‘Shakespeare and the Renaissance view of woman’ by Dr. Sunita Dalvai

Abstract 

The role of women in Renaissance is mentioned highly. But “did women have a renaissance” is a question that is been asked even today. Broadly speaking in the Renaissance when the political systems changed from the medieval feudal systems, women of every social class saw a change in their social and political options that men did not. Women lived the life of the underlying sex. The plays of Shakespeare can be used as a window upon Renaissance society.

A careful study of Shakespeare’s plays shows that his Renaissance women break the typical stereotype of the day about the limitations of their abilities to operate in a man’s world. Many of the females solve problems that male characters were unable to solve and this sense serves as subtle mentors. Even when England was ruled for half a century by Queens, women had almost no legal power. Women were supposed to be seen and not heard. Women were excluded from any position of meaningful authority in any realm of society. Women were often valued for their physical features. In the Renaissance, the beauty of women is more praised and esteemed than any other beauty. The only positive demand of the women was that she should be beautiful.

The present paper is based on Shakespeare’s women characters as they were created by Shakespeare. And through these women characters one can understand the Renaissance women.

For this study some plays of Shakespeare are referred.

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Many people believe that the feminist movement began in the 19^th century with the activism and political movement that was occurring during this time. If it is the political terminology used to define feminism, then perhaps that theory holds true. However if feminism is described in a more normative manner, feminists are those who believe that women are entitled to equal rights, or equal respect, then ‘feminists ‘and  the ideas behind the feminist movement began much earlier.

William Shakespeare represents a quite controversial figure of the Renaissance period. A number of different contradictory and conflicting views about him are shared among people and critics.

Early feminist critics such as Virginia Woolf saw Shakespeare as “transcending the sexual stereotypes imposed by the surrounding social order”, as quoted in a 1990 New York Times article written by Bernstein entitled ‘A Traditionalist Takes on Feminists Over Shakespeare’. Under the reign of Elizabeth I, Shakespeare would have known that women were able to gain power and rule as Queen.

Even Shakespeare himself who is shrouded in the cloak of vagueness and uncertainty is surrounded by a great amount of unanswered questions, prompts to his analysis.

William Shakespeare, the ingenious sixteenth century dramatist, his works, in unison with the time period in which they were written-the Renaissance period for Britain-might cause a reader to question his feminist stance. Shakespeare being a man, was just one such feminist. Regardless that the concept of feminism was neither recognized nor debated at the time Shakespeare’s plays were written. During this time when females were kept under a strict, proverbial leash, Shakespeare exposed female characters and their biological reasoning. Many of his plays include strong female characters that strive to demolish typical gender role stereotypes.

The world William Shakespeare created for the stage has an influence on the woman of his age. History proves that Queen Elizabeth was a formidable and intelligent leader, unwilling to bend to the will of any man. But the Queen was a rare exception in Elizabethan England. The women in Shakespeare’s era were subservient to men and had very limited options. Every aspect of their lives was controlled by the men in their lives, who they relied on completely. Even the roles of women in Shakespeare’s plays were performed by boys, as women were not allowed to act in the theater. Shakespeare’s presentation of women in his plays demonstrates his feelings about women and their roles in society. When one reads the plays of Shakespeare, one can observe the different types of female roles Shakespeare demonstrates.

Women had less freedom than their male counterparts in Shakespeare’s time. Shakespeare was genius in portraying human behavior, and depicting the condition of women within a patriarchal system. He created the women characters who in their richness could surpass the limitations of their times. To epitomize Shakespeare as a feminist seems extremely general and simple.

A genuine reading of the plays shows that the heroines of his plays have a deep trace of rebellion and in this age where a disobedient woman simply was not tolerated. But neither of his plays can be labeled as a feministic play. Moreover the themes of his plays are rich and many readings create new dimensions, in both the social hierarchy as well as the individual characters. But at the same time one cannot forget that Shakespeare was a dramatist too.

Shakespeare because of his extraordinary genius for portraying human behaviour, necessarily depicted the condition of women within a patriarchal system and created women characters with different feature. He created the –

The Bawdy Woman

These characters are sexualized, cheeky and flirtatious. They are often working class characters .such as the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Margaret in Much Ado about Nothing or Audrey in As you Like It. Mainly speaking in prose, as befitting their low social status, these characters often use sexual innuendo when conversing. Low class characters like these can get away with more risqué behavior – perhaps because they have no fear of losing social status.

The Tragic Innocent Woman

These women are often pure and chaste at the beginning of the play, and tragically die once their innocence is lost. In stark contrast to his presentation of bawdy women, Shakespeare’s treatment of young innocent women is fairly brutal. Once their innocence or chastity is taken away, they are literally killed to signify this loss. These characters are generally courtly, high born characters such as Juliet from Romeo and Juliet, Lavinia from Titus Andronicus or Ophelia from Hamlet. Their high social standing makes their demise seem all the more tragic.

The Scheming Femme Fatal

Lady Macbeth is the archetypal femme fatal. Her manipulation of Macbeth inevitably leads them to their deaths: she commits suicide and he is slain. In her ambition to become Queen, she encourages her husband to murder. King Lear’s daughters, Goneril and Regan, plot to inherit their father’s fortune. Once again, their ambition leads them to their deaths: Goneril stabs herself after poisoning Regan. Although Shakespeare seems to appreciate the intelligence at work in his femme fatal characters, allowing them to manipulate the men around them, his retribution is brutal and unforgiving.

The Witty, but Unmarriable Woman

Katherine from The Taming of The Shrew is a prime example of the witty, but unmarriable woman. Feminists have commented that their enjoyment of this play is marred by the fact that a man literally “breaks” Katherine’s spirit when Petruchio says “Come on, and kiss me, Kate.” – should we really celebrate this as a happy ending? Similarly, in the plot to Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick ultimately conquers the feisty Beatrice by saying, “Peace, I will stop your mouth.” These women are presented as clever, bold and independent but are put in their place by the end of the play.

The Married off Woman

Many of Shakespeare’s comedies end with an eligible woman being married off – and therefore being made safe. These women are often very young and passed from their father’s care to their new husband’s. More often than not, these are high-born characters such as Miranda in The Tempest who is married to Ferdinand, Helena and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hero in Much Ado About Nothing.

Women Who Dress as Men

Rosalind in As You Like it and Viola in Twelfth Night both dress as men. Consequently, they are able to play a more active role in the play’s narrative. As “men”, these characters have more freedom, highlighting the lack of social liberty for women in Shakespeare’s time.

Falsely Accused of Adultery

Women in Shakespeare’s plays are sometimes wrongly accused of adultery and suffer greatly as a result. For example, Desdemona is killed by Othello who supposes her infidelity and Hero falls terribly ill when she is falsely accused by Claudio. It seems that Shakespeare’s women are judged by their sexuality even when they remain faithful to their husbands and husbands-to-be. Some feminists believe that this demonstrates a male insecurity about female sexuality.

Shakespeare explores the ancient and medieval ideas in creating his great comedic and tragic heroines. It then looks at how these ideas intersected with the lived experiences of women of Shakespeare’s time, followed by a close look at the major female characters in Shakespeare’s plays and poems

High-born women are presented as “possessions” to be passed between fathers and husbands. In most cases, they are socially restricted and unable to explore the world around them without chaperones. These women were forced and controlled by the men in their lives.

Broadly speaking, female characters that sexually aware are more likely to be lower class. Shakespeare allows them more freedom to explore their sexuality, perhaps because their low-status renders them socially harmless. However, women are never totally free in Shakespeare’s plays: if not owned by husbands and fathers, many low class characters are owned by their employers.

Women in power are treated with distrust by Shakespeare. They have questionable morals. For example, Gertrude in Hamlet marries her husband’s murdering brother and Lady Macbeth coerces her husband into murder. For these women, the penalty for their scheming ways is normally death.

Shakespeare had a deep sensitivity toward women. Shakespeare, despite his brilliance, was very much a product of his time. Many of the female characters he has created can be classified as “heroines”, equal to men in intelligence and wit (as is Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing), Katrina, in Taming of the Shrew, who reinforce stereotypes of women as childlike and animal like, in need of man to tame them or guide them to salvation. His other female characters, Macbeth, Cleopatra …… etc to name a few compete with the oppressing renaissance – Elizabethan views about women. Their behavior is known for breaking and questioning the boundaries of feminity and morality that bound women the domestic sphere and home. This includes his strategic use of foreign landscape to combat the censorship measures being implemented by the government and monarchal figures, preventing such a social and political representation of his characters through his writing and performances on stage. Shakespeare made his audiences explore through the messages he passed across through his plays about men and women, getting his audiences thinking and provoking them to act, during a time of fear in social, religious and political upheaval and change.

The plays of Shakespeare can be used as a window upon Renaissance society. However, if one looks through this window and does not leave behind the ideals of a modern society, the view may become distorted and not be as pleasing as it was for Shakespeare’s contemporaries.

In Othello the role of Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca portray how women were during the 15th century. Women were portrayed as being loyal to their husbands; doing what they are told, and not going against their husband’s judgment or actions. These women represent three different characteristics in which women are being recognized in Othello. The women inOthello representvarious levels of class, virtue, and intelligence. Desdemona is aristocratic, virtuous, and makes her own decisions; throughout the play Desdemona symbolizes innocence and helplessness. The first encounter with Desdemona, Shakespeare describes her as being mature and quite perceptive of events around her, especially when we meet Desdemona and how mature she is when she defends her love for Othello to her father Brabantio. Iago often tells Othello that she is unfaithful because Iago is implementing into Othello’s head that Desdemona is committing adultery with Cassio.Emilia is the middle class, a maid, manipulated by Iago and loyal to Desdemona; and Bianca is the bottom of the line, being represented as a strumpet. Iago states how women are weak, lazy, and silly and only desire physical pleasure. We learn something about each of these female stereotypes. Over a period of time, women have fought for the respect and equality; even though these stereotypes still exist today, women are stronger in defending themselves and more respected. I believe Shakespeare brings the theme of women roles because we learn how women felt during that time and how history brought women to be equal to men. “In the Renaissance…women were at one and the same time revered and hated, admired and held in contempt” (Watson, 161). Their gentle nature was in contrast with the danger they represented, and “distrust of women remained and undercurrent of medieval thought” (Travitsky, 4).

    It is very difficult for a modern audience to see the Merchant of Venice as the Elizabethans did women in the Renaissance. The role of women was a very scarce role. Women were supposed to be seen and not heard, rarely seen at that. Women were to be prim and proper, the ideal women. Females were able to speak their minds but their thoughts and ideas were shaped by men. Mostly everything women did had input given by men. Women were controlled by her parents from the day she is born until the day she is married and then she would be handed directly to her husband so he could take over that role. In the time of the renaissance women were considered to legally belong to their husbands. Women were supposed to be typical ‘housewives.’
Though women were inferior to men, women in different classes had different roles. Low class women were expected to be housewives and take care of everything to do with the house. The expectation of working class women was a little bit different. These women were expected to work for their husbands and help them run their business. They would work along side with their husbands and then go home and take care of the house hold. Upper class women may have had servants and workers working for them but the women were still expected to take care of the house hold. Women could not work by themselves. Neither could they live alone if they were not married. If a woman was single, she was made to move in with one of her male relatives or join a convent and become a nun. There was no other option at this time for women.
In accordance to different classes of women, the only women that were aloud to express themselves were upper class women, but not sufficiently. The existence of women was there but it was a marginal existence. Very rarely would a woman of less than upper class be seen or heard expressing herself. It was unheard of. When women did express themselves, what they would express was tainted by male influence (Mazzocco)

In Taming of the Shrew, men pine after Bianca for her beauty and her dowry. She is soft spoken and sweet. Katherine is just the opposite. She is forward and loud strong willed. Men do not want Katherine. They are frightened of her. Katherine is a shrew of the worst degree. Sometimes her words and actions are extremely violent. She was a very abusive woman. There was a strong sense of disapproval from everyone about Katherine. No one wanted to be given the job of ‘taming’ her. That is until Petruchio comes along and decides he will do the task in order to marry into her fortune. In this time, the renaissance, women are to be seen and not heard. The ideal woman is quiet and respectful. She has no problem being controlled by a man. She enjoys the attention she gets from men for being a dainty female. This ideal woman is Katherine’s sisters Bianca. Shakespeare decided to have two characters contrast such a great deal. It shows the reader how different the two types really are. Katherine, compared to Bianca, seems like a crazy woman. Shakespeare has used the two different types of female characters in the renaissance to offset each of them. Having a shrew and the ideal woman in the same play shows off  the characteristics of each of these women. They are polar opposites. In this plot the main character is Katherine, she is the Shrew as mentioned in the title. A shrew is a woman who is very outspoken. The word Shrew is very negative word when relating to women. In the time of the Renaissance, people looked down on women referred to as a shrew. These women were very open about expressing anything they wanted to. In this time period, an outspoken woman was unheard of. People strongly disapproved of women like this in the renaissance. Men were the only people aloud to be outspoken and expressive.

We have to be aware that the Renaissance audience perceived Shakespeare’s plays quite differently than the contemporary reader or viewer. It was due to the diversity of moral standards and different opinions about women in the Renaissance, who lacked any female      emancipation. Perhaps it is the author’s astuteness, apparent from a large number of symbols, allegories and ambiguities which is timelessness and which surely carries mystery throughout the centuries.

Conclusions

In his plays Shakespeare portrayed the difficulties and the oppression women experienced by their male counterparts and societal institutions that withheld such subordinating beliefs. An angelic female personality such as Desdemona was familiar to Shakespeare’s audience from medieval morality plays-dramas in which characters representing good struggle against characters representing evil, exactly like writings of today. It is through his playwriting ability that he was able to give women of his time a voice and action on the stage. Even with the highly suggested gender roles stating that women were inferior to men, William Shakespeare while providing entertainment used his literature as a tool to dispel those common ideologies. It is gratifying to recognize that Shakespeare dramatized many faces of womanhood — her “infinite variety”– for his time and for every age since.

References

Watson, Curtis Brown. Shakespeare and the Renaissance Concept of Honor. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1960.

Travitsky, Betty, ed. The Paradise of Women: Writings by Englishwomen of the Renaissance. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1981

Mazzocco, Angelo. The Role of Women in the Italian Renaissance. Mount Holy Yoke College.        http://www.mtholyyoke.edu/courses/nvaget/evrst/womrenaissance.html