Summary: Feminism Aspects In Shakespeare’s Plays

Feminism is a women’s rights movement that has been practiced for centuries and it pursues equal opportunities for men and woman. The global idea of feminism is the acceptance that woman and men both deserve equal treatment, respect, and social rights. It focuses on political and social movements and a feminists’ goal is to achieve political, economic, personal and social equality of all sexes. Although feminism was not in the spotlight during the 1500’s and 1600’s, Shakespeare still incorporated many of these aspects in his plays.

Shakespeare’s, The Merchant of Venice, resonates with modern audiences because of the feminist aspects, his exploration of the dark hints of comedy, and he orchestrates a plays comic structure.

Shakespeare liked to use feminism in his work. Feminism mirrors theoretical positions of the feminist movement. Shakespeare uses patriarchy, gender and sex roles, and the relationship between gender and power in his plays. The representation of women and female roles are interpreted and have become big topics over the years.

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Inside the play of The Merchant of Venice, the female characters achieve amazing deeds to “clean up” the messes that their husbands have made. Secondly, the woman all eventually achieves their own goals. However, even though the characters (especially Portia and Nerissa) push the boundaries of their male disguises, the still return to the act of submission they must play to the male-controlled society. Women were expected to concern themselves with marriage and motherhood only and submit themselves to their fathers and their husbands in all ways.

Femininity in Shakespeare’s time seemed to have meant kindness, while masculinity was characterized by strength and both social and financial power. In scene two, act six, Jessica says “I am glad tis night, you do not look on me, for I am much ashamed of my exchange. But love is blind, and lovers cannot see the pretty follies that themselves commit for if they could, Cupid himself would blush to see me transformed to a boy…what, must I hold a candle to my shames? They in themselves, good sooth, are too too light. Why, tis an office of discovery, love, and I should be obscured”. She is basically saying that she shouldn’t be judged for who she is, and that people don’t see her beauty.

In The Merchant of Venice, Portia’s conception of masculinity seems to have a little to do with money. She plays a radical feminist for understanding gender as the cause of her oppression. She is a feminist in a male society. Portia’s most prominent moment as an intelligent, successful rational female came when she was in the courtroom dressed as a man. Portia seems to have a superior judgement of what makes a truly masculine man because when she dresses as a man it is almost effortless on her part and every other character believes it. Portia, as a female takes it upon herself to “fix” the problems that men cannot fix, taking no credit. She could be labeled as a “radical feminist” in the play and that type of feminism tends to fight with Portia’s character. In the play, she referred to herself as the “lord of this fair mansion, master of my servants”. She referred to that instead of lady and mistress because she understood the gendered differences. Portia comprehended that she cannot be in charge of her house as the lady, because she assumes their remains a lord. She’s radical because she understands her gender. The feminist critical perspective examines the roles that women play in literacy works and their true significance to the text. Their roles are usually decided by the society or the time period in which the story is set. In The Merchant of Venice, Portia and Jessica could not establish their own powerful identities because they were woman and they were the main characters in the play. If they had been given a chance to show their skills, they would’ve been extremely strong women. They had to hide their abilities in order to appeal to their male counterparts. The female characters in Shakespeare’s plays were ideal of early modern literature. Female characters in the play become very telling. When we first met Portia and Nerissa in the beginning of the play, Portia weakens the social order of Renaissance England. Portia and Nerissa had a discussion in the play and Portia said “It is a good divine that follows his own instructions; I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, then to be one of twenty to follow mine own teaching. The brain may devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o’er a cold decree – such a hare is madness the youth, to skip o’er the meshes of good counsel the cripple”. She makes fun of people who tell people what to do.

Additionally, Shakespeare tries to use comedy in his play to correlate it to feminism. Comedy is all part of feminist history. Shakespeare created all different types of characters when it came to his plays. His characters showed woman as sexual objects only. Whether the plays are comedies or tragedies, each one symbolizes a conflict between a male and female. ¬-The Merchant of Venice is a romantic comedy. It is less about the pursuit of love than about the pursuit, possession, and power of money. In Shakespeare’s plays, feminists are playing the roles of sex above all else, and that reflects political beliefs. The main belief is that male domination itself and the suppression of feminine influences are the cause of tragedy in both theatre and real life. The portrayal of woman in Shakespeare’s comedies have been criticized over the years. The comedy explores the place and rights of woman as they are portrayed in Shakespearian comedies. He seems to project feminism and a liberal attitude towards his woman, and it ends up on the side of patriarchy, as he portrays woman from a feministic perspective. Patriarchy is defined as the superiority of men. It represents men as strong and tends to say that woman tend to be emotional and weak. The diversity of women in his comedies go back all the way to the fifteenth and sixteenth century.

Shakespeare is a very controversial figure in this modern day. The Merchant of Venice resonates with modern audiences. According to a New York Times article, “In the recent years, the most requested play in the canon is not ''Romeo and Juliet'' or ''Hamlet.'' It is not even ''Titus Andronicus.'' No kidding, it is ''The Merchant of Venice”. It just so happens to be that way because the play is very controversial with the way he uses the characters and determines what role they play. It resonates because there are movies made about the play and obviously there are stories written about it.