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Women In Shakespeare Henry V And Merchant

Of Venice Essay, Research Paper


Shakespeare?s presentation and portrayal of his female characters in The


Merchant of Venice and Henry V follows a typical pattern that is present in all


of the Shakespearean plays that I have read so far. When looking closely at the


fate of his female characters, this pattern becomes even more evident for it


repeats itself no matter how different the plays are. For instance, Henry V and


The Merchant of Venice are different in every respect. The female characters not


only come from different backgrounds, they also have very different


personalities. However, as different as these plays and their characters are,


the female characters end up suffering the same fate. It doesn?t seem to


matter whether they are born into a life of peasantry, nobility, or come from


royalty, for they ultimately will end up being no better than a piece of land,


or cattle, or some possession that a man can own and do with as he pleases.


Scholars have been debating for centuries now as to whether Shakespeare?s


women reflect his society?s attitudes or that of his own. Henry V is


definitely geared more for the male audience. There are only two or three acts


in which a female character is present at all. When we first get a glimpse of


Katherine, she is trying to learn the English language. This scene is supposed


to be somewhat comical, but are we really supposed to believe that while there


is a war raging throughout her country, that all Katherine is concerned about is


the fact that she can?t speak the language of her enemy? This scene in which


we get our first glimpse of Katherine is somewhat degrading to her character as


well as misleading. This leaves the audience with the inaccurate perception that


Katherine, and thus all women in general, care very little about what?s going


on around them, and more about making themselves presentable. Afterall, isn?t


Katherine the ?Grand Prize? that will be awarded to the winning side? I find


it very insulting that Shakespeare?s only significant female role in the whole


play, is being used as a ? Prize? to be given away. Shakespeare doesn?t


even try to hide the fact that he is setting Katherine up as a prize. I find


this kind of arrogance to be offensive and very belittling to women. While the


men are off fighting the battle, Katherine, the future Queen of France, does not


appear to be a bit concerned over the fate of her own country. Instead, she


readily accepts her fate as she prepares herself for the role of Queen of


England. This play is very biased and one-sided. Most of the English men are


portrayed as noble, humble and superior to the French. Henry himself can do no


wrong, and is portrayed through out the play as the best leader that the English


have ever had. This image that he can do no wrong and is as close to being


perfect as one can get, only holds up if you don?t go digging around in


Henry?s past, in which he had been portrayed as a spoiled, pampered partying


boy. The French, in contrast to the English, are presented as arrogant,


incompetent, and weak, very similar to what Henry had been not to long ago.


There is, however, one thing lower than a Frenchman, and that is, a French


woman. The fact that Shakespeare subjected Katherine?s character, (she, who


had been born into royalty which was the highest social position one can reach),


to being treated as a possession or prize for a man, only adds credence to the


argument that Shakespeare had very little respect for women. Katherine


character, for the most part, adds very little, if anything at all, to the play.


In fact, the role of Katherine could have easily been omitted altogether, and


personally, I wish it had been The last act, in which Henry easily manages to


win the affections of Katherine, is a weak attempt on Shakespeare?s part to


end the play on a an uplifting note. It?s a shame that Shakespeare put it in


at all because it definitely changes the way I feel about this play, in


particular, as well as the others. The women characters in The Merchant of


Venice are treated with much more respect than Katherine had been. However, I


have a feeling that it?s only due to the fact that Shakespeare thinks less of


?Jews? than he does women. The Merchant of Venice, does have a strong cast


of women who play very important roles throughout the play. These women are much


more impressive than those found in Henry V. Portia, in particular, is by far


the superior one of the play. Like Queen Elizabeth herself, Portia?s character


is a blending of femininity and masculinity. Portia has great strength of


character, a quick wit, and is very well educated in the affairs of the world


around her which is not a common theme in Shakespeare?s women. She is in every


respect far superior to the fools she ends up being surrounded by. This might


not have been the case if it weren?t for the fact that she, with all her


intelligence and wit is still being dictated by a male. Her dead father dictates


her life through his will. I guess Shakespeare does not miss an opportunity to


put even the most superior of all women in her place as he does just that to


Portia. For all her power, riches, and strengths, she still is no better than


the man she marries. Her new husband, Barsenio, is no match for her, and yet he


is handed over everything that belongs to her, including her soul. Although


Shakespeare gives the very best of qualities and traits to the female character


Portia, he knows that in spite of her superiority and domination over all the


other characters including the male characters, he can later strip her of all


her greatness at any time, and does just that at the end of the play. What I


find so unbelievable is the way that Shakespeare?s women just hand over


everything including themselves, no questions asked, to a man they hardly know


and yet willingly and happily marry. I have a hard time believing that women of


his day did this duty so graciously. Portia?s portrayal of being such a strong


figure and at the same time, a woman who is subservient to her times, makes me


question whether Shakespeare really knew what was gong on in the minds of the


Elizabethan women. Just the fact that he disguises his women characters up as


men in order to bring them to higher levels, leads me to believe that he is just


making it all up as he goes along. Don?t get me wrong, I love most of


Shakespeare?s work. It?s just his female characters that I have a problem


with. When reading Shakespeare it is easy to question what his motives might


have been. Scholars have been doing this for centuries. We will never be sure as


to whether or not Shakespeare was reflecting the times or his own feelings. One


must keep in mind when reading Shakespeare that hs writings are not historically


accurate and therefore most likely only reflect his views on things. I only hope


that is the case, for I can?t imagine women ever being so passive. Could we


have really been the passive beings that Shakespeare portrays women as, I


seriously doubt it. Kelley Vickers-Sullivan Engl.

141-Mid-Term Essay March 30,


2000 You?ve Come a Long Way Baby! Shakespeare?s presentation and portrayal


of his female characters in The Merchant of Venice and Henry V follows a typical


pattern that is present in all of the Shakespearean plays that I have read so


far. When looking closely at the fate of his female characters, this pattern


becomes even more evident for it repeats itself no matter how different the


plays are. For instance, Henry V and The Merchant of Venice are different in


every respect. The female characters not only come from different backgrounds,


they also have very different personalities. However, as different as these


plays and their characters are, the female characters end up suffering the same


fate. It doesn?t seem to matter whether they are born into a life of


peasantry, nobility, or come from royalty, for they ultimately will end up being


no better than a piece of land, or cattle, or some possession that a man can own


and do with as he pleases. Scholars have been debating for centuries now as to


whether Shakespeare?s women reflect his society?s attitudes or that of his


own. Henry V is definitely geared more for the male audience. There are only two


or three acts in which a female character is present at all. When we first get a


glimpse of Katherine, she is trying to learn the English language. This scene is


supposed to be somewhat comical, but are we really supposed to believe that


while there is a war raging throughout her country, that all Katherine is


concerned about is the fact that she can?t speak the language of her enemy?


This scene in which we get our first glimpse of Katherine is somewhat degrading


to her character as well as misleading. This leaves the audience with the


inaccurate perception that Katherine, and thus all women in general, care very


little about what?s going on around them, and more about making themselves


presentable. Afterall, isn?t Katherine the ?Grand Prize? that will be


awarded to the winning side? I find it very insulting that Shakespeare?s only


significant female role in the whole play, is being used as a ? Prize? to be


given away. Shakespeare doesn?t even try to hide the fact that he is setting


Katherine up as a prize. I find this kind of arrogance to be offensive and very


belittling to women. While the men are off fighting the battle, Katherine, the


future Queen of France, does not appear to be a bit concerned over the fate of


her own country. Instead, she readily accepts her fate as she prepares herself


for the role of Queen of England. This play is very biased and one-sided. Most


of the English men are portrayed as noble, humble and superior to the French.


Henry himself can do no wrong, and is portrayed through out the play as the best


leader that the English have ever had. This image that he can do no wrong and is


as close to being perfect as one can get, only holds up if you don?t go


digging around in Henry?s past, in which he had been portrayed as a spoiled,


pampered partying boy. The French, in contrast to the English, are presented as


arrogant, incompetent, and weak, very similar to what Henry had been not to long


ago. There is, however, one thing lower than a Frenchman, and that is, a French


woman. The fact that Shakespeare subjected Katherine?s character, (she, who


had been born into royalty which was the highest social position one can reach),


to being treated as a possession or prize for a man, only adds credence to the


argument that Shakespeare had very little respect for women. Katherine


character, for the most part, adds very little, if anything at all, to the play.


In fact, the role of Katherine could have easily been omitted altogether, and


personally, I wish it had been The last act, in which Henry easily manages to


win the affections of Katherine, is a weak attempt on Shakespeare?s part to


end the play on a an uplifting note. It?s a shame that Shakespeare put it in


at all because it definitely changes the way I feel about this play, in


particular, as well as the others. The women characters in The Merchant of


Venice are treated with much more respect than Katherine had been. However, I


have a feeling that it?s only due to the fact that Shakespeare thinks less of


?Jews? than he does women. The Merchant of Venice, does have a strong cast


of women who play very important roles throughout the play. These women are much


more impressive than those found in Henry V. Portia, in particular, is by far


the superior one of the play. Like Queen Elizabeth herself, Portia?s character


is a blending of femininity and masculinity. Portia has great strength of


character, a quick wit, and is very well educated in the affairs of the world


around her which is not a common theme in Shakespeare?s women. She is in every


respect far superior to the fools she ends up being surrounded by. This might


not have been the case if it weren?t for the fact that she, with all her


intelligence and wit is still being dictated by a male. Her dead father dictates


her life through his will. I guess Shakespeare does not miss an opportunity to


put even the most superior of all women in her place as he does just that to


Portia. For all her power, riches, and strengths, she still is no better than


the man she marries. Her new husband, Barsenio, is no match for her, and yet he


is handed over everything that belongs to her, including her soul. Although


Shakespeare gives the very best of qualities and traits to the female character


Portia, he knows that in spite of her superiority and domination over all the


other characters including the male characters, he can later strip her of all


her greatness at any time, and does just that at the end of the play. What I


find so unbelievable is the way that Shakespeare?s women just hand over


everything including themselves, no questions asked, to a man they hardly know


and yet willingly and happily marry. I have a hard time believing that women of


his day did this duty so graciously. Portia?s portrayal of being such a strong


figure and at the same time, a woman who is subservient to her times, makes me


question whether Shakespeare really knew what was gong on in the minds of the


Elizabethan women. Just the fact that he disguises his women characters up as


men in order to bring them to higher levels, leads me to believe that he is just


making it all up as he goes along. Don?t get me wrong, I love most of


Shakespeare?s work. It?s just his female characters that I have a problem


with. When reading Shakespeare it is easy to question what his motives might


have been. Scholars have been doing this for centuries. We will never be sure as


to whether or not Shakespeare was reflecting the times or his own feelings. One


must keep in mind when reading Shakespeare that hs writings are not historically


accurate and therefore most likely only reflect his views on things. I only hope


that is the case, for I can?t imagine women ever being so passive. Could we


have really been the passive beings that Shakespeare portrays women as, I


seriously doubt it.

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