Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014
RESEARCH ARTICLE
INFERIOR DEMONSTRATION OF FEMALES IN SHAKESPEAREAN COMEDIES: THE
MERCHANT OF VENICE, AS YOU LIKE IT AND TWELFTH NIGHT
AZMI AZAM
MA English Literature, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, England
The demonstration of females in William Shakespeare’s works is
extensively discussed and widespread topic of debate. Diverse critics have
commented on Shakespeare’s feminist impulses. It is true that
Shakespearean female characters display the then conventional England
of patriarchal domination, but it is also evident that they deliver the vital
and universal female features. In the comedies of Shakespeare, the
heroines are given the most striking roles but the depictions recommend
them secondary to their male counterparts. In this article, the
presentation of female characters in Shakespearean comedies, especially
in Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice and As You Like It will be
discussed. Comparative discussions on the characterization of Viola, Portia
and Rosalind will be given from feminist and historical perspectives.
Arguments of feminist critics will also be shown.
Key words: Representations, inferior, power, cross-dressing, subjugation,
conventionality, isolation, security and self-recognition.
@ Copyright, KY Publications
AZMI AZAM
Article Info:
Article Received:26/02/2014
Revised on:12/3/2014
Accepted for Publication:15/03/2014
59
AZMI AZAM
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014
women and their contributions in creative writings
and industries started a new phase for them.
Courtesy: www.altacarta.com
Analysis:
The age of Shakespeare was an era of male
hegemony and patriarchal supremacy. Women
were isolated under the forceful version of law,
religion, dress-code and professionalism. Though
Elizabeth I was the supreme authority ruling the
Kingdom, general women were deprived of many
common rights. Regarding this, Phyllis Rackin states:
Shakespeare lived in a time and
place when women were excluded
from the universities and the
learned
professions,
married
women lost the right to their own
property unless special provisions
were made to preserve it, wifebeating was regarded as a perfectly
acceptable means of resolving
domestic disputes (2005, p.7)
Moreover,women were suppressed in the then
England in case of property distribution but they
were also excluded from universities and other
pedagogic institutions as professionals.Theylost the
right to claim property judicially fromtheir
patriarchal and matrimonial relationsand wife
beating or domestic violence were in favor of the
male partners. The establishment of the concept of
‘Patriarchal Territories’ provided more limits to
woman liberty. On the other hand, peaceful revolts
against such dominations started to take place when
women started to practice professionalism. Earning
money for the family became the new ambition for
60
Courtesy: quotes.lifehack.org
During Shakespeare’s time, Queen Mary and Queen
Elizabeth ruled the kingdom and this changed the
traditional views regarding women in the society.
Whereas, it also evoked anti-feminist impulses
within male intellectual group who believed that
supreme authority must exist withoutthewomen
interference. The social and Puritan belief was that a
woman must be well cultivated to become an
obedient daughter, faithful wife, skillful domestic
organizer and a dutiful mother. Apart from these
convictions, a woman was supposed to be a good
cook, singer, sewer, painter and so on. Earning
money for livelihood or ruling the government were
considered
as
completely
male
oriented
responsibilities. Therefore, under such a social
condition, female monarchsof that time faced a lot
of problems but proved their valor by their
contributions in diverse sectors. Even in the
biographies of Shakespeare, it is seen that Anne
Hathaway possessed paternal monitory authority
but she was restricted from her husband’s property.
This can be marked as Shakespeare’s anti-feminist
impulse. The failure of his own marriageas well as
the then condition of female liberty could be the
main reasons for Shakespeare to depict women
under the authority of men in his plays. Shakespeare
observed all these social phenomena and kept a
pace with the then social beliefs while depicting the
heroines of his dramas, especially in comedies.
AZMI AZAM
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014
have provided diverse research areas for critics
through-out the ages. For this reason the sternest
critics have found a fondness forShakespeare
overlooking the social biasness or gender issues in
his play. Praising Shakespeare, Rodenburgh (1993)
says:
Courtesy: monyeux.wordpress.com
Even in the case of tragedies, it is marked that
women are presented as unfortunate individuals.
For instance, Hamlet’s Ophelia is a good example.
She represents the aristocrat but ill-fated female
counterpart of the then England. She is a loving
daughter, devoted sister and an honest lover but
she is the victim of male ignorance. Her true love for
Hamlet cannot make him accept her as his wife. Her
obedience toward her father is so stern that the
news of her father’s murder by Hamlet turns her
mad. She is shown as an emotionally unsettled,
dependent and ill-fated individual who is destined to
suffer unbearable mental torments. She is perfectly
chaste but acutely feeble and this ultimately leads
her to commit suicide to get rid of her psychological
dilemmas. Whereas, the male characters die fighting
for their objectives. Similarly, Lady Macbeth in
Macbeth is shown as a victim of her own misdeed.
In the case of historical plays, women such as Joan
and Margaret in Henry VI and Duchess of Gloucester
in Richard II, are depicted as influential characters
but are limited in their own boundaries as if the
crossing of which may destroy them. Rackin similarly
says that “Helplessness seems to be an essential
component of female virtue in most of
Shakespeare’s English histories’ (Ibid,p.49) but in
comedies, Shakespeare depicts female characters as
very attractive and engaging women controlling the
main plot and events of the play though shows them
subordinates in many ways. Apart from these, it is
undeniable that Shakespeare’s works show the
essential features of female individuals and
highlights their universal nature, both positive and
negative, to readers. Those particular universal traits
of female characters are so convincing that they
61
Shakespeare’s brilliance is that he
seems to be able to speak to us all
over those hundreds of years and
across every cultural bias and
barrier.He is a genius because he
understands our likenesses as well
as our individuality. He touches all
who take the time to breathe,
speak and need him. (inWernerp,
p.29)
Therefore, Shakespeare’s popularity is not only for
his dramatic excellences but also for his
controversial gender politics. All his plays show a
culture which is ruled and fabricated by male
oriented norms where female is placed as a
beneficiary to the plot. Moreover, he places the
limitations of womanhood and shows the
devastating results of crossing it. It is assumed that
Shakespeare’s gender politics is presented through
his female representations in the plays which not
only reflect his ideas of feminism but also represent
the culture in which he relies. A similar comment is
made regarding writers’ intensions of representing
females:
Culture is treated as emblematic of
male social attitudes and literature
is seen as representative of male
emotions and fears. In other words,
literature is analysed to ‘conform’
each writer’s general account of
myths of the feminie. (In Humm,
p.22)
In Shakespearean works, we mark that he
represents his beliefs regarding females. Comedy is
the main category that focused on gender issues
more than in tragedies and historical plays. It is in
the comedy where the female protagonists are
found more vigorous and controlling than the male
protagonists. For example, in The Merchant of
AZMI AZAM
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
Venice, we find three female characters, Portia,
Jessica and Nerissa. Portia is the female protagonist
who is more influential and dominating than the
male protagonists. It is Portia whose wit and judicial
skills savethe life of Antonia and punish the Jewish
usurper Shylock. Her dialogues mark her as a very
educated, submissive and sensitive person and she
is portrayed as the ideal obedient daughter, a true
lover, and a caring wife. She is the main attraction
in the play but she has her own limitations. No
matter how powerful or intelligent she is, she
cannot break the custom of selecting her lifepartner. A medieval ritual is forced upon her
shoulders by her father that is whoever solves the
riddle choosing the right casket will be married to
Portia.
Courtesy: www.illusionsgallery.com
Portia, in the name of obedience and patriarchal
authority, surrenders to this harsh decision of her
father and she is seen upset, as she loves Bassanio.
It is a matter of question that why such a sensible
and intelligent girl like Portia is forced to follow such
a medieval ritual. She must be given rights of
choosing her own life-partner instead being a
plaything in the hands of destiny. She shows her
ignorance regarding the suitors but she is helpless in
order to prove herself as a daughter and in order to
keep her father’s reputation unstained in the
society. If she breaks the custom, it will not only
mark her as a disloyal and disobedient daughter but
also it will destroy her dead father’s social
reputation marking the frailty of his upbringing.
62
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014
Courtesy: en.wikipedia.org
Moreover, her conversation with Nerissa depicts her
helplessness in breaking the social and patriarchal
contract of the casket ceremony. She could easily
run away and start a new life of her own by choosing
her life-partner but she is bound to obey her father’s
will. It also makes readers confused as to why
Portia’s father followed such a medieval and illogical
custom. As a father, he must think of his daughter’s
future security but he tested his daughter’s docility
by treating her as a plaything. It is Bassanio who
solved the riddle but what if a wrong person with
shrewd brain had solved the riddle, Portia’s life
would have been completely ruined. Shakespeare
had never thought of these issues, all he would care
is depicting the obedience of Portia allowing her to
sacrifice herself for her father’s reputation.
On the other hand, Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, runs
away with her lover, this caused shame to the
Jewish moneylender Shylock. She does not care
about her father’s reputation neither does she seek
paternal property. She did what her heart wanted
her to do. Thus, Jessica represents a recalcitrant
female individual who does not care about
Elizabethan norms or duties toward her father. She
even sells the ring given by her father, which makes
him scold her. On the other hand, Shylock’s reaction
to Jessica regarding the ring makes it seem that
daughters are not allowed to do something without
the permission of their father figures. This raises the
question as to why Shakespeare presents Portia as
so concerned with paternal reputation in contrast to
Jessica ignoring her father’s right to make decisions.
AZMI AZAM
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
It may so happen that Shakespeare shows partiality
toward Christianity and, as Shylock is a Jew, colours
him with shamefulness in showing Jessica’s
elopement. It may also be that the then England’s
social culture supported conservative and obedient
daughters and Shakespeare portrayed Portia in that
way to make his play popular. Shakespeare also
marks that those who try to break the paternal
hierarchy and culture are sure to be doomed and as
Portia is a sensible and intelligent individual,
survives by following the social and ideological
norms. The best suitable example is Desdemona in
Othello (1622) who betrays her father’s decision and
marries the moor Othello who, in turn, causes her
pain and death at the end of the play. If Portia is
compared with Desdemona, then it is evident that
Portia is more conscious of her own future security
than is Desdemona. Both of them surrendered
toward the decision of fates but Desdemona is
careless, whereas, Portia is cautious of herself.
Therefore, the fate supported Portia and makes
Bassanio her fiancé.
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014
Portia is capable of handling the world outside her
paternal boundaries. Supporting a similar view, critic
Clara Claiborne Park says in The Woman’s
Partthat‘alone of Shakespeare’s heroines, Portia is
allowed to confront a man over matters outside a
woman’s sphere and to win”(1980, p.109). Then it is
matter of regret that her father burdened her with
such an unscrupulous clause in hiswill and did not
allow her to choose her own life-partner. Critic
Martin Coyle highlights it as ‘a bourgeois conception
of marriage’ (1998, p.57). Another point to be noted
is that Portia comes to the court in disguise of a
man. It is a matter of question that why is she
needed to disguise herself. In the then England,
women were not allowed to participate in
universities or the judiciary, therefore, Shakespeare
follows the convention and makes her disguise as a
man when coming to the court to run the case.
The court scene in The Merchant of Venice is most
striking in highlighting Portia’s importance in the
play. The scene marks Shylock as a dastardly
imprudent usurer but portrays Portia as a prominent
and effective figure. Her long dialogue on peace,
forgiveness and love highlights her sensibility and
depth of conscience:
The quality of mercy is not strain’d
It droppeth as the gentle rain from
heaven Upon the place beneath: it
is twice blest, It blesseth him that
gives, and him that takes.
(Shakespeare, IV.I, 180-184, p.111)
Her speech on mercy predicts her philosophical
intensity, depth of rationality and sense of
conscience. Her judicial tactfulness highlights
presence of mind and knowledge. In the then
England, women started to contribute in
industrialization and literature, therefore, it is
assumed that woman’s dedications in areas outside
domestic issues inspired Shakespeare to sketch
Portia’s character in this way. This scene proves that
63
Courtesy:www.copia-di-arte.com
Nowadays, men and women have equal opportunity
to gain qualifications and to practice their talents
but the age of Shakespeare set many boundaries for
women. The notion that arrives from Portia’s
disguise is that the court is part of man’s world and
that woman is not allowed to participate even if she
is more capable. There should not be an issue if she
were to come to court with her womanly dress code
or debate with her womanly tone but she cannot
because social convention does not allow her to do
so. Shakespeare can make it happen and can sketch
Portia in the court without disguise but he also
follows the convention and presents her keeping the
real identity in veil of such an effective and
intelligent woman. It is assumed that Shakespeare
fears of portraying Portia in court with her original
AZMI AZAM
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
identity because it can arouse feminism in the
female audience and it may be a disgrace to the
established traditions in the then society. Thus he
avoids taking any risk of establishing new thought
pattern for women. He shows that after the case is
settled, Portia gets married to Bassanio and lives
eternally happy suggesting that a woman’s actual
happiness is in the home rather than outside world.
In this way, Portia turns subordinate to her male
counterparts.
Again, in As You Like It, Rosalind is found
controlling the main plot of the whole drama. She is
not only educating the male protagonist regarding
love but also solving the love problem of Phebe and
Silvius as well. Even Celia is found being controlled
by Rosalind who is marked as a problem solver as
well as a smart teacher able to control situational
troubles. The thing that strikes is that she did all
these in disguise of a man. Even when she exiles to
the forest, she conceals herself as a man for her
security. She names herself Ganymede and asks
Celia to look like a poor lady, naming her Aliana.
Courtesy: unhistorical.tumblr.com
This indicates that a woman is not secure outside
her home nor is she allowed to practice her skills in
her own identity. We don’t find any male disguising
themselves for safety reasons, only the women.It
seems that if Rosalind comes to the forest in her
womanly attire, it may cause her insecurity and
danger in the company of unknown people;
therefore disguising herself as a man is the best
possible means of survival. And she is so good in it
that no one was able to recognize her true identity.
She continuously gives love lessons to Orlando and
shapes him according to her likings in order to start
a perfect love life without being caught. If we
64
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014
compare Rosalind with Portia, it is found that both
of them have similarities, but Rosalind has no male
rival nor she is bound to save anyone from death,
she is doing everything for herself, whereas, Portia
did everything for other people’s benefit. She
accepts the will for her dead father’s reputation and
saved Antonio in disguise of a male solicitor. Portia
already achieved the love of her life, so it hardly
matters for her if Antonio dies but she did not
overlook the matter. Moreover, Portia could easily
overlook the will of her dead father but she values it
ardently. In case of both the heroines, Critic Clara
C.Park says:
Rosalind is a political exile, but she
shows no disposition to meddle in
politics, it is not through her agency
that her father is restored to his
rightful place. Her wit is not, like
Portia’s, exercised in the service of
sensible men engaged in serious
business of the world, nor are her
jokes made at their expense. Her
satire is, in fact, narrowly directed
at two classes of beings,- sighing
lovers, and women. (1980, p.108)
So, it is evident that Rosalind is an effective figure
who allows the plot of the play to flourish. In this
regard, Judith Cook says: ‘like Viola later, Rosalind
becomes the object of affection of a real woman, in
her case the cool shepherdess Phebe.’ (1990, p.17).
At the end, Shakespeare shows that Rosalind
becomes more happy and satisfied in matrimonial
bondages instead of the exile in the forest of Arden
or in teaching others love lessons. This is indirectly
indicative, once again, of the fact that a woman’s
ultimate happiness lies in matrimony or becoming
subordinate to her male counterpart. Shakespeare
could have shown Rosalind surviving in the forest
instead of returning to civilization and getting
married to Orlando but he feared to show anything
that goes beyond the social norms prescribed for
women. He has given Rosalind equal terms to show
her dignity but not in her own identity which she
must disguise and he also suggests that Rosalind’s
main search or the ultimate goal is love and peace
that only marriage can bring.
AZMI AZAM
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014
woman is supposed to come after man even if she is
of more worth than the man. In both the plays,
Shakespeare represents the limits a woman can
reach and he was also conscious to be sure of the
approval of those limits in her society. It seems that
if the society wants to see and accept a woman to a
certain level of freedom, the writer’s duty is to obey
that as well and Shakespeare is not an exception.
Courtesy :www.nines.org
In this regard, Park suggests ‘the bright young girl is
to be made acceptable- to audiences, to readers,
perhaps even to her creator-ways must be found to
reduce the impact of her self-confidence, to make
sure that equality is kept nominal.’(Ibid, p.105) I
agree with Park that Shakespeare used this strategy
to make Rosalind acceptable to all. If he shows
anything that goes opposite to the normal
acceptance of the then audience of England, his
plays may not be acknowledged. Therefore, he
shows his heroines giving them equal footing to the
men’s world to some extent but again makes them
return to their traditional role which is home making
and matrimony.
Another point to be noted is that it is Portia
and Rosalind without whom the plays’ story cannot
progress, but the title of neither play suggests that.
Shakespeare could easily name the plays as Portia
and Rosalind just the way he did in case of Hamlet,
Macbeth, King Lear, Henry VIII and Richard III.
According to the story, both the plays deserve to be
entitled with the name of the main protagonist of
the play. In fact, none of the plays of Shakespeare,
tragedies or comedies, has a female name
entitlement except Antony and Cleopatra and
Romeo and Juliet.In the former Cleopatra comes
after Antony as a supporting element of the title. It
is because the audience will not accept equal
position of naming a woman with man.It seems that
65
Courtesy: abstract.desktopnexus.com
In case of another of Shakespeare’s romantic
comedies, Twelfth Night, the female protagonist’s
role is similar to that of Rosalind. After a shipwreck,
the aristocratic lady named Viola could not find her
twin brother and intends to seek a job in Olivia’s
court for livelihood. As Olivia denies refuses anyone,
Viola is advised to seek a job in Orsino’s court, but in
disguise. For the sake of survival, she disguises
herself as a man, calling herself Cesario and
joinsOrsino’s court. Now the question rises as to
why Viola disguises as the opposite gender to work
under Orsino. It is found that she does not decide to
conceal her gender when she wanted to work for
Olivia. She did it only when she has to work under
Orsino. If it is a matter of security, then this gender
concealment is a matter of great issue. What could
be the harm if Viola joins Orsino’s court with her
real identity?The answer is simple-it is a matter of
her safety as she is young and unmarried. It seems
that Shakespeare is trying to show that a woman is
not safe in the field of work or in the man’s world of
earning money. The thing that is strikingly
AZMI AZAM
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
highlighted is that a woman is safe and sound when
she is in home under the safeguard of her guardians.
If she enters the world of men or is bound to earn
for her survival, she has to be over conscious of her
security and Viola is an example of that.
In the then England, single women were hardly
welcome to earn their own livelihood. Apart from
some newly feminist play writers and industry
workers; only maid servants were seen as
acceptable in society though the safety of them was
a great issue. Therefore, being a citizen of that time,
Viola is concerned with her safety, thus first tries to
get a job under Olivia and then, finding no other
way, serves Orsino but in the disguise of a man.
Thus, we can say that Shakespeare indirectly points
out the social condition and the question of security
of women outside home or for working class women
of that time.
Courtesy: www.qub.ac.uk
Shakespeare could have depicted Viola as a
confident woman who survives the shipwreck and
then finds her lost brother without the support of
any disguise. The act of disguise is an act of security
for Viola in the play. On the other hand, when she
feels that she is in love with Orsino, she tactfully
starts teachinghimin this regard whilst knowing that
he already loves someone else. She is found carrying
the love proposal to Olivia when she is in love with
Orsino. This indicates her self-control and strong
determination. Then the question raises that why a
girl who is so self-determined could not assure her
security keeping her real identity in front of all.
Moreover, she is the one controlling the main plot
66
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014
of the story but the title of the play does not
indicate that at all. The title highlights the thematic
aspect, whereas, Shakespeare could easily entitle it
as Viola instead of Twelfth Night.
On the other hand, the other female character Olivia
is shown euphemistically. At first she is depicted
following an ancient ritual of mourning. She decides
not to show her face for seven years nor marry
during the length of her oath because of the death
of her brother. Now the question is that why a
woman is tormenting herself in such a way by
sacrificing her youth, freedom and love for the
person who is dead. Such a ritualistic mourning
cannot bring life back to Olivia’s dead brother. She is
so determined that she refusesOrsino’s love
proposal but she easily forgets her oath when
meeting Cesario, actually the disguised Viola, who
comes to her as a messenger of Orsino. When she
meets and talks to Cesario, she immediately forgets
her oath and falls in love with him. This indicates the
fragile mentality of Olivia. Her act of falling in love
with Cesario reminds us of Belinda in Alexander
Pope’s mock epic The Rape of the Lock(1712). Like
Olivia, she pretends to reject the love proposals but
gets attracted to eligible bachelors quite easily. In
short, Olivia is not shown as a woman of strong
willpower.
If we judge her, we find that, indirectly, Shakespeare
suggests the idea that women are not capable of
controlling their hearts. It does not matter whether
it is Olivia or Viola, women always falls in love with
an eligible bachelor as if their main concern is
achieving love from their male counterparts. All the
female characters in Shakespearean comedy
discussed so far, Portia, Rosalind and Viola, are
concerned with their matrimonial intensions. They
give all their efforts either to the flourishing of their
romances or to strengthen their marriages. None of
them is shown fighting for herself or trying to
establish her identity liberally but helping the male
counterpart to reach a certain goal. Only in
Shakespeare’s tragedies, such as Lady Macbeth,
Cleopatra and so on, woman are found to struggle
fortheir own identity or power by practicing their
wit and courage,but the result of such attempt is
shown as destruction. It seems they could not
handle the grounds that are for men onlyand they
AZMI AZAM
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014
are meant to be subaltern to them in order to
survive.
Courtesy: homeliving.blogspot.com
Shakespearean plays never show any idea that goes
beyond the boundaries of the society in which
Shakespeare lived, especially regarding the
representations
of
women.
The
gradual
development and involvement of women in
employment fields does encourage Shakespeare to
sketch women who are shaping their own future,
such as Rosalind, Portia and Viola,who are
structuring their own love-lives but he also sets
limits for them. This is with the aim of seeking of
acceptance of his work with readers and audiences
of the then England. Thus, this cannot mark
Shakespeare as an anti-feminist because he shows
what the society of that time used to accept or
believe. Even in today’s world, women are victims of
rape and maltreatments because of not following
the limits of freedom that the earlier periods
prescribed for them. It is true that women are more
liberal now, but it is also true that they are facing
more problems than before. Then the debate
ariseswhether literature has the power toeffectively
change the thinking pattern of people or not. If it is
so, then Shakespeare tries not to go beyond the
socio-ideological acceptance level for women.
Courtesy: earlymodernengland.com
Another important point to argue is the issue of
representing the true and accurate facts in
literature. If we accept that literature speaks the
truth then we also haveto accept that women are
discouraged from participating in a man’s world for
their own security, but in contradiction to this, the
then England was being effectively governed by
female monarchs. Many critics disbelieve that
literature speaks only the truth. For example,
feminist critic Judith Fetterley argues in ‘On the
Politics of Literature’(1978):
One of the main things that keep the design
of our literature unavailable to the
consciousness of the woman reader, and
hence impalpable, is the very posture of the
apolitical, the pretense that literature
speaks universal truths through forms from
which all the merely personal, the purely
subjective, has been burned away or at
least transformed through the medium of
art into the representative. (In Warhol and
Herndl, p.564)
Courtesy: www.fashion-era.com
67
AZMI AZAM
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
If we judge Shakespeare under Fetterley’s point of
view then we will find Shakespeare representing
women under the colours of his own prejudices. We
can say that, in the name of socio-ideological belief
of the then England, he represents woman with less
dignity, claiming them to be universal. Marking that
not a single work of Shakespeare has a woman’s
name as the entire title and always suggesting
matrimonial allowance as the ultimate aim of
womanhood, we can mark Shakespeare having antifeminist impulses, though it is arguable that
Shakespeare does show the frailties of men as well.
We cannot forget the self-loathing and guilt felt be
Macbeth after his killing of Duncan or Hamlet’s
cowardice at seeing his father’s ghost, but it is
evident that Shakespeare’s comedies shows women
with certain limitations.
CONCLUSION
Shakespeare’s demonstrations of females in his
plays provide essential and universal traits of
women. All his female characters, especially in
comedies, depict the socio-ideological condition of
the then England and are shown with certain
limitations of freedom.
Disguise is a device
frequently used by Shakespeare in comedies, but
this act of disguise is metaphorical. A point to be
noted is that none of the males disguisethemselves,
only
the
females.
Under
socio-historical
perspectives, it can be said that Shakespeare shows
that, in the then England, where women were
cautious in regard to their own safety, his heroines
hide their gender identities. Though, it also tactfully
suggests that women are capable of disguising
themselves more effectively then men as if it is one
of their essential characteristics. Therefore,
Shakespeare only makes his heroines disguise
themselves. It also indicates women as more
operative in hiding or plotting things and therefore
Portia, Rosalind and Viola disguised successfully and
plotted their romances effectively. Under these
observations, it is estimated that Shakespeare
shows female characters subordinates in his
comedies and The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It
and Twelfth Night are good examples.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown,J.R.,ed., 1955. The Merchant of Venice: The
Arden Shakespeare. Surrey: Methuen
&
Co.ltd.
68
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014
Bate, J., 1997. The Genius of Shakespeare. London:
Macmillan.
Barker, D.E., and Kamps, I., eds., 1995.Shakespeare
and Gender. London: Verso.
Cook, J., 1990. Women in Shakespeare. London:
Virgin.
Chedgzoy, K., ed., 2001. New Casebook:
Shakespeare, Feminism and Gender. New
York: Palgrave.
Coyle,M.,ed., 1998.The Merchant of Venice: New
Casebooks. London: Macmillan.
Donno, E.S., ed., 1994. Twelfth Night or What You
Will. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Giddens, E., 2011. How to Read a Shakespearean
Play Text.Cambridge :
Cambridge
University Press.
Humm,M., 1986.Feminist Criticism: Women as
Contemporary Critics. London:
The
Harvester Press.
King,W.N.,
ed.,
1968.
Twentieth
Century
Interpretations of Twelfth Night. New Jersey:
Englewood Cliffs.
Levi, P., 1988. The Life and Times of William
Shakespeare. New York: Henry Holt and
Company.
Lenz,C.R.S., Greene,G. and Neely,C.T., eds. 1983.The
Woman’s Part.
Chicago: University
of
Illinois Press.
Lothian, J.M., and Craik, T.W., eds., 1979.The Arden
Shakespeare: Twelfth Night. Surrey:
Methuen.
McDonald, R., ed., 2004.Shakespeare: An Anthology
of Criticism and Theory
1945-2000.
London: Blackwell.
Murphy, A., ed., 2007.A Concise Companion to
Shakespeare and the Text. London:
Blackwell.
Palmer, D.J., ed., 1972.A Casebook: Twelfth Night.
London: Macmillan.
Rackin, P., 2005.Shakespeare and Women. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Smith,H., 1972. Shakespeare’s Romances: A Study of
Some Ways of the Imagination.California:
The Huntington Library.
Stott, R., 1992. The Fabrication of the Late-Victorian
Femme Fatale: The Kiss of Death. London:
Macmillan.
AZMI AZAM
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed International Journal - http://www.rjelal.com
Warhol, R.R., and Herndl,D.P., eds., 1997.Feminism:
An Anthology of Literary
Theory
and
Criticism. New Brunswick:Rutgers University
Press.
White,R.S.,ed., 1996. Twelfth Night: New Casebooks.
London: Macmillan.
Werner, S., 2001.Shakespeare and Feminist
Performance. London: Routledge.
Wells, S., and Orlin, L.C., eds., Shakespeare: An
Oxford Guide. Oxford: Oxford University
Press. Kentucky, 1994. Print.
69
AZMI AZAM
Vol.2.Issue.1.;2014