Undoubtedly, Shakespeare and his writing has shaped our literary understanding forever, and even centuries after they were written; the recurring themes in his plays concerning race, class, jealousy and ambition seem ever present in our modern society.
One thing that can be debated about however, is his portrayal of women. Shakespeare somewhat pushed the boundaries of a Jacobean era by giving his female characters such significant and, in some cases, outspoken roles but this is severely undermined by the fact that they would not only have been played by young men, but also all seemed to share the same fate: death. One of Shakespeare's most famous plays: Romeo and Juliet, narrates the story of two young lovers. Juliet, initially depicted as pure and chaste, seems to lose her prized innocence (through her passion for Romeo), and it seems, this loss is brutally signified by her subsequent death. Cordelia from King Lear is similarly painted as a character of honour and virtue who is unjustly sacrificed to a heartless world of men which engulfs her.
One of perhaps, Shakespeare’s most cunning females: Lady Macbeth is villainised for equalling her ambition for power to her husbands. Shakespeare seems to allow for the manipulation of men by such powerful women characters but once again undermines such examples of female domination through haunting consequences, such as Lady Macbeth’s descent into insanity. Desdemona (Othello) and Jessica (Merchant of Venice) defy the patriarchy by choosing their own suitor, and for doing so are punished severely: Desdemona is murdered by the jealousy of her own husband, and Jessica’s marriage crumbles and collapses.
Another brand of Shakespeare’s female character are the witty and independent personalities. Katherine, for example, in the Taming of the Shrew is a painted as an ‘unmarriable’ figure due to her short temper and refusal to submit to her father Baptista’s wishes. In turn, he views her as a failed business transaction, which he cannot possibly make meaningful profit from. The play, however, supposedly ends on a happy note after Katherine is locked up by her soon to be husband, and returns as a compliant woman who has been ‘put in her place’ and ‘saved from straying too far from the patriarchal norms’. Shakespeare does at least spare Katherine from a callous death, but instead forces her character to endure immense suffering and torture only to eventually lose her fiery individuality, thus reducing her to a mere slave of her husband.
It is also telling that it is the lower-class women of Shakespeare's plays, who enjoy less restraints and more freedom. Since, unlike those born into a noble family, they are not expected to be traded off as possessions. Though it may be true that not all of Shakespeare’s women die, there does seem to be an underlying theme. All his female characters who submit to the wishes of the males in their lives (I.e. Portia, Merchant of Venice, Helena and Hermia, Midsummer Night’s Dream) seem to survive and live out their happy ending.
One thing Shakespeare denies these women, however, is the chance to rebel. Despite their dire deaths, the females who do in fact oppose the system are at least given a voice. It is a shame therefore that the female voice which often calls for political and social change, is the one that is eventually drowned out. Perhaps, their deaths were essential for Shakespeare to include. After all, he was writing during the Jacobean era and, for all one knows, if his plays were believed to advocate female equality, they may not have received the monarchical and communal response that they did. It is crucial therefore to consider the time period in which Shakespeare was writing. He did give his women a voice, albeit an often fleeting one. The issues surrounding the role of women in Shakespeare's plays subtly link to modern society's problem of inequality, though since then we have made some huge leaps. If anything, the silencing of the female voice, which is so evidently prominent in Shakespeare's plays, and their calls for social change should not only be remembered but used to fuel women in the modern day to continue to stand up for their rights also.
By Zoe Wreford
