Shakespeare: An Early Feminist

A Story by John

Strong Women in Shakespeare's Plays

Although women in Shakespeare’s time weren’t liberated, some of the women in Shakespeare’s plays are portrayed as assertive, bold, and intelligent, contrary to the old stereotypes of women.

When we think of women prior t the feminist movements of the 20^th century, an image is conjured up of a passive child bearer and homemaker, obedient to her husband. Indeed it was only in recent years in some Christian churches that the word “obey” was taken out of marriage vows. Traditionally women have not even received the education men have. Women went to special schools, where they were taught the skills necessary to be attractive, capable housewives. In the past women couldn’t own property. They were generally expected to be mothers and forbidden to work outside the household. They weren’t allowed to do what was considered a man’s job. They were not allowed in the military.

As is shown in Shakespeare’s play, “The Merchant of Venice” , the suitor of a daughter, in this case Portia, had to pay a dowry to her father before the suitor was allowed to have her hand in marriage. She was essentially auctioned off. As is seen with Juliet in Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” , the daughter had no choice but to marry the man her father chose for her. The daughter was treated as her father’s property until she married.

Some of the women in Shakespeare plays disobeyed these rigid rules and broke out of the passive stereotypical roles they were pressured to assume.

A prime example was Juliet in Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”. In the play Juliet was commanded by her father to marry a young count named Paris, but in spite of her father’s wishes she told Romeo:

Deny thy father and refuse they name;

Or, if thou wild not, be but sworn my love,

And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

In (II. i. 6) of the play Juliet married Romeo. Later Juliet’s mother told her that her father, Capulet, wanted her to marry Paris next Thursday. Juliet replied:

I pray you tell my lord and father, madam,

I will not marry yet; and when I Do, I swear

It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate,

Rather than Paris. These are news indeed!

What her mother didn’t know was that Juliet had already married Romeo.

Juliet went on to defy her father and risk death in order to be with Romeo. She took a potion, given to her by the friar to make her appear dead for, “two and forty hours.” Then she was supposed to awake in the tomb of the Capulet’s when, s the friar told Juliet:

Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua.

And this shall free thee from this present shame.,

If no inconstant toy not womanish fear

Abate they valor in acting it..

Juliet wondered to herself:

What if it be poison which the friar

Subtly hath minist’rd to have me dead,

Lost in this marriage he should be dishonored

Because he married me before to Romeo?

She also wondered whether or not if she awoke in the tomb the sights and smells of the tomb might drive her insane and cause her to, “With some great kinsman’s bone as with a club dash out my desp’rate brains?” In the end se didn’t give into “Womanish fear” as the friar put it, but took the drink and ended up dying by her own hand after seeing Romeo dead.

Another brave woman in one of Shakespeare’s plays was Emilia in the play “Othello.” When Emilia was told by Iago, her husband, that he had told Othello that Desdemona as unfaithful, Emilia said to Iago in front of Othello, “You told a lie, an odious damned lie! Upon my soul, a lie! A wicked lie!”

Iago told Emilia, “Zounds, hold your peace.”

She said to him, “No, I will speak as liberal as the north.”

Emilia declares her right as a woman. In so many words she says, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” She declares that it’s the husband’s fault when wives stray. (IV, i. 3)

But I do think it is their husbands’ faults
If wives do fall: say that they slack their duties

Toward the end of the play, having been threatened by Iago with a daggar, Emilia revealed to Othello Iago’s deception with the handkerchief. Then Emilia died by Iago’s hand.

Another heroine of Shakespeare’s plays was Portia, a character from the play “The Merchant of Venice.” She demonstrated a keen intellect in the court room by pretending to be a lawyer and saving Antonio from almost certain death by her clever well reasoned arguments. She cleverly trapped Shylock with her argument so that not only couldn’t he get his pound of flesh from Antonio but had to , upon Antonio’s demand, render half his goods, “Upon his death to the gentleman that lately stole his daughter.”

Portia had shown that Skylock’s life, “lies in the mercy of the Duke only.” The duke required Shylock to abide by Antonio’s demands thus completing Portia’s brilliant courtroom victory.

These three women in Shakespeare’s plays showed that Shakespeare in his characterization of women sometimes defied the common stereotypes. These women showed courage, assertiveness , and a high level of intellectual ability. These women were not simply inferior servants of their husbands and fathers but were as brave and intelligent as their men and sometimes more so!

© 2016 John

My Review

Would you like to review this Story?
Login | Register

Featured Review

NotAboutMe

I do not disagree with anything you have written here; but there are two sides to every story. My grandfather shoveled coal for a living. I think my (very strong, very smart) grandmother preferred the role of home maker.

I am not apposed to feminism but It often falls short in its belief that men have always had it made. We have not. This is also apparent in Shakespeare's writing.

In general people lived much more difficult lives in the past and I think women (and men) were much stronger and intelligent then than now.

I understand your passion and perspective on this subject. Great write!