Critique Of The Constancy Upon Women At The Time in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice In the merchant of Venice Shakespeare has presented three main women characters. These three characters are, Portia, Jessica and Nerissa. Each of these characters come with a different area of society. Women in the time this was set, were not aloud to do anything. They were treated badly, and couldn't chose there own decisions. Shakespeare has made this play to show people in those days what it would be like if women had control of themselves. Shakespeare has made the portrayal of women in this play very different compared to other plays. He has made the women just like men and as well of having control of …show more content…
For women in this period of time I think that this is very unusual, as she is able to tern a situation in favor of Antonio, to save his life when none of the men could. Again in Act 4 scene 2 it shows how stubborn and cunning she can be. Portia who is married to Bassanio, who has just saved Antonio's life, is trying to test his love towards her by asking for his ring. At the start of the scene he wouldn't give her the ring but as is shows she made him do it. "And if your wife not be a mad women, and know how well I have diserv'd this ring, she would not hold out enemy for ever for giving it to me". I think the way she used her use of language talking to Bassanio was very unusual. This is because she makes it sound very encouraging, and makes it sound like a test of love. Portia uses her wit to convince Bassanio to surrender the ring that he vowed that he would never part with. Although Portia is kind, and innocent, she is very stubborn even towards her husband and she sticks to what she wants. Shakespeare has made Portia triumphant over men. Whose beauty, intelligence, quick wit and high moral stand out. She is known throughout the world for her beauty, and she is able to handle any situation with her sharp wit. Nerissa is a sweet, simple woman who helps Portia with all of her needs. Nerissa is not just a maid towards Portia, she is a friend and an
This essay is an exploration of the play Much Ado About Nothing, and the gender roles involved in the deceit and trickery that transpire and develop throughout the story. As gender is one of the main themes in the plot, identifying the expected gender roles of the characters, and how the contrast between characters highlights these expected roles. In Shakespeare 's time, known as the Elizabethan Era, men and women’s roles and expectations were starkly different. Elizabethan women, no matter what social class, were inferior to men. A female’s role in the family was to get married so they could increase their family 's wealth and power and to produce heirs. Men, on the other hand, had all of the power within a household. Males were expected
The beginning of the play exhibits Priestley characterizing women as gentle, being inferior to men and possessive of their luxuries; “I think it’s perfect. Now I really feel engaged.” The fact that Sheila needed to have a ring to set her engagement suggests that the ring matters
obligated to do. She not only prefers this but her bravery, obstinacy and other traits destroy the
Gender stereotypes are not a modern notion and as such expectations and limitations have always existed for both men and women. Fortunately women, who have formerly beared great burdens of discrimination, now have very liberated roles in society as a result of slowly shifting attitudes and values. Shakespeare was integral in challenging the subservient role expected of women in the 16th century. Throughout the play, ‘The Merchant of Venice’, women are expressed as powerful characters who behave, speak and live in a way that breaks away from the conformist role of females during the 16th century. Therefore, the submissive stereotype expected of women in Shakespearean time is confronted and defied through
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.
In William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, gender roles are explored, culminating in two distinct scenes of cross-dressing. The men of Elizabethan society enjoy a prominent status based solely on gender, to which women are clearly outsiders. This is particularly evident in Jessica’s newfound freedom when dressed as a pageboy in Act 2 and Portia’s and Nerissa’s immediate elevation in social standing when they take on male personas in Act 4. Through these two instances of cross-dressing, Shakespeare presents class not in terms of socioeconomic status but in the benefits of being male. Although the three women all partake in cross-dressing as a means of undermining patriarchal constraint, the consequences vary as there are several
important to note as the play was set at a time of monarchical struggle and the
portrayed him in this way. It is vital the believability and credit to the play
The feminist critical perspective examines the roles that women play in literary works and their true significance to the text. Their roles are usually decided on by the society or time period in which the story is set. In "The Merchant of Venice," females were suppressed by the societal ideals of Shakespeare's Elizabethan era, which is portrayed through the characters of Portia and Jessica, who could not establish their own powerful identities because they were women. Portia and Jessica are the main female characters in the play. If they had been given a chance to show their skills, they undoubtedly would've been extremely strong women. However, they had to mask their abilities in order to appeal to their male counterparts. Their
when she asks "what need one?". They knew this would cause him to leave either house as he had too much pride to agree.
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is so alike to our financially afflicted world. The rules of law and commerce are subject to deceptive manipulation, fear of "the other" overwhelms respect for a common humanity, duplicity is the norm, sexuality is a vehicle for ambition, and money drives and wraps almost every action. It is a classic tale that includes important details of the financial crisis in the United States during 2007-2009. Shakespeare’s Venice, like the New York of his time - and the financial capitals of ours - is a city based on borrowing, on market speculation and greed masquerading as wealth and sophistication. Behind the curtains of the practice of lending and borrowing money in Shakespeare’s play lay the transition to capitalism: the rise of banking system; the scarcity for credit in developing industrial enterprises; and the growing dispute of default facing both aristocratic landlords and, above all, small, independent early entrepreneurs on trading ventures. Even though almost 600 years apart from each other, both Shakespeare’s tale and the financial crisis in the United States during 2007-2009 have a similar financial dilemma, each has its unique Shylock, Bassanio and Antonio- people who were responsible for causing the meltdown of their days.
In the Shakespearean era the emancipation of women was not yet granted, this included both genders not being equal. A man was believed to deserve more respect and authority above women, showing why they were the only ones who were provided with an education and given certain job roles. Along with the idea of an equality imbalance, status was a very important thing in the era, showing why some men were given important jobs such as a lawyer and others not so great jobs such as a cleaner. Wealth and status were two major factors which contributed to the idea of honour. For example, here the lawyer would receive more honour than the cleaner since he was deemed more important. In this case however the idea of honour is to be scarred from the betrayal of a woman.
Firstly it is important to mention that, it is the play which had great importance for
The role of woman in the society has always been really controversial, whether it was 400 years ago or now. Shakespeare's two very famous comedy plays, The Taming of the Shrew and The Merchant of Venice challenge a very serious social issue, the role and importance of woman in society. We all know the stereotypical image of woman in the society but Shakespeare questions the society on these thoughts through his plays. While Shakespeare expresses his ideas in a very unique way in each of his plays, this issue is common in both plays and is portrayed very similarly. Whether it is the way woman are treated, portrayed or judged, Shakespeare repeats the same idea through difference acts and events between the two comedies. There are some
It is true that the majority of women in the 17th century were housewives (Lambert). However, in Shakespeare’s eyes, this did not translate to inferiority of women. Instead, he believed that society’s flawed thinking was both unjust and dangerous. He saw women for what they were worth: humans capable of performing and becoming something everyone else could. Regardless of their genders, woman could be just as assiduous, shrewd, and vindictive as their male