time. In ... put women on pedestals and present them as goddess like creatures. Imagine you are a man waking up to your woman beside you after a long night's rest. She turns over and says right in ...

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... dramatist and wrote eight plays, between the period of 1848 - 1858. All of his plays were written in the same styles of Victor Hugo and Shakespeare. Victor Sejour wrote, Les Retour de Napoleon, which expressed his admiration for Napoleon. Les Cenelles, the first anthology of African American poetry, which was ... mother about it and she stated, "My son, you shall learn of your name only when you reach twenty-five, then you will be a man; you will be better able to guard its secret. You don't realize that he has forbidden me to speak to you about him and threatens you if I do And Georges,...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Shakespeare is often accused of being a misogynist for creating female characters who are silly, foolish, and weak, then ultimately controlled by strong, clever, and wise male characters. At first glance, The Taming of the Shrew might seem like an exception, as Katherine is presented at the outset to be extremely cross, always arguing with ... people dislike her more. Katherine longs for the attention that her younger sister Bianca receives, but goes about getting it in the wrong way, by acting out physically and verbally. She is easily upset, becoming verbally and physically violent. In Act ...

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• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Pedro proposal to her was rejected she felt she is not confident if she is good enough for a prince like him . Don Pedro admired her as a woman with a merry heart and Benedick descried as disdainful. After Benedick and Beatrice fell in love with each other after being tricked of their love for each other ... . Beatrice who is the only strong and brave among the other women. She doesn't only defend herself alone but Hero, her nice. She defend hero by treating to pay back to Claudio who accused Hero blindly. "kill Claudio" this illustrates how biter she is and wants revenge Beatrice is a w...

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... conspirator. Decius. This dream is all amiss understanding: It was a vision fair and fortunate. Your statue spouting blood in many pipes, in which so many smiling Romans bathed, signifies that from you great Rome shall suckreviving blood, and that great men shall press for tinctures, stains, relics, and recognizance. This by Calpurnia's dream is signified Shakespeare shows here how Caesar's self- important in not ... really believed his plan was the best thing to do for Rome, there would be no reason why he couldn't have told Portia about it. Portia never gave Brutus any reason not to t...

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... as a sex, infinitely superior to men." Elizabeth Stanton (prominent woman suffragist) - (excerpted from One Woman, One Vote by Wheeler, pg. 58) "Frailty, thy name is woman." William Shakespeare - (excerpted from Hamlet, Act I, scene 2) This quote made by Stanton in 1890 shows many of the feministic beliefs held by the women of today. And the quote made by Shakespeare holds many of the same thoughts shared by ... men. The battle of the sexes is prevalent everywhere and is applicable to anything. From athletics to the military, men and women struggle to beat the other, but I find it to ......

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... of William Shakespeare's works, it is evident that Shakespeare is alluding the lack of intelligence and weakness of women. "Frailty, thy name is woman" (1.2.146), quoted by Shakespeare in Hamlet is an example of this. In Hamlet, Shakespeare depicts characters like Ophelia and Gertrude as demonstrating weakness and being tools of manipulation by the males in their lives. Their actions and fates are greatly influenced by the ... men's decisions and are led by the men in their lives, which gives them a weak image. ... from the love which is to his advantage because it can mean that Ophelia...

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• Has Bibliography
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... Though the play focuses on the downfall of Othello and Desdemona's marriage, it also tells the story of another dysfunctional couple. The marriage of Iago and Emilia is portrayed as a love/hate relationship. Emilia's marriage to her husband seems like hell. Iago constantly mocks and disrespects her. He shows disregard to ... conflicts of loyalty and the yearning of independence and happiness as well as by the hands of her psychopathic husband. To understand and relate to Emilia, one must ask; "who is Emilia?" "What are her characteristics?" All that Shakespeare tells the reader is that s...

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... is weak, but women in general are helpless and feeble. Here the queen does not care whether her own son is hurt by her marriage. As a woman in the play she allowed Claudius to instill his views in her and just like Ophelia she subdues her feelings and allows a man (Claudius) to make his opinion and feelings hers. Saying "Let me be cruel ... Hamlet tells her that he doesn't love her and doesn't want to marry her. Saying, "If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go: farew...

• Word Count: 1273
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... is weak, but women in general are helpless and feeble. Here the queen does not care whether her own son is hurt by her marriage. As a woman in the play she allowed Claudius to instill his views in her and just like Ophelia she subdues her feelings and allows a man (Claudius) to make his opinion and feelings hers. Saying "Let me be cruel ... Hamlet tells her that he doesn't love her and doesn't want to marry her. Saying, "If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go: farew...

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... all three of the witches female illustrates the patriarchal nature of the culture in which the play was written. As women, the witches represent Shakespeare" s attempt to display the "other," the darker side of humanity. Both Lady MacBeth and the witches are portrayed as evil women who influence MacBeth to do evil; the thoughts they suggest to him infect his mind and he ... . After MacBeth kills Banquo, he returns to the witches to seek their advice. MacBeth commands them to "answer me, / To what I ask you" (4.1.63-64). The witches willingly agree to tell him anything he wants to know. S...

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... , that was not as common. The play also depicts the typical males in Tranio, Lucentio, and Baptista, among others. Petruchio and Katherine offer the contrast to the typical roles usually played by people of their gender. It is the changing of the roles that makes the play unique and keeps the audience interested in the play. In the first act of the play ... father's wishes were all signs of a uncontrolled and social phobic individual (McDonald, The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare, 156). The critics have a good basis for their beliefs when Katherine speaks like this to Hortensio, "To com...

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... an extremely bold statement for a women in this time period. Her assertiveness draws the attention of many feminists today, and they view her as a strong woman. Shakespeare allows Beatrice to be so outspoken to show how few women were like her. Many Shakespearian women are quiet and go along with whatever their husbands want, but not Beatrice. She is aware that marriage brings ... many risks with it, and doesn't want to be bossed around by a man for the rest of her life: "Would it not grieve a woman to be ... him. Hero, as opposed to Beatrice is very passive. She is obedient to her fat...

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... marriage, in particular the role of the woman in the marriage, in The Taming of the Shrew. It is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays and has weathered well into our modern era. Like his other romantic comedies, The Taming of the Shrew focuses on courtship and marriage and the various roles ... but, unlike most of them, it devotes a great deal of attention to married life after the wedding. Throughout the play, using her husband as a dominating force, Shakespeare demonstrates the transformation of one woman into the ideal Renaissance wife. Domestication of women is broadcasted in the ...

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... . He wants to feel depressed, he even wants to cry, but he is quickly told to turn these 'unmanly' feelings into anger and a hunger for revenge by his male peers: Malcolm: Dispute it like a man. Macduff: I shall do so, but I must also feel it as a man .... Malcolm: Be this the whetstone of your sword, let grief convert to anger: blunt not the heart but enrage ... , avoid discussing politics and should remain focused on household duties. She is prepared to kill the lawful king in a sheer presentation of opportunistic ambition - a very male characteristic during Shakespeare's life. It prese...

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... and obey their husbands and never make the rules. Men on the other hand, were expected to be the head of their households, strong, and wise. Shakespeare broke new ground in the late 1500s by playing with the unheard idea of the reversal of gender roles. The relationship between the Macbeth's is interesting because they both do not represent the stereotypical men ... tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crowned withal"(I, V, 16-20) so eventually he will take action like she believes fate and the witches want him to. Wh...

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"Behind every great man, there is a great woman." This classic saying may as well have been inspired by the role of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Arguably the most powerful woman in literature, Lady Macbeth sets all that transpires in the play into motion. Without Lady Macbeth's ... the deed when Macbeth refuses. Lady Macbeth acts as if they have nothing to worry about when she says: "Retire we to our chamber. A little water clears us of this deed. How easy is it, then! Your constancy hath left you unattended." (2.2.66-69). It is not certain if Lady Macbeth truly believes this ... ...

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... tells the story of her grandmother's strengthwhen facing a group of angry white men. Other women from the building reveal bruises inflicted either by the men in their lives, or by the world in general. Cora Lee continues to have children because she wants the dependency of infants; once they become toddlers, neglect ... them. She begins to see the importance of all her children after she attends the neighborhood show of a black version of one of Shakespeare's plays. ... only way to free themselves from their undesirable situations is through each other. This page describes the setting ...

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... Women in Othello In Shakespeare's Othello, the role of women is greatly emphasized. The important characters of the play, Othello, Iago, and Cassio, each have a women that stands behind him. These women each have an obligation to remain loyal and respect their husband's wishes, especially Desdemona and Emilia. We see Desdemona as a young beautiful white ... But here is my husband. And so much duty as my mother showed to you, preferring you before her father...(act1,sc3L210). In other words, she is grateful to her father for what he has given to her but will stand by the side of her husb...

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... a beautiful smile but not much more, catches her daddy having sex in the barn with a married woman and it is not his wife. He tries to grin his way out of being caught by making up a story for Eve. Although preposterous, Eve believes it at first. As Louis's crazy sister, Mozelle Batiste gets the most outlandish part in the film. Mozelle is a grade B fortuneteller ... in the show are nice. Eve likes to quote Romeo and Juliet, which appeals to the people who are in to Shakespeare. Poor Mozelle is upstaged by someone with a genuine gift for prognostication, and who would like to snuff out ...

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... one of theaters most dramatic and well-known plays, "Macbeth," William Shakespeare uses reversed gender roles as a significant part of the drama's explicitly violent content. Throughout the play, the roles of both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are confused as to who is masculine and who is feminine. The confused gender ... Lady Macbeth starts to show her ambition for the title of queen and shows her masculine side. In a soliloquy, Lady Macbeth says, "Come, you spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,/And fill me, from the crown to the toe, topfull/Of direst cruelty!"" (1.5.35-8). ...

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... wife, while also showing a gallant, independent woman. Her strong side is subtle and can be easily overlooked and mistaken for quiet submissiveness, though it is this subtle strength that makes Desdemona such a powerful character. Desdemona is not unlike many women today; she is torn between her devotion ... life and education;/ My life and education both do learn me/How to respect you. You are the lord of duty,/ I am hitherto your daughter/ But here's my husband,/ And so much duty as my mother showed/ To you, preferring you before her father,/ So much I challenge that I may profess/ Due...

• Word Count: 1594
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• Grade Level: High School