Feminism & The Tempest

Feminist theory, though contrary to what the statement may suggest, is not simply one theory but consists of branches of various critical approaches that target specific aspects of literature in terms of the representation of female writers (and other artists) and the feminine

Feminist critical lens examines certain texts with a primary focus on both gender’s relationship with each other and how such relationships demonstrate effects towards beliefs, behaviors, and values. This critical lens also examines a patriarchal-centered society and how such society define and interact with women with an emphasis on stereotypes of both genders that are present and evident in the text being analyzed. William Shakespeare’s Othello can be scrutinized through the feminist critical lens. A deep analysis focused on feminism of the play Othello paves way for the judgement of different societal status of women in the period when the play took place, the Elizabethan society. Othello is a best fit that demonstrates how men were

Feminist Theory focuses on the social, economic and political inequality between men and women. Throughout history it is consistently seen as the females being marginalized in society and the males being the central figure. Women were not educated because it was often thought there education will be a waste of time since they have to get married and have children. Not being educated resulted in not being able to hold reputable jobs in society. Females were mistreated as their thoughts and opinions were often discarded. In the short story, "The Devil", by Leo Tolstoy, women don't hold authentic roles rather they are portrayed in stereotypical roles.

                 Miranda's schooling in The Tempest shows the audience the conflicting arrangement white women in the Shakespearean drama as well as Shakespearean times are forced to act within.  Paul Brown points out that "the discourse of sexuality…offers the crucial nexus for the various domains of colonialist discourse" (208) and the conduct in Prospero manipulates his followers' sexuality is the mainstay of his power.  The Miranda-Prospero relationship servers to represent a sort of patriarchy, which is unarguably the system many Renaissance women and women of Shakespeare's time found themselves in.  It is thus unsurprising that Prospero controls Miranda and her sexuality as well.  The

The feminist lens is trying to force gender equality through works of literature. In literature your gender can play a part even if you are not aware of it (Brizee & Tompkins). There are a lot of viewpoints to the feminist lens like how men oppress women such as socially, politically, psychologically, or economically. There is also that in literature women could be distinguished by their difference from men whether it be his standards or his ethics. Patriarchal ideology is the idea that Eve was the starting point of all sins and even death (Brizee & Tompkins). A lot of works of literature have been the inspiration of the women’s right movement in the early 1900s which eventually led to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

Even on a desolate island, political struggle between classes shape the islanders fates. In the Tempest by William Shakespeare, the struggle for political power between classes and the dream of being king of the island present itself. The struggle for political power results in damaging and destructive endings for the stranded islanders. The play has clear social and political structures that can be viewed critically with the Marxist lense. The damage and destruction from a bureaucratic society and political system can be clearly viewed throughout the Tempest.

In order to understand the characters in a play, we have to be able to distinguish what exactly makes them different. In the case of The Tempest, Caliban, the sub-human slave is governed largely by his senses, making him the animal that he is portrayed to be and Prospero is governed by sound mind, making him human. Caliban responds to nature as his instinct is to follow it. Prospero, on the other hand, follows the art of justifiable rule. Even though it is easy to start assessing The Tempest in view of a colonialist gaze, I have chosen instead to concentrate on viewing Caliban as the monster he is portrayed to be, due to other characters that are not human, but are treated in a more humane fashion than Caliban.

Yet her compassion, as real as it is, also has a certain element of shallowness, or at least inexperience about it. She has lived the majority of her life in isolation, on an island known with her only companionship being that of her father. Growing up on this deserted island, Miranda learns to live and abide by the example set by Prospero. He is her only contact with the humanity and therefore he is her only friend and teacher. She knows no other woman and therefore had no female figure to aid the process of raising her. She is naïve and unaware of life's experiences, having been shielded from the rest of the world.      

The male dominated society has hardly left any stone unturned in empowerment of women. Williams Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello, reveals a detailed illustration of victimization of females in society. Throughout the play, the three women Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca are rejected by their spouses, yet still cherish them completely. All three of the women are in an unbalanced marriage where the women in the relationships exert more feelings for their self-centered husband who are not able respond. As the males throughout the play create a downfall in a society that is somewhat caused by the lack

Throughout the play The Tempest there is a relationship that pits master and slave in a harmony that benefits both parties. Though it may sound strange, these slaves sometimes have a goal or expectation that they hope to have fulfilled. Although rarely realized by its by its participants, the Master--Slave, Slave--Master relationship is a balance of expectation and fear by the slaves to the master; and a perceived since of power by that of the master over the slaves.

In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, there has been much debate on whether Miranda, the only female in the play, is a fully formed character or merely an object being used by the men of the play. William Shakespeare wrote in a time where men were considered the dominant sex and women were only used for reproduction and maternal purposes. In the Tempest men like Prospero and Antonio are shown in a position of power and strength, while Miranda is associated with frailty and innocence. This allows the men to use Miranda for their own selfish purposes. However Miranda is unaware of this and acts independently and doesn’t always abide to what the men of the play force her to do. Miranda’s actions throughout the Tempest portray her as a fully formed character but as she is the only other female character in the play, the men view her as an object which can be used to suit their needs.

Human Rights have been fought over for centuries. The rights of men and women still have yet to be brought to an equal point. From a similar stance, people originating from foreign lands also often tend to be faced with a disadvantage where human equality is concerned. The correct interpretations of inequality are never remembered; it is only those of the winners that society chooses to follow - which is subject to bias. This ongoing bias is prevalent when discussing the topic of human rights throughout the past few centuries. For both gender and racial inequality, scholars have failed to record accurate accounts of the history. Instead, they wrote accounts which made society view women to be inferior to men and for African- Americans to be inferior to European-Americans.

The main character in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, experiences a drastic physical identity change and crisis. Viola, shipwrecked to this new land, Llyria, disguises herself as her twin brother, Sebastian, in order to gain work. At first glance, this may not put forth a problem, but understanding the historical and social context during the time in which this play was written, illustrates a sense of feminist upcoming, but Shakespeare tugs back in forth from women superior roles to men. Was this tug-a-war simply a gesture to show equality or that both, men and women, will always need each other? Twelfth Night is

Sycorax is ostensibly absent from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The witch does not appear on stage once, as she dies long before the actions of the play begin. She is, however, invoked frequently, through memories and retellings and secondhand accounts, primarily by the character of Prospero. Many critics have used Sycorax’s absence as undisputable proof that The Tempest, with few traditionally powerful female characters, is, at its core, an anti-feminist play. However, while it may seem as though the easiest way to absolve women of their power is to exclude women from the

Shakespearean England was a thoroughly patriarchal society, with very few rights for women. This culture was borne of the perspective that women were of a lower worth in society than men, a view reflected in the treatment of the majority of women by the men in their lives. William Shakespeare wrote many plays about social issues across Europe, and his play Othello was especially focused on the mistreatment of women in England. Though Desdemona and Emilia, the two main female figures in Othello, have horrific deaths, they advance the feminist cause by denying the female stereotypes set by their male counterparts.