Research Paper

Shakespeare: an Aid in Achieving Gender Equality
Addyson Miklos
Ms. Wilson
AP Literature
12 February 2014
I have read and understand the sections in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High School's Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act, which could include a "0" on the paper, as well as an "F" as a final grade in the course.
Miklos 2
Addyson Miklos
Nichole Wilson
AP Literature and Composition
12 February 2014
Shakespeare: an Aid in Achieving Gender Equality
Gender inequality has been a prevalent issue throughout history. There have been nationwide movements in which women have fought and suffered for the equal rights they deserve, and women have come out on top. Although, men have been women’s biggest suppressors, they have also been women’s strongest allies. They used their voice to fight for equality when women could not use theirs.
Poet and playwright William Shakespeare has been a huge advocate in giving women recognition through characterizing his female roles as strong and independent characters. The controversy of Shakespeare’s homosexuality or bisexuality could be a clue as to why he gave women more credit than the rest of the world, specifically England. Whether it’s in his romantic comedies, such as The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Tempest, or his plays that highlight strong father-daughter bonds, such as King Lear,
Miklos 3
Shakespeare has used his writing to reflect the gender inequalities in family and marriage dynamics during the Shakespearean era England.
There is significant evidence regarding Shakespeare’s questionable sexuality. 1) Most, if not all, of his sonnets dealt with the idea of love and admiration; and all of his sonnets were “dedicated to a mysterious "Mr. W.H." (Greenepan, 1). It is curious that a heterosexual man dedicated sentimental and heartfelt sonnets to another man. This dedication may imply that Shakespeare was not heterosexual, but just the opposite. 2) In Sonnet 20, the poem appears to idolize a specific man, and it asks the subject “Mine be thy love” (line 14). This indicates that Shakespeare was requesting an emotional relationship with a man. 3) In Shakespeare’s will, he leaves his wife his “second best bed” (Greenepan, 1). This could imply that his best bed was reserved for someone else, and judging from the evidence above, that special someone could quite possibly be male. These are just a few speculations of many, but several of these speculations indicate Shakespeare’s possible homosexuality or bisexuality. Since the “Elizabethan attitudes toward homosexuality” were not positive, Shakespeare would have had to conceal his sexuality outside of his writing in order to avoid societal shame. This societal ideal of shaming homosexuality was similar to the societal suppression of women’s rights during the Shakespearean era, which may have inclined Shakespeare to identify with women. Therefore, Shakespeare gave women such strong voices in his plays because they could not express their true voices in reality.
In Shakespeare’s King Lear, the characterization of King Lear creates a relationship between him and his favorite daughter, Cordelia. This relationship evolves from having no respect for one another to having equal respect for one another. This balanced relationship
Miklos 4
was developed only after King Lear discarded the gender and patriarchal values that were upheld in his society. At the beginning of the play, Lear treats love as a material object, considering his “largest bounty” (1.1.52) would be received by the daughter who expressed the most love for him. He was, in a sense, using his patriarchal status and bribery to receive love rather than earning it. Critics who have examined this scene believe the way Shakespeare crafted this proposition was influenced by “the ideology of property relations” (Smith, 68). Shakespeare uses this idea of Lear treating love as a business exchange to emphasize how ludicrous Lear’s proposition was. This characterizes King Lear as a superficial patriarch; this was a stereotype that many fathers (especially wealthy fathers) fit into during the Shakespearean era. This personality contrasts with the pureness and wholeness of Cordelia’s personality; she even refers to herself as “true” (1.1.108). Considering this, Cordelia cannot properly express her love due to the superficiality of the situation. Therefore Lear essentially disowns her. King Lear’s other daughters, Cordelia’s complements, crafted superficial yet “satisfactory” admissions of love. However, they created chaos that ultimately destroyed Lear in order to reap his wealthy to fulfill their own selfish desires. After those trials encompassed in this tragedy, Lear realizes the error of his previous behavior and asks his daughter to “forget and forgive” (4.7.85). Shakespeare employs alliteration in this line, which conveys the importance of this apology. Lear, a once prideful patriarch, asking for forgiveness represents that he identifies with Cordelia as his equal, if not his superior.
In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare utilizes bawdy diction and witty banter to describe the relationship between the characters Beatrice and Benedick. This writing style
Miklos 5
exemplifies these characters as equals, thus allowing them to fall in love. Critics note that in Shakespearean romantic comedies, characters can always achieve ideal happiness. This is because “the reach of human happiness in this world of men and women is richer, deeper, more sustained, and more satisfying” (Smith, 32) in Much Ado About Nothing and several other romantic comedies that Shakespeare has written. The reason as to why Beatrice and Benedick eventually share this happiness is because they see each other as equals. This concept of equality is especially prevalent in the moment when Benedick confesses, “By my troth, it is no addition to her wit—nor no great/argument of her folly, for I will be/horribly in love with her.” Benedick loves Beatrice because she is witty—he sees her as an equal. Equality is what makes love real, and critics have analyzed that true happiness is attained in these Shakespearean comedies in which strong male and female leads fall in love.
Shakespeare’s The Tempest reiterates the idea of Shakespeare giving a voice to the female population through the relationship of Miranda and Ferdinand, thus promoting gender equality. The idea that love is the bond that humanity must always seek is prominent in this comedy, considering that “love in the comedies always turns out well” (Charney, 61). Miranda, daughter of the main character Prospero, marries Ferdinand, a man who respects her and loves her. Miranda breaks the conventions of a man proposing to a woman when she tells Ferdinand, “I am your wife, if you will marry me” (3.1.83) This not only conveys the love she possesses, but it also breaks accepted societal beliefs in regards to what a man should do and what a woman should do. If Miranda can propose to Ferdinand, why should women hesitate to take charge? Well, women eventually received the rights they deserved, which entitled them to being in control of a relationship just as much as their significant.
Miklos 6
Shakespeare’s creation of this relationship between Miranda and Ferdinand is achieved through the character’s dialogue. The evidence of Miranda and Ferdinand having equal amounts of power in their marriage was one of the stronger affirmations of gender equality that Elizabethan England had seen.
Similar to Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare creates two strong main characters who eventually fall in love in The Taming of the Shrew. Although Kate does succumb to Petruchio through rather unorthodox methods, Petruchio levels with Kate, presenting himself as her equal, which is evident when he says he is a “combless cock” (2.1.225). Since a rooster’s masculinity is defined by its comb, Petruchio is willing to give his machismo for her. This way, Kate keeps her strong, wise voice and marries a man who truly loves her. Critics believe that “comic endings […] are a fantasy of wish-fulfillment" (Smith, 32). At the end of this play, Katherine delivers a long monologue in which she is married to a man who views her as an equal, and her behavior now matches her wit. This is evident when she berates her peers for disobeying their husbands, since she believes “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee” (5.2.140-141). Though it may seem that Katherine has transformed from independent to submissive, she is actually stronger than ever. Her wit now shines through her voice in a way that makes people listen, and she is in a marriage in which both parties are viewed as equals. The voice that Katherine is given and the equality shown in her marriage to Petruchio.
It’s true that Shakespeare is a cheerleader for authentic love between people. From family to marriage, true love seems to capture Shakespeare’s writing focus. This could certainly be because Shakespeare could never actually fall in love due to his likely
Miklos 7
homosexuality, but it is certain that without equality, all relationships are doomed. The voice Shakespeare gives to women and the equality shown in his plays has positively influenced the world’s view on gender equality.