Young women in Shakespeare’s comedies

Tesis (Bachelor) , 2008 , 43 Páginas , Calificación: 1,7

Filología inglesa - Literatura

Compared to other writers of his time, Shakespeare introduces an unusual amount of deep female characters in his comedies. His representation of women, in particular the ways in which his female roles are interpreted and put on stage, have become topics of scientific interest. Especially the young women often show vitality, great intelligence, and a strong sense of personal independence, which marks them as “queen[s] of comedy” (Palmer 72). Therefore, they are often referred to as Shakespeare’s heroines.
In the following, I want to show their importance and point out that each heroine, although they all share character traits, has distinct and unique qualities. In doing so, I will occasionally refer to a secondary literature and involve positions of different critics. Though, my attention will be focussed on the plays treated in this research paper: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, and Twelfth Night. On the basis of these romantic comedies, I will analyse how the young women are presented and subsequently compare them among one another.
In the first part I will look at each heroine individually and introduce their plays. Then I will develop possible similarities between them: Beautiful but unworldly Miranda seems to be totally controlled by her father Prospero, but she shows a strong will in planning a shared future with Ferdinand and she is aware of her superiority to the savage Caliban. Hermia’s father similarly chooses her husband. With magic help, however, she and Helena manage to come together with the right partner. Moreover, Helena reveals that she believes in the transformative power of love (MND I.2, 233-4).
Viola in Twelfth Night is in a way almost the opposite of Rosalind in As You Like It, although both plays deal with a cross-dressed heroine. Whereas Rosalind can tease Orlando, always knowing that he is in love with her and being moreover able to reveal herself to him whenever she wants, Viola feels trapped in her disguise and has to work for the man she is in love with and even woo another woman on his behalf. Beatrice may not disguise herself in order to show her power like Rosalind, but she is nevertheless a strong female character: she marries only after asserting her dislike for the traditionally minor role of women in marriage and courtship in that time.[...]

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• I. Introduction
• II. Main Part
  • A. Young women in their plays
    • 1. Miranda
    • 2. Rosalind and Celia
    • 3. Viola
    • 4. Hermia and Helena
    • 5. Hero and Beatrice
  • B. Shakespeare's heroines - compared and contrasted
• III. Conclusion
• Abbreviations
• Bibliography

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This bachelor thesis examines the portrayal of young women in Shakespeare's comedies, focusing on their unique characteristics and their significance within the plays. The thesis aims to analyze how these female characters contribute to the comedic elements and themes of the plays, highlighting their intelligence, vitality, and independence.

• The portrayal of young women in Shakespeare's comedies
• The unique characteristics of each heroine
• The significance of these characters within the plays
• The role of female characters in shaping the comedic elements and themes
• The representation of female agency and independence in Shakespeare's comedies

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

The first chapter introduces the concept of young women as heroines in Shakespeare's comedies, highlighting their importance and unique qualities. It provides an overview of the plays analyzed in the thesis: A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, and Twelfth Night. The chapter also discusses the significance of these plays in understanding Shakespeare's portrayal of female characters.

The second chapter delves into the individual analysis of each heroine, exploring their roles and characteristics within their respective plays. It examines Miranda's role in The Tempest, highlighting her intelligence, beauty, and the influence of her father, Prospero. The chapter also discusses Rosalind and Celia's roles in As You Like It, focusing on their wit, independence, and the complexities of their relationships with Orlando and other characters.

The third chapter continues the analysis of the heroines, examining Viola's role in Twelfth Night, highlighting her disguise, her love for Orsino, and her relationship with Olivia. The chapter also explores Hermia and Helena's roles in A Midsummer Night's Dream, focusing on their love for Lysander and Demetrius, their rivalry, and the transformative power of love. Finally, the chapter analyzes Hero and Beatrice's roles in Much Ado About Nothing, highlighting their wit, independence, and their views on marriage and courtship.

Schlüsselwörter

The keywords and focus themes of the text include Shakespeare's comedies, young women, heroines, female characters, intelligence, vitality, independence, agency, love, marriage, courtship, and the representation of women in literature.

• Universidad: University of Osnabrück
• Calificación: 1,7
• Autor: Theo Tebbe (Autor)
• Año de publicación: 2008
• Páginas: 43
• No. de catálogo: V115681
• ISBN (Ebook): 9783640170739
• ISBN (Libro): 9783640172719
• Idioma: Inglés
• Etiqueta: Young, Shakespeare’s, comedy, women, tempest, as you like it, midsummernight's dream, much ado about nothing