Of Venice Essay, Research Paper
Shakespeare? s presentation and portraiture of his female characters in The
Merchant of Venice and Henry V follows a typical form that is present in all
of the Shakespearean plays that I have read so far. When looking closely at the
destiny of his female characters, this form becomes even more apparent for it
repetitions itself no count how different the dramas are. For case, Henry V and
The Merchant of Venice are different in every regard. The female characters non
merely come from different backgrounds, they besides have really different
personalities. However, every bit different as these dramas and their characters are,
the female characters end up enduring the same destiny. It doesn? T seem to
affair whether they are born into a life of peasantry, aristocracy, or come from
royalty, for they finally will stop up being no better than a piece of land,
or cattle, or some ownership that a adult male can have and make with as he pleases.
Scholars have been debating for centuries now as to whether Shakespeare? s
adult females reflect his society? s attitudes or that of his ain. Henry V is
decidedly geared more for the male audience. There are merely two or three Acts of the Apostless
in which a female character is present at all. When we foremost acquire a glance of
Katherine, she is seeking to larn the English linguistic communication. This scene is supposed
to be slightly amusing, but are we truly supposed to believe that while there
is a war ramping throughout her state, that all Katherine is concerned about is
the fact that she can? t speak the linguistic communication of her enemy? This scene in which
we get our first glance of Katherine is slightly degrading to her character as
good as misdirecting. This leaves the audience with the inaccurate perceptual experience that
Katherine, and therefore all adult females in general, care really small about what? s traveling
on around them, and more about doing themselves presentable. Afterall, International Relations and Security Network? T
Katherine the? Grand Prize? that will be awarded to the winning side? I find
it really dissing that Shakespeare? s merely important female function in the whole
drama, is being used as a? Prize? to be given away. Shakespeare doesn? T
even seek to conceal the fact that he is puting Katherine up as a award. I find
this sort of haughtiness to be violative and really minimizing to adult females. While the
work forces are off contending the conflict, Katherine, the hereafter Queen of France, does non
look to be a spot concerned over the destiny of her ain state. Alternatively, she
readily accepts her destiny as she prepares herself for the function of Queen of
England. This drama is really colored and nonreversible. Most of the English work forces are
portrayed as baronial, low and superior to the Gallic. Henry himself can make no
incorrect, and is portrayed through out the drama as the best leader that the English
hold of all time had. This image that he can make no incorrect and is every bit close to being
perfect as one can acquire, merely holds up if you don? T go delving about in
Henry? s yesteryear, in which he had been portrayed as a spoilt, pampered partying
male child. The Gallic, in contrast to the English, are presented as chesty,
incompetent, and weak, really similar to what Henry had been non to hanker ago.
There is, nevertheless, one thing lower than a Frenchman, and that is, a Gallic
adult female. The fact that Shakespeare subjected Katherine? s character, ( she, who
had been born into royalty which was the highest societal place one can make ) ,
to being treated as a ownership or value for a adult male, merely adds acceptance to the
statement that Shakespeare had really small regard for adult females. Katherine
character, for the most portion, adds really small, if anything at all, to the drama.
In fact, the function of Katherine could hold easy been omitted wholly, and
personally, I wish it had been The last act, in which Henry easy manages to
win the fondnesss of Katherine, is a weak effort on Shakespeare? s portion to
stop the drama on a an uplifting note. It? s a shame that Shakespeare put it in
at all because it decidedly changes the manner I feel about this drama, in
peculiar, every bit good as the others. The adult females characters in The Merchant of
Venice are treated with much more respect than Katherine had been. However, I
hold a feeling that it? s merely due to the fact that Shakespeare thinks less of
? Hebrews? than he does adult females. The Merchant of Venice, does hold a strong dramatis personae
of adult females who play really of import functions throughout the drama. These adult females are much
more impressive than those found in Henry V. Portia, in peculiar, is by far
the superior one of the drama. Like Queen Elizabeth herself, Portia? s character
is a blending of muliebrity and maleness. Portia has great strength of
character, a speedy humor, and is really good educated in the personal businesss of the universe
around her which is non a common subject in Shakespeare? s adult females. She is in every
regard far superior to the saps she ends up being surrounded by. This might
non hold been the instance if it weren? T for the fact that she, with all her
intelligence and humor is still being dictated by a male. Her dead male parent dictates
her life through his will. I guess Shakespeare does non lose an chance to
set even the most superior of all adult females in her topographic point as he does merely that to
Portia. For all her power, wealths, and strengths, she still is no better than
the adult male she marries. Her new hubby, Barsenio, is no lucifer for her, and yet he
is handed over everything that belongs to her, including her psyche. Although
Shakespeare gives the really best of qualities and traits to the female character
Portia, he knows that in malice of her high quality and domination over all the
other characters including the male characters, he can subsequently deprive her of all
her illustriousness at any clip, and does merely that at the terminal of the drama. What I
discoveries so incredible is the manner that Shakespeare? s adult females merely manus over
everything including themselves, no inquiries asked, to a adult male they barely know
and yet volitionally and merrily marry. I have a difficult clip believing that adult females of
his twenty-four hours did this responsibility so gracefully. Portia? s portraiture of being such a strong
figure and at the same clip, a adult female who is subservient to her times, makes me
inquiry whether Shakespeare truly knew what was gong on in the heads of the
Elizabethan adult females. Just the fact that he disguises his adult females characters up as
work forces in order to convey them to higher degrees, leads me to believe that he is merely
doing it all up as he goes along. Don? T acquire me incorrect, I love most of
Shakespeare? s work. It? s merely his female characters that I have a job
with. When reading Shakespeare it is easy to oppugn what his motivations might
have been. Scholars have been making this for centuries. We will ne’er be certain as
to whether or non Shakespeare was reflecting the times or his ain feelings. One
must maintain in head when reading Shakespeare that hs Hagiographas are non historically
accurate and hence most likely merely reflect his positions on things. I merely hope
that is the instance, for I can? t imagine adult females of all time being so inactive. Could we
have truly been the inactive existences that Shakespeare portrays adult females as, I
earnestly doubt it. Kelley Vickers-Sullivan Engl.
141-Mid-Term Essay March 30,
2000 You? ve Come a Long Way Baby! Shakespeare? s presentation and portraiture
of his female characters in The Merchant of Venice and Henry V follows a typical
form that is present in all of the Shakespearean plays that I have read so
far. When looking closely at the destiny of his female characters, this form
becomes even more apparent for it repeats itself no count how different the
dramas are. For case, Henry V and The Merchant of Venice are different in
every regard. The female characters non merely come from different backgrounds,
they besides have really different personalities. However, every bit different as these
dramas and their characters are, the female characters end up enduring the same
destiny. It doesn? T seem to count whether they are born into a life of
peasantry, aristocracy, or come from royalty, for they finally will stop up being
no better than a piece of land, or cowss, or some ownership that a adult male can have
and make with as he pleases. Scholars have been debating for centuries now as to
whether Shakespeare? s adult females reflect his society? s attitudes or that of his
ain. Henry V is decidedly geared more for the male audience. There are merely two
or three Acts of the Apostless in which a female character is present at all. When we foremost acquire a
glance of Katherine, she is seeking to larn the English linguistic communication. This scene is
supposed to be slightly amusing, but are we truly supposed to believe that
while there is a war ramping throughout her state, that all Katherine is
concerned about is the fact that she can? t speak the linguistic communication of her enemy?
This scene in which we get our first glance of Katherine is slightly degrading
to her character every bit good as misdirecting. This leaves the audience with the
inaccurate perceptual experience that Katherine, and therefore all adult females in general, care really
small about what? s traveling on around them, and more about doing themselves
presentable. Afterall, International Relations and Security Network? t Katherine the? Grand Prize? that will be
awarded to the winning side? I find it really dissing that Shakespeare? s merely
important female function in the whole drama, is being used as a? Prize? to be
given away. Shakespeare doesn? T even seek to conceal the fact that he is puting
Katherine up as a award. I find this sort of haughtiness to be violative and really
minimizing to adult females. While the work forces are off contending the conflict, Katherine, the
future Queen of France, does non look to be a spot concerned over the destiny of
her ain state. Alternatively, she readily accepts her destiny as she prepares herself
for the function of Queen of England. This drama is really colored and nonreversible. Most
of the English work forces are portrayed as baronial, low and superior to the Gallic.
Henry himself can make no wrong, and is portrayed through out the drama as the best
leader that the English have of all time had. This image that he can make no incorrect and is
as near to being perfect as one can acquire, merely holds up if you don? T go
delving about in Henry? s yesteryear, in which he had been portrayed as a spoilt,
pampered partying male child. The Gallic, in contrast to the English, are presented as
chesty, unqualified, and weak, really similar to what Henry had been non to hanker
ago. There is, nevertheless, one thing lower than a Frenchman, and that is, a Gallic
adult female. The fact that Shakespeare subjected Katherine? s character, ( she, who
had been born into royalty which was the highest societal place one can make ) ,
to being treated as a ownership or value for a adult male, merely adds acceptance to the
statement that Shakespeare had really small regard for adult females. Katherine
character, for the most portion, adds really small, if anything at all, to the drama.
In fact, the function of Katherine could hold easy been omitted wholly, and
personally, I wish it had been The last act, in which Henry easy manages to
win the fondnesss of Katherine, is a weak effort on Shakespeare? s portion to
stop the drama on a an uplifting note. It? s a shame that Shakespeare put it in
at all because it decidedly changes the manner I feel about this drama, in
peculiar, every bit good as the others. The adult females characters in The Merchant of
Venice are treated with much more respect than Katherine had been. However, I
hold a feeling that it? s merely due to the fact that Shakespeare thinks less of
? Hebrews? than he does adult females. The Merchant of Venice, does hold a strong dramatis personae
of adult females who play really of import functions throughout the drama. These adult females are much
more impressive than those found in Henry V. Portia, in peculiar, is by far
the superior one of the drama. Like Queen Elizabeth herself, Portia? s character
is a blending of muliebrity and maleness. Portia has great strength of
character, a speedy humor, and is really good educated in the personal businesss of the universe
around her which is non a common subject in Shakespeare? s adult females. She is in every
regard far superior to the saps she ends up being surrounded by. This might
non hold been the instance if it weren? T for the fact that she, with all her
intelligence and humor is still being dictated by a male. Her dead male parent dictates
her life through his will. I guess Shakespeare does non lose an chance to
set even the most superior of all adult females in her topographic point as he does merely that to
Portia. For all her power, wealths, and strengths, she still is no better than
the adult male she marries. Her new hubby, Barsenio, is no lucifer for her, and yet he
is handed over everything that belongs to her, including her psyche. Although
Shakespeare gives the really best of qualities and traits to the female character
Portia, he knows that in malice of her high quality and domination over all the
other characters including the male characters, he can subsequently deprive her of all
her illustriousness at any clip, and does merely that at the terminal of the drama. What I
discoveries so incredible is the manner that Shakespeare? s adult females merely manus over
everything including themselves, no inquiries asked, to a adult male they barely know
and yet volitionally and merrily marry. I have a difficult clip believing that adult females of
his twenty-four hours did this responsibility so gracefully. Portia? s portraiture of being such a strong
figure and at the same clip, a adult female who is subservient to her times, makes me
inquiry whether Shakespeare truly knew what was gong on in the heads of the
Elizabethan adult females. Just the fact that he disguises his adult females characters up as
work forces in order to convey them to higher degrees, leads me to believe that he is merely
doing it all up as he goes along. Don? T acquire me incorrect, I love most of
Shakespeare? s work. It? s merely his female characters that I have a job
with. When reading Shakespeare it is easy to oppugn what his motivations might
have been. Scholars have been making this for centuries. We will ne’er be certain as
to whether or non Shakespeare was reflecting the times or his ain feelings. One
must maintain in head when reading Shakespeare that hs Hagiographas are non historically
accurate and hence most likely merely reflect his positions on things. I merely hope
that is the instance, for I can? t imagine adult females of all time being so inactive. Could we
have truly been the inactive existences that Shakespeare portrays adult females as, I
earnestly doubt it.
