Women in Shakespearean literature

Although 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.

In his time, Shakespeare seems to be raising questions on what it means to be feminine or masculine.

Women are supposed to have the following virtues: obedience, silence, sexual chastity, piety, humility, constancy, and patience. Shakespeare however, rises above the stereotypical views of Renaissance society as he portrays women as more than passive vessels. For Example, in his play Alls well that Ends Well, the main character Helena is able to get what she wants through modes of deception. She is able to get Bertram to marry her, and then is further able to trick him into having sexual intercourse with her in order to keep him as her husband.

 Another example, is Venus from Venus and Adonis- here the male role of hypersexual is reversed, and within this poem, Venus is treated as the sexual aggressor while Adonis is treated as the effeminate boy, trying to escape Venus’ clutch.  Venus possesses agency in this poem, which is also a trait not typically given to women within this time period. She is able to influence and direct the outcome of events, unlike Adonis, who is left in her clutch. Not only are the roles reversed within this poem, Venus’ body is literally transformed into a superhuman body that is much larger than Adonis. She is able to pluck him from his horse and carry him over her shoulder, yet her weight can be supported by a flower? Contradictory? I think so.

Women within Shakespeare’s plays are given larger roles than many other stories allow for. Within both of these previously stated examples, the woman is able to overcome her male counterpart through their influences on other characters. These women are insistent in their right to direct their own destinies, and find ways to make sure that they can do so. 

Helena in Alls Well That Ends Well Is projected as an orphaned daughter, yet she possesses scientific knowledge that allows her to present the king with a cure for his ailment. By allowing Helena to be educated, Shakespeare is already placing Helena on a higher social scale than most women were placed on. Helena challenges these traditional attitudes about gender and sexuality that say that a woman should be chaste, obedient, and silent. Helena is a schemer, she is the female version of many of the kings in previous stories and plays. She uses her intelligence to get what she wants, and ultimately she is able to choose her husband instead of the other way around.

Both of the women in these play/poem are unique and are not afraid of a fight. These characters are unlike any of the other traditional characters, and they pave the road for more feminist characters that reject societal norms.

For further readings:

http://shakespeare.about.com/od/criticalapproaches/a/intro_women.htm 

For women’s monologue’s within Shakespearian plays:

http://www.shakespeare-monologues.org/women/