Much Ado About Nothing - A Feminist Perspective Essay...

A Feminist Perspective of Much Ado About Nothingnbsp;nbsp; nbsp; Much Ado About Nothing, though a critically acclaimed play, seems to be truly a fuss of trivial details and sexist thinking. The title fits the play itself, in the sense that it is a case of a great amount of nothing, which perhaps can be assumed to be a mistake on William Shakespeares part. The characters in the comedy are not realistic, and those that could have been were transformed throughout the course of events depicted. The most trouble with the play, however, seems to come from the representation of the female characters, particularly in comparison with the males. It seems almost that the female characters are written off, rather than merely written out.†¦show more content†¦Beatrice begins in the comedy as an outstanding example of a sharp-witted female. She is candidly funny, and brutally honest. She calls people as she sees them, though it might be offensive to those she chooses to observe. For instance, when she spars with Benedick, she hits him exactly where she knows it will hurt - his large ego. Why, he is the Princes jester, a very dull fool, (II, i, 130-131) she says of Benedick, to his face. In this statement, she is mocking his ability at verbal sparring, as well as turning his own intelligence into an amusement for the Prince, and whomever ma y be an audience for it at the time. Later in the play, however, Beatrices intelligence is lessened greatly. Her character is made into that of the stereotype of an Elizabethan woman: easily gulled, and quick to fall in love. When she hears the planned conversation between Hero and Ursula, she immediately changes her entire thinking of Benedick. Soon she even believes that she loves him, in return for the sentiments she was made to believe he shared. This transition from sharp wit to the type of gossip that believes every bit of hearsay is difficult to believe in any character, even a Shakespearean one. When Beatrice finally succumbs to this love for Benedick, and betrays her own convictions against marriage, the metamorphosis is complete. Only the shell of a once potentially brilliantShow MoreRelated Much Ado About Nothing - A Feminist Perspective of Hero Essay919 Words   |  4 PagesA Feminist Perspective of Hero in Much Ado About Nothing  Ã‚     Ã‚   Unlike the title of this piece suggests, Hero did not undergo her transformation in Much Ado About Nothing through magic.   Rather, Hero was a victim of the double standards and illogical fears that the men of Shakespeare’s plays commonly held.   The following quote sums it up quite well:   In the plays female sexuality is not expressed variously through courtship, pregnancy, childbearing, and remarriage, as it is in the periodRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Much Ado About Nothing And King Lear3685 Words   |  15 PagesName: Instructors’ Name: Course: Date: Analysis of Shakespeare’s powerful female characters in the play â€Å"Much Ado about Nothing† and â€Å"King Lear Introduction Shakespeare is seen to value the role of women as his plays often portray women as heroines. These women have strong characters that endear them to readers. Readers in our current world, and especially women, are encouraged to be self-assertive in demand for equal treatment in our society. This has been the tradition for women in the WesternRead More Portrayal of Women in William Shakespeares Plays Essay3560 Words   |  15 PagesWilliam Shakespeares characterization of women varies immensely from one comedy to another. In his works, Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and Much Ado About Nothing, he portrays both dominant and submissive women. Ultimately, Shakespeare examines the complexity of women by displaying the vast array of attitudes, emotions, and their treatment and reaction to men as well as refuting the typical subservient wife role. In Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew, the difficultiesRead MoreEssay on A Feminist Perspective of William Shakespeare1506 Words   |  7 PagesA Feminist Perspective of Shakespeare   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although William Shakespeare reflects and at times supports the English Renaissance stereotypes of women and men and their various roles and responsibilities in society, he is also a writer who questions, challenges, and modifies those representations. His stories afford opportunities not only to understand Renaissance culture better but also to confront our own contemporary generalizations about gender, especially what it means to be female. In hisRead MoreAnalysis Of The Odyssey 3033 Words   |  13 Pagesplunges a glowing ax or adze/ in an ice-cold bath and the metal screeches steam/ and its temper hardens— that s the iron s strength—/ so the eye of the Cyclops sizzled round that stake!† (Homer, p.223). Second, The Odyssey explores complex truths about human experience. Through the twists and turns of Odysseus’ way back home, it raises awareness to both our human failings and superb qualities, which are proved to yield very different r esults. As a result, it touches ground on human psychology andRead MoreFeminist Theory Applied to Hamlet2809 Words   |  12 PagesRepresenting Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism Elaine Showalter Though she is neglected in criticism, Ophelia is probably the most frequently illustrated and cited of Shakespeare’s heroines. Her visibility as a subject in literature, popular culture, and painting, from Redon who paints her drowning, to Bob Dylan, who places her on Desolation Row, to Cannon Mills, which has named a flowery sheet pattern after her, is in inverse relation to her invisibility inRead MoreGender Roles in Shakespeare1834 Words   |  8 Pagesparticipate in and reflect the ideas of gender roles in Western society. To the extent that they reflect existing notions about the proper roles of men and women, they can be said to be a product of their society. However, since they have been studied, performed, and taught for five hundred years, they may be seen as formative of contemporary notions about the relationships between males, females, and power. Derrida was right in asserting that there is no outside to the textRead More Gender Roles in Shakespeare Essay1760 Words   |  8 Pagesboth participate in and reflect the ideas of gender roles in Western society. To the extent that they reflect existing notions about the proper roles of men and women, they can be said to be a product of their society. However, since they have been studied, performed, and taught for five hundred years, they may be seen as formative of contemporary notions about the relationships between males, females, and power. Derrida was right in asserting that quot;there is no outside to the text