Male Dominance and female exploitation: A study of female Victimization in William Shakespeare's Othello, Much Ado about nothing, and Hamlet, 2009
Corbett, Lisa Ashley
2000-2009
This study is a feminist-based reading of three of William Shakespeares works: Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet. The reading, although borrowing from the feminist perspective, is not a full-blown feminist reading of Shakespeares works. The focus of the study comprises the social circumstances and the misogynistic actions of the male characters and how these impact on the lives of the female characters. The relationships between the male and female characters are often characterized by physical and psychological victimization arid their feelings of misery and shame, and even total destruction of life (as in the case of Desdemona and Ophelia). The three Shakespearean plays portray male rivals who take part in significant roles that cause destruction of well established relationships. The men allow their egos to persuade their decisions, attack their internal emotions, and demolish virtuous women who are forced to become victims of political intrigues and machinations. Shakespeare shows two types of women throughout the plays: women who refuse to submit to men and demand equal rights, and submissive women who carry out the roles of an Elizabethan woman. Those who followed the roles of the Elizabethan woman, which is to be submissive to men, also demonstrate that bowing down to patriarchal rules does not guarantee happiness for women. In fact, it may actually lead to their domination and victimization. Furthermore, all female characters, whether submissive or not, suffered the consequences of male dominance and victimization. However, the females who lived up to the women roles of the patriarchal society suffered more than the women who fought against male dominance.
text
application/pdf
2009-07-01
thesis
Master of Arts (MA)
Clark Atlanta University
School of Arts and Sciences, English
Osinubi, Viktor Vinyard, Alma
Georgia--Atlanta
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:2009_corbett_lisa_ashley
