Class
Article
College
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department
English Department
Faculty Mentor
Alan Blackstock
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Shakespeare’s portrayal of women has been heavily debated amongst critics from the very beginning. Was he a feminist for his time, subtly pointing out the failings in Elizabethan society’s treatment of women? Or was he instead simply portraying the role of women at the time? I argue that Shakespeare’s nuanced portrayal of women speaks more of the feminist argument, as he writes complex female protagonists in a time when no one believed in these complexities. While some argue that his view of women was sexist from his brutalization and violence against women, I argue that it’s within these confines he critiques the treatment of women the most and shows the pain they have to carry in this society. I’m going to focus my presentation on this pain and how Shakespeare uses it. In Othello it is Desdemona that Shakespeare gives the responsibility for pain, he does this to show the strength and resilience of women at the time, and through her tragic demise as an innocent woman uses this to critique the way women were treated.
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-8-2022 12:00 AM
Included in
Desdemona's Responsibility for Pain in Shakespeare's Othello
Logan, UT
Shakespeare’s portrayal of women has been heavily debated amongst critics from the very beginning. Was he a feminist for his time, subtly pointing out the failings in Elizabethan society’s treatment of women? Or was he instead simply portraying the role of women at the time? I argue that Shakespeare’s nuanced portrayal of women speaks more of the feminist argument, as he writes complex female protagonists in a time when no one believed in these complexities. While some argue that his view of women was sexist from his brutalization and violence against women, I argue that it’s within these confines he critiques the treatment of women the most and shows the pain they have to carry in this society. I’m going to focus my presentation on this pain and how Shakespeare uses it. In Othello it is Desdemona that Shakespeare gives the responsibility for pain, he does this to show the strength and resilience of women at the time, and through her tragic demise as an innocent woman uses this to critique the way women were treated.