The Representation of Masculinity and Violence in Henry V and The Rover

The novel Deliverance by James Dickey portrays the essence of middle-aged men experiencing the mid-life crisis through which they must prove to themselves and more importantly every one else that they still possess the strength, bravery, intelligence, and charm believed to be society's ideal of "masculinity." Dickey's four main characters undertake a risky adventure to satisfy their egotistical complexes and prove to the world that they are still the strong young men their wives married. Each character represents a different stereotype of the middle-aged man, and therefore experiences a different type of psychological and physical journey than their peers.

In Henry V, Shakespeare clearly shows that powerful speech and eloquent rhetoric is more effective in times of war than threat of sharp swords and numerous soldiers. King Henry V - the young and bright king of England - establishes himself as a devout leader to his country and his people. Throughout the story he demonstrates his ability to articulate in order to manipulate his audience, whether it be commoners, enemies, or friends. After an argument with the Dauphin of France over land claims, Henry gathers an army to invade French territory. Following a surprising march through the country against all odds, the king and his soldiers find themselves in a five to one battle, destined to fall defeated. The character of King Henry is exemplified

Within comptemporary society, there are many ways to define gender. Gender includes all the characteristics that differentiate masculinity and femininity. The existence of masculinity create problems for every men because they are constantly pressured to behave in a certain way in order to look masculine. In the story “The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett, masculinity is negatively depicted as problematic toward men. In this story, the author displays the negativity of masculinity through the conduct, manliness and reputation of the main character.

Susan B. Anthony once said, "It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union." Women's rights pioneer and Suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton uses a critical tone to call attention to the oppression of women in her speech, "The Destructive Male." She points out that men's ideas are the only ones that are cared about and listened to. In Stanton's opinion, men are revered for their tough nature and inclination to war, while women are expected to be more delicate and not form their own opinions. Through the use of logos, correction of erroneous views, and criticism Stanton conveys to her audience that women are equal to men, and therefore deserve a place in politics. Unfortunately, she died of heart failure before she got a

Henry’s bold and passionate diction encourages the people of Virginia to join him in the fight for freedom. For example, he asserts, “… we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!” His exclamation shows his pride and conviction, and he is not afraid to stand for his freedom. He is trying to prove to the colonial leaders that this is their last chance to be free of British rule, and this is their only option to challenge the British before they invade. Although he is very blunt and string willed, Henry is still using formal diction. He shows his respects when stating, “I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen…I

‘A Separate Peace’ by John Knowles centers on a group of boys who focus on demonstrating their masculinity and playing sport. Gene Forrester, a typical teenage boy of his time, and Phineas, an adventurous assured individual also known as Finny, are two friends that demonstrate two different ideas about what it means to be masculine in their period of time. This causes a tension between Phineas and Gene and it leads to their relationship to deteriorate. ‘A Separate Peace’ demonstrates divergent ideas about masculinity through several incidents and events throughout the story.

Essay Question: Discuss the ways in which masculinity is constructed in Gallipoli and / or First Blood? What codes and norms of gender are used to construct masculinity in the film(s)?

Vern L. Bullough's article, "On Being a Male in the Middle Ages," addresses how vital it was for a man living in the middle ages to be sexually active in order to maintain a masculine identity by explaining:

His mother went to sleep at midnight, and she wasn’t going to wake up. She downed more than her fair share of a wine bottle at dinner, and he caught her taking swigs of it throughout the night.

“I…” Nyame trailed off, taken aback by his reply. She watched wordlessly for a few moments as he guzzled down another glass of wine. That should have stopped her. Alex drinking so much was a sure sign that he was beyond the anger point. She could visibly see the change in his eyes, the way he spoke where biting in tempo. It was all downhill from here. There would be no reconciliation tonight and somewhere in her heart she regretted that but it was background noise to her enraged thoughts.

T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land explores modernism, specifically focusing on the troubling of binaries and the breakdown of the traditional. The boundaries between life and death, wet and dry, male and female, and more are called into question in Eliot’s conception of modernity and the waste land. The blurring of gender boundaries—significantly through Tiresias and the hooded figure scene in “What the Thunder Said”— in the poem lends itself to Eliot’s suggestion that traditional masculinity breaks down and decays in the waste land. Traditional masculinity is further challenged through Eliot’s criticism of hyper-masculinity and heterosexual relations in the modern era through allusions to the myth of Philomela and the “young man carbuncular” scene in “The Fire Sermon.” Along with this, Eliot stages scenes charged with homoeroticism to further challenge ideas of traditional masculinity. Homoerotic scenes such as the “hyacinth girl” scene in “The Burial of the Dead” and the Mr. Eugenides scene in “The Fire Sermon” suggest an intensity and enticement towards male-male relations, while also offering a different depiction of masculinity than is laid out in the heterosexual romance scenes. Through scenes depicting queer desire and homosexual behavior, Eliot suggests that masculinity in the modern era does not need to be marked by aggression and

In Tragedy, masculinity is primarily used as a cause of tragedy. It creates rifts in relationships, suffering, and death due to a character (or society) failing to look past a preset standard for gender. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s downfall comes from him relying too much on his own masculinity. He lets it control him and be his defining feature, viewing anyone who does not meet this standard (if they are male) not a true man. In Tess of the D’urbervilles, Tess’ tragedy stems from the men in her life and their inability to see her as human. She is held to a double standard and is ridiculed for acting on her own accord. Both texts look at how masculinity can be a cause for the destruction of relationships, a person’s livelihood, and leads

Being a male in today’s society is not about living and enjoyment, it has become more of a task. Social pressures and media have made it difficult for males to live a life in which they are not being pressured to act or perform a certain way. In order to reassure themselves of their masculinity, violence has become the main method in assuring themselves and those around them that they are powerful. Not only is this violence being perpetrated against others, but self-inflicted violence also exists. The violence being used is not only physical but it is emotional abuse as well. Masculinity has forced many males to perform in ways that are detrimental to their own health as well as their loved ones. Furthermore, it has also put males in the

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre displays cases of physical and social restriction, along with instances of avant-garde emotional freedom in terms of Jane Eyre’s freedom of choice in leaving Mr Rochester and rejecting St John River’s proposal.

The Full Monty, directed by Peter Cattaneo is a 1997 British comedy-drama that brings into question everything that is supposedly known to be true of traditional masculinity. This is done largely through showing the struggle of unemployed men in Sheffield, England. “Going for the Full Monty: Comedy, Gender, and Power,” an essay by Jill Marshall assists in addressing the status quo breaks presented in the film. Marshall discusses the issues associated with masculinity and how director Cattaneo uses his comedic artistry to bring to light these important issues. In order to grasp the entire meaning of this film, reviewing The Full Monty while also looking at Marshalls essay and her take on the film.