Essay on The Power of Women in Richard III

the play draws its readers to identify with Richard and thereby to participate in a

Women in Richard III often see through his intrigues and predict dramatic consequences from his acts. Shakespeare uses the women to point out moral truths and emphasize general principles of moral and political order. Anne, Elizabeth, the Duchess and Margaret each contribute in furthering Shakespeare's moral themes in three ways: through their roles as victims, in their cries for revenge, and in alluding to a higher moral order that transcends men's actions. They represent morals in society even though they are powerless.

Shakespeare’s plays were grouped into three categories: comedies, tragedies and histories. The histories were those plays based on the lives of English kings. Shakespeare was one of the first writers to write about English history. According to Garber, “before Shakespeare’s time there were few history plays such written in England--- England history was told in verse and prose chronicles (239)”. It’s considered that Richard II is one of the early “historical plays”. The play became so iconic that even Queen Elizabeth said that she was “Richard the second, know ye not that”. Richard II tells the story about a king’s downfall.

Shakespeare uses language to explore the controversial gender roles. His use of two distinctively opposing female

A main aspect of Richard’s, Duke of Gloucester, personality is his hatred of women, possibly due to most woman within Richard III holding more knowledge than the men, in regards to Richard’s deceiving nature. The only woman who is outsmarted by Richard is Lady Anne.

Throughout Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” women are used as method for men to get what they want. The men in Hamlet, either directly or indirectly continuously use women to acquire something from other men. The only two women in the entire play are Gertrude and Ophelia, who are consistently used by the current king, Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet. Ophelia is exploited by Polonius and the King (mainly together), and is also used by Hamlet. Gertrude is used by the King, as well as Polonius. In “Hamlet,” the women throughout the play are used as pawns for men to get what they want, mainly from the other men.

In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare, the author, creates female characters that occupy very different roles than in his other plays. In this play, Hamlet plays opposite two women who are used by the men around them in order to further their own interests. One woman is named Ophelia. In many of Shakespeare’s other plays, he creates women that are very strong and play a very real role in the life of the protagonist. In Hamlet, however, Ophelia occupies a very different role-she exemplifies a pawn of the men around her. She is used not only by her father and his associate the King, but also by her supposed lover, Hamlet. This is a very different role for a woman in a Shakespearian play. Also, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude,

The Role of Women in Hamlet in William Shakespeare's Play Gertrude and Ophelia, the only two women in Hamlet, reflect the general status of women in Elizabethan Times. Women were suppressed by the males in their lives (brothers, fathers, and partners) and were always inferior. Ophelia and Gertrude have little or no power due to restricted legal, social and economic rights that were found in Elizabethan society. The male characters in Hamlet reflect this sexist view point, represented by Hamlet’s judgement that “frailty, thy name is woman”. This view was not uncommon in Shakespeare’s time and heavily influenced Shakespeare to present women the way he does in Hamlet.

Perception of Women in William Shakespeare's Hamlet In Hamlet, Shakespeare carefully represents Getrude and Ophelia. Individually, Gertrude is essentially seen as weak and immoral whilst Ophelia is seen as meek and a victim of society. Collectively, they are seen to fulfil a conventional 16th century role, and it is as our beliefs and views of women change that we are able to perceive the characters in a different angle.

In Henry IV Part 1, Shakespeare introduces two relationships that seem to be polar opposites of each other, the married couple, Hotspur and Lady Percy and the newly wedded couple, Mortimer and Lady Mortimer. Even though Lady Percy and Lady Mortimer did not have key roles in the play they were significant to the portrayal of their male counterparts and Shakespeare’s portrayal of misogyny in the late 16th century. In the Elizabethan era, women were considered second class citizens, and weren’t allowed the same rights as men, and that misogynistic behavior resulted in many unhappy marriages. In Shakespeare’s play, Mortimer and Lady Mortimer are the only characters with a happy relationship because they don’t exhibit the same sexist attitude as the other characters; while Hotspur and Lady Percy’s relationship is an example of how England’s misogynistic attitude resulted in an unhappy marriage.

land in the north of England after both the Earl and Anne died. He was

	Today women have many rights. We can vote, work, and even voice our own opinions. In the past women were seen as mothers and housekeepers, always taught to respect, listen, and serve there husbands or the man of the house. In those days this was considered normal, therefore women had no choice but to obey and do as they were told. In Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays a similar relationship between women and men. He allows men to hold the higher position in the causing, them to treat women as lesser people and believed that women should listen to them and do as they were told.

to be charmed in this way against all the odds and to be made believe

Shakespeare was possibly the first writer to portray women as strong, crafty, and intelligent. However, he has still received criticism from feminists about his representation of women. Some have even accused him of misogyny. There are only two female characters in the play Hamlet - Gertrude, Hamlet's mother and Ophelia, daughter of Polonius. Any debate based upon gender roles must therefore focus upon these two characters.

Whenever somebody is reading a book or play they always think to themselves, this could be much better if I were to change one or two things. While I was reading the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, I thought to myself throughout the whole thing, why must the women be portrayed like this, with such little power? Throughout the play all of the women are viewed as insignificant, they have little to no authority, and they are not allowed do anything a man does. Although that is how it was during that time period, in my opinion some things would’ve never happened if the women in the play had more control over their own lives. Ophelia, especially, should be portrayed with more power and significance, similar to the men in the play.