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Asha Gwin
English 312
2 March 2008
William Shakespeare: Feminine Activist or Male Dominance Advocate?
Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory. Oxford: Manchester University Press, 2002. Barry’s book gives
an overview of a variety of different theories and how to approach a text while using a
particular one. The chapter on feminist theory is not an analysis itself, but gives insight as
to what certain theorists believe and how they use the theories themselves. It’s a broad
theory, primarily because there are so many instances when one has to consider forces
outside of the text being examined.
Bartels, Emily C. "Strategies of Submission: Desdemona, the Duchess, and the Assertion
of Desire.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 36 (1996): 417-33. A feminist lens
is applied to the tragedy Othello, exploring how Desdemona argues the dominant male
gender role in society. Bartels uses examples from Othello which exhibit Desdemona’s
assertiveness and audacity towards a male-governed society.
Boehrer, Bruce. "Economies of Desire in A Midsummer Night's Dream." Shakespeare
Studies 32 (2004): 99-117. Male domination in the sixteenth century was the norm in
European society, which was when Shakespeare wrote the majority of his work. This way
of life transitioned into his literature, specifically in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Boehrer takes his analysis further by suggesting a possible correlation between
Shakespeare’s female characters and animals; something he feels Shakespeare treats
equally within his work.
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Chamberlain, Stephanie. "'She is herself a dowry': King Lear and the Problem of Female
Entitlement in Early Modern England." Domestic Arrangements in Early Modern
England. Ed. Kari Boyd McBride. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press, 2002. 169-87.
Utilizing Victor Turner’s “theoretical model of social drama”, Chamberlain explores
multiple scenes of King Lear and assigns each with a stage in Turner’s social drama. The
essay focuses on Lear’s decision to grant his three daughters an inheritance over his
illegitimate sons. The resolution produced pandemonium within the fictional society, as
well as the citizens of England at the time, being this was such an unheard of occurrence.
Conlan, J.P. "The Fey Beauty of A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Shakespearean
Comedy in Its Courtly Context." Shakespeare Studies 32 (2004): 118-72. Politics and the
English court both play a big role in Shakespearean literature; although previous scholars
and critics have thought that they were not relevant. Conlan introduces the idea that many
of Shakespeare’s plays may not follow the rules of the English Court exactly, mainly
because he adopts other political courts as well. The essay has little to do with gender,
other than briefly stating that the marriages at the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
follow the political outline and gender roles of every society.
Cox, Catherine S. "Sons of Eve: Ambiguity and Gender in the First Tetralogy." Upstart
Crow 17 (1997): 53-65. Gender identities and constructs are major themes throughout the
first three parts of HenryVI. Cox suggests that the women exhibit non-traditional attitudes
and characteristics, which was completely unprecedented during this period. Shakespeare
completely disengaged himself from the cultural and gender boundaries of the sixteenth
century within the lines of the play by creating strong and outspoken women.
Darraj, Susan Muaddi. "'The Sword Phillipan': Female Power, Maternity, and
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Genderbending in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra.” Schuylkill: A Creative and
Critical Review from Temple University 4.1 (2001): 23-32. Cleopatra may be the closest
resemblance to Queen Elizabeth that Shakespeare has ever created. Darraj discusses the
parallels between the two queens, and how using sexuality as a motivator worked in their
favor. The correlation between the two exhibits Shakespeare’s attempt to depict
Cleopatra as believable as possible while still possessing male-like traits.
Frame, Jeffrey D. "'Now will I to the chink, / To Spy ...': Scopophilia as Gender Sport in
A Midsummer Night's Dream." The Upstart Crow 19 (1999): 50-61. The characters in the
play A Midsummer Night’s Dream are very much influenced by how other characters
view them. Frame discusses that through the act of scopophilia, which is the viewing of
naked bodies for pleasure, both male and female characters are manipulated into
providing what their “watcher” wants to see.
Holmer, Joan Ozark. "Desdemona, Woman Warrior: 'O, these men, these men!’(4.3.59)."
Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England 17 (2005): 132-64. Desdemona is analyzed
as being an extremely strong and virtuous woman, often referring to herself as a warrior.
Othello praises his wife within the context, which many gender and feminist theorists
overlook when evaluating their observations of the play.
Hopkins, Lisa. Writing Renaissance Queens: Texts by and about Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of
Scots. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 2002. Writers and poets of the sixteenth
century often based their leading women characters off of Elizabeth I, the Queen of
England at the time. According to Hopkins’ chapter on Elizabeth and Shakespeare,
Shakespeare took a different route by practically insulting Queen Elizabeth in some of his
works. In fact, the chapter is written primarily on the lack of Elizabeth-like characters in
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Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and how the character Theseus is more closely
related to the Queen than the other female characters in the play.
Jardine, Lisa. "Cultural Confusion and Shakespeare's Learned Heroines: 'These are old
paradoxes.'." Shakespeare Quarterly 38.1 (1987): 1-18. Shakespeare’s women possess
traits that not many other female characters had during this time. For instance, many of
his leading ladies were witty, strong-willed and assertive, sometimes refusing to take
backseat to their husbands. Portia from The Merchant of Venice is a prime example of
this; she is an educated, strong woman who blatantly indicates that she will be under the
order of none other than herself.
Pechter, Edward. "'Too Much Violence': Murdering Wives in Othello." Women,
Violence, and English Renaissance Literature: Essays Honoring Paul Jorgensen
Ed. Linda Woodbridge and Sharon Beehler. Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and
Renaissance Studies, 2003. 217-42. Women’s relevance in Othello takes a backseat to the
murder and hatred portrayed towards them. Desdemona and Emilia especially are victims
to their husband’s violent acts and belittlement. Aggressive male-dominance throughout
the tragedy promotes hostility towards the women, while the females have done nothing
to deserve the mistreatment.
Plasse, Marie A. "The Human Body as Performance Medium in Shakespeare: Some
Theoretical Suggestions from A Midsummer Night's Dream." College Literature
19.1 (1992): 28-47. The critical theorist Michel Foucault’s study of the human body
assists Plasse’s critical essay. Plasse critiques the characters in A Midsummer Night’s
Dream as acting not only as human characters, but as nonliving beings also. She calls this
juxtaposition a transformation from human being to a pretentious gesture.
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Stone, James. "Androgynous 'Union' and the Women in Hamlet." Shakespeare Studies
23 (1995): 71-99.When one thinks of Hamlet, an insignificant, down-played coward
rarely comes to mind; but Stone explains how one could conjure this thought. Stone
suggests that the androgyny, the breakdown of sexual differences, in Hamlet makes it
easy to believe that Hamlet wasn’t the big hero that he is portrayed to be. Rather, the
women in the play deserve the credit for being strong and self-assured, something that
females rarely possessed.
Suzuki, Mihoko . "Gender, Class, and the Ideology of Comic Form: Much Ado about
Nothing and Twelfth Night." Feminist Companion to Shakespeare. Ed. Dympna
Callaghan. Malden: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. 121-43. A comedic lens focusing on
women’s roles, this essay suggests women are just as vital to Shakespeare’s plays as the
men. Suzuki discusses that although Hero is treated horrible at her own wedding in Much
Ado About Nothing, it is comical when “another Hero” emerges, causing Claudio to
question his sanity. The essay empowers women characters in Much Ado and Twelfth
Night, while referencing instances where the men are the ones being ridiculed.