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05-23-2009, 11:01 AM
"Tragic Patriarchy": The Misogynist Side of Shakespeare in 'Hamlet' and 'Othello' Untertitel Autor/inKathrin Köhler Seiten81 Seiten HochschuleRheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH) Deutschland Art der ArbeitMagisterarbeit Abgabe2004 Note1,7 Preis74,00 EUR (inkl. MwSt.)
Bestellnummer39008423 SpracheEnglisch MedienPapier / CD Inhaltsangabe
Abstract:
Was Shakespeare a misogynist ? Or was he, on the contrary, an early advocate of female equality ? Were his plays manifests of patriarchy, of the dominance of men over women and of typical stereotypes ? Or were they, like other critics have argued, just the opposite? Was he a "feminist in sympathy", as Juliet Dusinberre has argued, or was he the patriarchal bard many others see in him ? In how far were his views about the sexes influenced by the conceptions of gender in the Elizabethan time - and did he support, question or even reject them ?
These were the questions I had in mind when I started working on this thesis paper. After dealing with both Shakespeare and feminism in the course of my studies, an evaluation of Shakespeare's attitude towards women seemed very interesting. The attraction that Shakespeare combined with feminism has, and the necessity of such criticism, has often been discussed. The following quote is rather long, but perfectly expresses my own interest in the topic. "Feminist critics of Shakespeare must use the strategies and insights of this new criticism selectively, for they examine a male dramatist of extraordinary range writing in a remote period when women's position was in obvious ways more restricted and less disputed than our own. Acknowledging this, feminist critics also recognize that the greatest artists do not necessarily duplicate in their art the orthodoxies of their culture; they may exploit them to create character or intensify conflict; they may struggle with, criticise or transcend them. Shakespeare, it would seem, encompasses more and preaches less than most authors; hence the centuries-old controversy over his religious affiliation, political views, and sexual preferences. His attitudes towards women are equally complex and demand attention." The fact that all major female characters have to die in Hamlet as well as in Othello is what first brought me to assess these two plays. I believe that even without an in-depth analysis of the plays the excessive murdering of women shows that Shakespeare's attitude towards them is in some way troubled. I was worried that this would be too trivial a starting point, but other critics have had the same idea: "And, as has been noted, the women in the tragedies almost invariably are destroyed, or are absent from the new order consolidated at the conclusions." The more I dealt with this vast topic, however, the more complicated it became. The reason for this is that the questions stated above cannot be answered in a simple manner. There are many critics who see Shakespeare as the "patriarchal bard" - and many who oppose this and think that his stand was well ahead of his time. All find arguments in his works to support their view and the debate is ongoing. If one looks only at the discussion that followed the publication of Dusinberre's Shakespeare and the Nature of Women, one gets an idea of the controversy about Shakespeare and feminism. She claimed that the beginning of humanism, Puritanism and the powerful female figure Queen Elizabeth I all changed the status of women and that the new attitude is visible in Shakespeare's plays. But her views have been disputed.
There are critics who doubt whether Puritanism and the existence of "isolated 'women worthies'" really changed the status of women and if so, whether Shakespeare was also influenced by this change. Others argue that especially at the end of Queen Elizabeth's rule the general attitude towards women was negative, that the death of the female ruler was indeed celebrated and that she was idealised again after her death. All of this shows one of the biggest problems when analysing Shakespeare's portrayal of and his attitude towards women: there is no clear definition concerning the general perspective on women in 16th century England. The times in which a unified Elizabethan world picture, as proclaimed by Tillyard and others, was taken for granted, have past, as Lenz, Greene and Neely stress.
"Historical critics, seeking to relate the status of women in the plays to that of women in the period, must struggle with the problems of how to measure the position of women in life and how to conceive the relationship between life and art. The proliferation of contradictory material on women in the Renaissance increases their difficulties.[...] The plays are aesthetic creations as well as social documents; historical data cannot simply be imported into them or derived from them." If there was consensus about the attitude towards women in the Renaissance, it might be easier to define whether Shakespeare promoted or criticised the prevailing opinion. What seems to be clear, however, is that the society in which Shakespeare lived was at least more defined by patriarchal norms than our own, although there were also traits of matriarchy and male dependency on women as in the case of the citizens and their queen. I think the following statement of Steve Mullaney is quite correct: "[...] The patriarchal hierarchy of early modern England was grounded in an explicit and officially promulgated ideology of male supremacy and autonomy." That this ideology of male supremacy can also been found in Shakespeare's plays has been demonstrated by Mullaney and many other critics, and this is the stance which I myself take in this paper. But how can this thesis be proven? It is not possible do ask Shakespeare directly what he thought about the relation of the sexes, how he valued women or if he saw them as equals. It is also not possible to go back in time and see how the role of women was really like when he lived, and for example answer the question if the fact that the powerful monarch was female really made a difference in the way women were appreciated and treated. I believe that the texts created by Shakespeare are what remains and that any answers can best be found in them. I am not arguing that everything that surrounds the texts is not important, but the extend of its influence is simply hard to define. Therefore, the texts of two of Shakespeare's greatest plays, Hamlet and Othello will constitute the basis for my attempt to find some answers. The aim of this paper is not to find the ultimate answer to the question of whether Shakespeare was a misogynist or not. That goal would simply be unrealistic. However, my aim is to show that misogyny is visible in at least two of Shakespeare's plays. My definition of misogyny is taken from Valerie Wayne, who sees it not only as hatred against women but also as an expression of deep distrust of women and the wish for their subordination. I believe that Shakespeare's misogynist side is obvious in the tragedies. I am not saying that this side is equally well displayed in the histories, comedies or romances. I will show that even in the tragedies, emancipated female characters appear. But through close analysis of the two plays and the respective secondary literature, I will show that misunderstanding, fear and hatred of women is present in the plays and that in the end, the female characters are always subdued and the patriarchal structures are secured again.
Before the plays are discussed, I need to give some theoretical background. Criticising Shakespeare as a potential misogynist is only possible because of feminist literary criticism. Many essays which will support my own interpretations were written by feminist critics. Therefore, I think it is necessary to discuss feminist criticism before discussing the plays. Although feminism is not a new critical approach anymore, it is important to know its origin, development and impact as well as its different assumptions, approaches and aims. Knowing this will help to evaluate the different opinions that feminist critics hold about both Hamlet and Othello. I see myself as writing in the tradition of feminist criticism, so an explanation of this critical theory will also help to understand my own arguments.
I will begin by outlining the origin of feminist literary theory. Its critical roots lay in structuralism, against which feminism began to argue. Its ideological basis is the feminist movement. Both influences will be briefly presented. After that, I want to highlight the different schools of thought within feminism, namely American, British and French criticism. I think that concerning Shakespeare and his works, all approaches can offer interesting insights. The most important critics, their assumptions and methods will be portrayed. Other forms of feminist criticism, that are in themselves very interesting but in my opinion not of much importance when analysing Shakespeare, like lesbian and black feminist criticism, will not be discussed. I will then go on discussing the development of feminist literary criticism. The main stages of feminist criticism and its impact in the academy will be presented. This first part of the paper is not supposed to be a mere "dumping ground" for information, and I will keep it as concise as possible. But I think a short discussion of feminism needs to be a part of this paper to understand the background of the critical essays on Hamlet and Othello.
The discussion of the misogynist elements in Hamlet will follow. Here, the female characters of Ophelia and Gertrude will be the centre of attention, but also the ways in which Hamlet, his father and Claudius treat, judge, and kill the women. The relationships between men and women, but also between the two women and between the male characters will be analysed. The same approach will then be used to take a closer look at Othello. The female characters of Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca, their words, acts and appearances will be the focus. This again includes analyses of the men. The way they talk about, treat and interpret the women reveals much about the negative attitude towards women in Shakespeare's tragedies. For both plays, I will offer my own interpretations as well as interpretations found in the secondary literature. The part on Othello will be a little shorter since many parallels between the two plays can be drawn and several of the essays discussed in detail when discussing Hamlet can also be applied to Othello. Through close analysis of both plays, I hope to show that in Othello, as well as in Hamlet, misogyny cannot be ignored.
As I have mentioned before, things that may or may not have influenced Shakespeare will play a lesser role. I will present opinions about the role of and attitude towards women in the Renaissance, but since I am not a historian, I cannot partake in a detailed discussion of them. Something that will not play any role is Shakespeare's biography. To analyse his own relation to women would definitely be interesting - he is supposed to have left the mother of his children and to have "fled" from this marriage to London - but since there are more unknown than known facts about his life, I think it would be too speculative.
Lenz, Greene, and Neely remind us that it is never possible to answer all questions in such an analysis. "No psychological models, no amount of data from the historical or aesthetic contexts, and no reading of the plays, however careful, can resolve the general issue of what relationship the man, Shakespeare, has to the texts that bear his name, or the narrower issue of whether these texts prove Shakespeare a feminist, a sexist, or something in between. While feminist critics do not rule out such speculations, they are implicit rather than explicit in their essays." This is certainly something one should keep in mind, especially to avoid seeing one's own opinion as only correct one. I will not attempt to answer all questions but I believe his texts offer a lot to support my thesis.
Table of Contents:
1.Introduction2
2.Theoretical Background: Feminist Criticism7
2.1Feminism as a Post-Structural Theory
2.2Literary Feminism as Part of the Feminist Movement 9
2.3Literary Feminism: Goals, Approaches, Achievements12 2
.3.1French, British and American Feminism
2.3.2The Development of Feminism as a Critical Approach18
3."Get Thee to a Nunnery..." - The Misogynist Elements in Hamlet22
3.1Gertrude, the Queen Ruled by Men
3.1.1Gertrude's Domination by Claudius, Hamlet and the Dead King23
3.1.2The Problem of Gertrude's Guilt29
3.2Ophelia - Or How Patriarchy Can Lead to Madness32
3.2.1Ophelia's Subordination by Brother and Father
3.2.2The Passage from the World of the Father to the World of the Husband35 3.2.3Ophelia and Gertrude - A Lack of Female Intimacy36
3.2.4Hamlet, Ophelia and the Masculine Principle37
3.3Ophelia's Madness41 3.4The Men in Hamlet45
3.4.1A Closer Look at Old Hamlet
3.4.2Hamlet's Mourning47
3.4.3Male Bonds in the Play48
4."Lie With Her, On Her, What You Will..." - The Misogynist Elements in Othello50 4.1Desdemona - An Emancipated Woman Confined by Men
4.1.1A Revolting Daughter
4.1.2Desdemona the Wife - A False Ideal of Love ?55
4.1.3Desdemona's Desire and the "Bestial" Sexuality in Othello59
4.2Desdemona, the Other Female Characters and Female Solidarity61
4.2.1Emilia and Her Relationship to Desdemona - Servant, Friend or Traitor ?
4.2.2The Treatment of Bianca63
4.3Men in Othello: Murderous Coxcombs65
4.3.1Unfulfilled Relationships4.3.2Honour, Reputation and Jealousy69
5.Conclusion73
Bibliography
Bestellnummer39008423 SpracheEnglisch MedienPapier / CD Inhaltsangabe
Abstract:
Was Shakespeare a misogynist ? Or was he, on the contrary, an early advocate of female equality ? Were his plays manifests of patriarchy, of the dominance of men over women and of typical stereotypes ? Or were they, like other critics have argued, just the opposite? Was he a "feminist in sympathy", as Juliet Dusinberre has argued, or was he the patriarchal bard many others see in him ? In how far were his views about the sexes influenced by the conceptions of gender in the Elizabethan time - and did he support, question or even reject them ?
These were the questions I had in mind when I started working on this thesis paper. After dealing with both Shakespeare and feminism in the course of my studies, an evaluation of Shakespeare's attitude towards women seemed very interesting. The attraction that Shakespeare combined with feminism has, and the necessity of such criticism, has often been discussed. The following quote is rather long, but perfectly expresses my own interest in the topic. "Feminist critics of Shakespeare must use the strategies and insights of this new criticism selectively, for they examine a male dramatist of extraordinary range writing in a remote period when women's position was in obvious ways more restricted and less disputed than our own. Acknowledging this, feminist critics also recognize that the greatest artists do not necessarily duplicate in their art the orthodoxies of their culture; they may exploit them to create character or intensify conflict; they may struggle with, criticise or transcend them. Shakespeare, it would seem, encompasses more and preaches less than most authors; hence the centuries-old controversy over his religious affiliation, political views, and sexual preferences. His attitudes towards women are equally complex and demand attention." The fact that all major female characters have to die in Hamlet as well as in Othello is what first brought me to assess these two plays. I believe that even without an in-depth analysis of the plays the excessive murdering of women shows that Shakespeare's attitude towards them is in some way troubled. I was worried that this would be too trivial a starting point, but other critics have had the same idea: "And, as has been noted, the women in the tragedies almost invariably are destroyed, or are absent from the new order consolidated at the conclusions." The more I dealt with this vast topic, however, the more complicated it became. The reason for this is that the questions stated above cannot be answered in a simple manner. There are many critics who see Shakespeare as the "patriarchal bard" - and many who oppose this and think that his stand was well ahead of his time. All find arguments in his works to support their view and the debate is ongoing. If one looks only at the discussion that followed the publication of Dusinberre's Shakespeare and the Nature of Women, one gets an idea of the controversy about Shakespeare and feminism. She claimed that the beginning of humanism, Puritanism and the powerful female figure Queen Elizabeth I all changed the status of women and that the new attitude is visible in Shakespeare's plays. But her views have been disputed.
There are critics who doubt whether Puritanism and the existence of "isolated 'women worthies'" really changed the status of women and if so, whether Shakespeare was also influenced by this change. Others argue that especially at the end of Queen Elizabeth's rule the general attitude towards women was negative, that the death of the female ruler was indeed celebrated and that she was idealised again after her death. All of this shows one of the biggest problems when analysing Shakespeare's portrayal of and his attitude towards women: there is no clear definition concerning the general perspective on women in 16th century England. The times in which a unified Elizabethan world picture, as proclaimed by Tillyard and others, was taken for granted, have past, as Lenz, Greene and Neely stress.
"Historical critics, seeking to relate the status of women in the plays to that of women in the period, must struggle with the problems of how to measure the position of women in life and how to conceive the relationship between life and art. The proliferation of contradictory material on women in the Renaissance increases their difficulties.[...] The plays are aesthetic creations as well as social documents; historical data cannot simply be imported into them or derived from them." If there was consensus about the attitude towards women in the Renaissance, it might be easier to define whether Shakespeare promoted or criticised the prevailing opinion. What seems to be clear, however, is that the society in which Shakespeare lived was at least more defined by patriarchal norms than our own, although there were also traits of matriarchy and male dependency on women as in the case of the citizens and their queen. I think the following statement of Steve Mullaney is quite correct: "[...] The patriarchal hierarchy of early modern England was grounded in an explicit and officially promulgated ideology of male supremacy and autonomy." That this ideology of male supremacy can also been found in Shakespeare's plays has been demonstrated by Mullaney and many other critics, and this is the stance which I myself take in this paper. But how can this thesis be proven? It is not possible do ask Shakespeare directly what he thought about the relation of the sexes, how he valued women or if he saw them as equals. It is also not possible to go back in time and see how the role of women was really like when he lived, and for example answer the question if the fact that the powerful monarch was female really made a difference in the way women were appreciated and treated. I believe that the texts created by Shakespeare are what remains and that any answers can best be found in them. I am not arguing that everything that surrounds the texts is not important, but the extend of its influence is simply hard to define. Therefore, the texts of two of Shakespeare's greatest plays, Hamlet and Othello will constitute the basis for my attempt to find some answers. The aim of this paper is not to find the ultimate answer to the question of whether Shakespeare was a misogynist or not. That goal would simply be unrealistic. However, my aim is to show that misogyny is visible in at least two of Shakespeare's plays. My definition of misogyny is taken from Valerie Wayne, who sees it not only as hatred against women but also as an expression of deep distrust of women and the wish for their subordination. I believe that Shakespeare's misogynist side is obvious in the tragedies. I am not saying that this side is equally well displayed in the histories, comedies or romances. I will show that even in the tragedies, emancipated female characters appear. But through close analysis of the two plays and the respective secondary literature, I will show that misunderstanding, fear and hatred of women is present in the plays and that in the end, the female characters are always subdued and the patriarchal structures are secured again.
Before the plays are discussed, I need to give some theoretical background. Criticising Shakespeare as a potential misogynist is only possible because of feminist literary criticism. Many essays which will support my own interpretations were written by feminist critics. Therefore, I think it is necessary to discuss feminist criticism before discussing the plays. Although feminism is not a new critical approach anymore, it is important to know its origin, development and impact as well as its different assumptions, approaches and aims. Knowing this will help to evaluate the different opinions that feminist critics hold about both Hamlet and Othello. I see myself as writing in the tradition of feminist criticism, so an explanation of this critical theory will also help to understand my own arguments.
I will begin by outlining the origin of feminist literary theory. Its critical roots lay in structuralism, against which feminism began to argue. Its ideological basis is the feminist movement. Both influences will be briefly presented. After that, I want to highlight the different schools of thought within feminism, namely American, British and French criticism. I think that concerning Shakespeare and his works, all approaches can offer interesting insights. The most important critics, their assumptions and methods will be portrayed. Other forms of feminist criticism, that are in themselves very interesting but in my opinion not of much importance when analysing Shakespeare, like lesbian and black feminist criticism, will not be discussed. I will then go on discussing the development of feminist literary criticism. The main stages of feminist criticism and its impact in the academy will be presented. This first part of the paper is not supposed to be a mere "dumping ground" for information, and I will keep it as concise as possible. But I think a short discussion of feminism needs to be a part of this paper to understand the background of the critical essays on Hamlet and Othello.
The discussion of the misogynist elements in Hamlet will follow. Here, the female characters of Ophelia and Gertrude will be the centre of attention, but also the ways in which Hamlet, his father and Claudius treat, judge, and kill the women. The relationships between men and women, but also between the two women and between the male characters will be analysed. The same approach will then be used to take a closer look at Othello. The female characters of Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca, their words, acts and appearances will be the focus. This again includes analyses of the men. The way they talk about, treat and interpret the women reveals much about the negative attitude towards women in Shakespeare's tragedies. For both plays, I will offer my own interpretations as well as interpretations found in the secondary literature. The part on Othello will be a little shorter since many parallels between the two plays can be drawn and several of the essays discussed in detail when discussing Hamlet can also be applied to Othello. Through close analysis of both plays, I hope to show that in Othello, as well as in Hamlet, misogyny cannot be ignored.
As I have mentioned before, things that may or may not have influenced Shakespeare will play a lesser role. I will present opinions about the role of and attitude towards women in the Renaissance, but since I am not a historian, I cannot partake in a detailed discussion of them. Something that will not play any role is Shakespeare's biography. To analyse his own relation to women would definitely be interesting - he is supposed to have left the mother of his children and to have "fled" from this marriage to London - but since there are more unknown than known facts about his life, I think it would be too speculative.
Lenz, Greene, and Neely remind us that it is never possible to answer all questions in such an analysis. "No psychological models, no amount of data from the historical or aesthetic contexts, and no reading of the plays, however careful, can resolve the general issue of what relationship the man, Shakespeare, has to the texts that bear his name, or the narrower issue of whether these texts prove Shakespeare a feminist, a sexist, or something in between. While feminist critics do not rule out such speculations, they are implicit rather than explicit in their essays." This is certainly something one should keep in mind, especially to avoid seeing one's own opinion as only correct one. I will not attempt to answer all questions but I believe his texts offer a lot to support my thesis.
Table of Contents:
1.Introduction2
2.Theoretical Background: Feminist Criticism7
2.1Feminism as a Post-Structural Theory
2.2Literary Feminism as Part of the Feminist Movement 9
2.3Literary Feminism: Goals, Approaches, Achievements12 2
.3.1French, British and American Feminism
2.3.2The Development of Feminism as a Critical Approach18
3."Get Thee to a Nunnery..." - The Misogynist Elements in Hamlet22
3.1Gertrude, the Queen Ruled by Men
3.1.1Gertrude's Domination by Claudius, Hamlet and the Dead King23
3.1.2The Problem of Gertrude's Guilt29
3.2Ophelia - Or How Patriarchy Can Lead to Madness32
3.2.1Ophelia's Subordination by Brother and Father
3.2.2The Passage from the World of the Father to the World of the Husband35 3.2.3Ophelia and Gertrude - A Lack of Female Intimacy36
3.2.4Hamlet, Ophelia and the Masculine Principle37
3.3Ophelia's Madness41 3.4The Men in Hamlet45
3.4.1A Closer Look at Old Hamlet
3.4.2Hamlet's Mourning47
3.4.3Male Bonds in the Play48
4."Lie With Her, On Her, What You Will..." - The Misogynist Elements in Othello50 4.1Desdemona - An Emancipated Woman Confined by Men
4.1.1A Revolting Daughter
4.1.2Desdemona the Wife - A False Ideal of Love ?55
4.1.3Desdemona's Desire and the "Bestial" Sexuality in Othello59
4.2Desdemona, the Other Female Characters and Female Solidarity61
4.2.1Emilia and Her Relationship to Desdemona - Servant, Friend or Traitor ?
4.2.2The Treatment of Bianca63
4.3Men in Othello: Murderous Coxcombs65
4.3.1Unfulfilled Relationships4.3.2Honour, Reputation and Jealousy69
5.Conclusion73
Bibliography