Exploring Strong Female Characters in Shakespeare's Plays who challenged gender roles
Dr. Nivedita Lahkar,
Assistant Professor,
Department of English,
Bezera Anchalik College,
Assam, India.
Abstract: Shakespeare's plays explore feminist themes
by describing strong female characters like Portia, Cleopatra, Beatrice,
Desdemona, Lady Macbeth, Rosalind, Ophelia, Cordelia, and Viola. They display
intelligence and independence, challenging traditional gender roles and lead
plot and action. Shakespeare's plays challenged patriarchal norms, explored
psychological dynamics, and created memorable narratives with strong female
characters, allowing them to display confidence, wit, and agency even in
society, where most of the women are cramped to family and domestic
responsibilities. The female characters in his play are very lively and vibrant
and all of the intelligent women showing their mastery and intelligence
wherever they were projected in his different outstanding plays. The present
paper is a small attempt to highlight the characters and roles of some strong
women protagonists from Shakespeare’s plays.
Keywords: Gender,
Women, Renaissance, Society, Audience
Introduction
William Shakespeare (From 1564-1616) was a famous poet,
dramatist, playwright, actor and is measured as the versatile genius of all
time. He lived in the Renaissance period. The cultural movements of the 14th to
17th centuries brought to life all forms of art, culture, social ideals,
religion, science and literature. The Renaissance period caused a major change
in the idea of human importance. Shakespeare's work challenged the norms of
patriarchy, creating unforgettable stories with powerful female characters that
allowed them to explore psychological dynamics and demonstrate trust, wit and
agency. Shakespeare's work shows a variety of female characters that influence
history and other characters. They can take over important roles, sometimes
outperform male heroes, and influence the plot in many ways. Shakespeare's main
female characters frequently feature young couples in romantic plots, which
lead to arguments within the family as a result of the father and daughter's
disagreements on suitable suitors. Shakespeare's plays often feature women
dressed as men, a dramatic device to further the plot and expose them to
situations that would not be possible for real-life women.
1.1 Methodology
Data for the present study has been collected from the
University of Gauhati and Assam University, Silchar. The present data are
mostly in the form of text materials which were kept for the graduate and
postgraduate students. There were lots of text and reference books on
Shakespeare which gave the researcher sufficient materials to undertake this research
work. Some materials were also available on the Internet and course education
materials. This study was an action research study in all respects. The
University professors also helped to provide primary data through oral
interview. The researcher also attended some classes on Shakespeare to get more
comprehensive knowledge for this study.
1.2. Significance
of Study
The present research paper will be very useful to
students because the comprehensive explanations of female protagonists from the
different plays of Shakespeare are taken for the study. The study is
significant because throughout the plays he tried to focus on the importance of
women and their bravery. He also tried to depict by portraying strong women
through his play that women are not inferior to men in many ways.
1.3 Objectives of
the Study
The main purpose of this research paper is to investigate
feminist themes by exploring brilliant female characters and also to highlight
how these characters embody agency, intelligence, and even a degree of
defiance.
1.0. Shakespeare’s powerful women who challenged traditional
gender roles
Shakespeare's
plays often feature complex, strong female characters challenging patriarchal
norms, showcasing agency, intelligence, and defiance in feminist interpretations.
Shakespeare's work studies feminist topics and focuses on women's strength
through intelligence, wit and independence.
2.1. Intellect and Wit
Portia
(The Merchant of Venice): a
well-known intelligent heroine shows her legal skills disguised as male lawyer
Balthazar to save Antonio from Shylock’s bonds.
Antonio is unable to save himself from a contract that allows Shylock to
take a pound of flesh from his body. Nevertheless, Portia, who is pretending to
be a lawyer, shows her knowledge of the law by arguing that Shylock may have
the right to take Antonio’s flesh from his the body but “no jot of blood” from
his body. She represents love justice, intelligence, and female agency.
Rosalind (As
You Like It): Disguised as Ganymede, Rosalind guides a romantic plot and
leads Orlando through the intricacies of love. Her cross-dressing enables her
language and behavior and shows the restrictions of women in society.
Rosalind's cross-dressing symbolizes gender fluidity, rebellion of societal
outlook, and the power of disguise, challenging traditional gender roles while
highlighting societal stereotypes.
Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing): Beatrice seeks
patriarchal expectations that women are obedient and quiet, and refuses to
determine social pressures in terms of promoting marriage and intellectual
equality. She also represents early modern feminism, challenging traditional
gender roles through her witty, combative relationship with Benedick,
contrasting with the docile hero representing societal prospects of females
during Renaissance.
2.2. Agency and Ambition
Lady
Macbeth (Macbeth) Lady Macbeth is a
powerful and dominant figure, instigates Macbeth's murderous plot, challenging
conventional femininity and expressing a fierce drive for power, despite tragic
consequences. Lady Macbeth in "Macbeth" symbolizes unchecked power,
ambition, and gender disruption, driving Macbeth into tyranny and representing
the gloomy side of human lust.
Cleopatra (Antony
and Cleopatra): Cleopatra, a complex queen with immense power, defies
categorization, displaying strength and vulnerability, challenging patriarchal
norms through her magnetic presence and commanding respect from influential
men. Cleopatra symbolizes power, passion, gender roles, and cultural clashes,
challenging traditional expectations and illustrating the destructive force of
unchecked ambition.
Volumnia (Coriolanus):
Volumnia, Coriolanus's mother, represents Roman matriarchal strength and honor,
influencing her son through her persuasive arguments, showcasing her powerful
female voice in a male-occupied society. Volumnia as a symbol of maternal
influence, highlighting the complexities of familial relationships and their
impact on individuals' actions and destinies, particularly in a patriarchal
society.
2.3. Challenging Societal
Norms and Expectations
Viola (Twelfth
Night): Viola, like Rosalind, navigates the world with greater freedom and
agency, disguised as Cesario, gaining Olivia's trust and entering Duke Orsino's
court. Viola, a symbol of identity, gender, love, and desire. Her disguise as
Cesario, a male servant, allows her to navigate a world that would be
inaccessible to a woman of her social standing. This ambiguity highlights the
social construction of gender and the complexities of love. Viola's love for
Orsino, the Duke, complicates her romantic relationships, highlighting the
ambiguity of gender and love. The play explores the theme of love and marriage,
with Orsino's affections potentially directing towards Cesario's masculine
qualities. Viola's discovery as a noblewoman reaffirms the importance of social
standing and societal rules.
Cordelia (King
Lear): Cordelia, a character in King Lear, is known for her integrity,
stoicism, and adherence to truth, challenging the deceitful behavior of her sisters.
Cordelia stands for devotion, loyalty, goodness, and virtue, contrasting her
sisters' deceitful actions. Her refusal to flatter her father and her eventual
army return represent genuine love.
Desdemona (Othello):
Desdemona, a courageous and independent character in Othello, bravely marries
Othello despite her father's wishes, highlighting the injustice within a system
that values man honor over woman truth. Desdemona symbolizes the innocence and
virtue of a corrupt world. It represents the best of society: familiarity,
open-gay, belief in others, but these traits are ultimately misused and
destroyed.
It's
important to keep in mind that Shakespeare wrote during the Elizabethan era, a
period characterized by rigid patriarchal social structures that restricted
women's legal rights and confined them primarily to domestic responsibilities.
Consequently, despite their exceptional strength, the female characters often
find themselves bound by the limitations of this system, and their agency can
occasionally result in devastating consequences. However, Shakespeare's talent
for crafting complex and multi-dimensional female characters who challenge
societal norms, showcase intelligence, and wield power, can be viewed as a
pioneering examination of gender roles in his era. His plays offer fertile
ground for feminist analysis, shedding light on the oppression women endured
and their unwavering resilience in the face of it.
3.0. What motivated Shakespeare to depict such powerful
women?
3.1. Challenging social expectation
Shakespeare's
plays frequently question the restrictions placed on females by social norms,
portraying characters who defy those limitations and follow their own
aspirations.
3.2. The quest for the
spirit of women
He
dealt with the inner lives of women, exploring their feelings, motivations and
battles with unusual depths and nuances in his time.
3.3. Creating Persuasive
Characters
Shakespeare’s
active female characters, such as Beatrice, Rosalind, Portia, and Lady Macbeth,
remember not only because of their strength, but also because of their
complexity and personality
3.4. Focusing Gender Role
Shakespeare's
work often examines the dynamics of power between men and women, showing how
each role can influence and manipulate both.
3.5.
Questioning the Current society
By
presenting Shakespeare's female characters, questioning social norms, and
showing their power, Shakespeare may have asked about the nature of maleness
and femaleness in his plays. Here in Macbeth
Lady Macbeth's famous plea is ‘unsex me here’, the social belief that ambitions
of cruelty and femininity are incompatible. Shakespeare has such a wish,
dictating a strict and restrictive definition of gender.
4.0. Observations
(i) Feminist understanding of Shakespeare's plays: Shakespeare's works are still examined using
feminist criticism, focusing on themes of power, gender, and representation.
(ii) Feminist analysis aids in comprehending the intricate interplay of power,
gender, and societal norms within Shakespeare's plays. (iii) Shakespeare's
depictions of women in his plays spark conversations about female empowerment,
representation, and the influence of patriarchal structures.
5.0. Conclusion
The plays written by Shakespeare were influenced by the
society he lived in, where men had more power and women were mostly responsible
for household tasks. He considers these standards, but he also (sometimes
clearly, but sometimes not) challenges them by demonstrating the difficulties
and unfairness that women encounter, as well as the expectations that men have.
He demonstrates a profound comprehension of human identity, illustrating how
societal norms influence individuals and their connections with others.
Rephrase Shakespeare's talent was in making characters and stories that, even
though they were based on the rules of his society, went beyond them to look at
questions that are still relevant today about who we are, how we have power,
and how men and women have different and similar His writings still have an
impact today because they encourage us to think deeply and question our own
beliefs about gender.
Works Cited
William. Twelfth Night. Fingerprint Publishing, 2017.
King Lear. Maple Press, 2014.
Othelo. Maple Press, 2013.
Coriolanus Wilder Publication,
2018
Macbeth. Fingerprint
Publishing, 2016.
As You Like It. Fingerprint
Publishing, 2018.
The Merchant of Venice. Fingerprint
Publishing, 2018.
Antony and Cleopatra Akasha
Classics Publisher, 2010.
Much Ado About Nothing. True Sign Publishing House, 2021