Women as Objects of Men in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice"

Matthias Billen

Feb 2011 · GRIN Verlag

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Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2009 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Literatur, Note: 2,0, Universität Trier, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: 1. Introduction The relationship between women and men and the broader social, judicial, familial, psychological or political ramifications of this relationship is an ongoing topic in the cultural arena with discussions of varying degrees of intensity and often with extremely different conclusions. The movement of feminism can be seen as initiator, but also as a catalyst or as an outcome of these discussions. But there is no monolithic block of feminism and no single literary theory of feminism, but one major landmark in the evolution of feminism is the publication of Simone de Beauvoir’s book “Le DeuxièmeSexe” in 1949. By tracing back women’s role and position in society with different methods, she stresses that the oppression of women is due to patriarchy pervading almost all societies. Turning back to literature, this description of patriarchy can usefully be applied in analysing a drama such as Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice(1998). The female characters in this comedy are embedded in societal structures of patriarchy. This can be seen in the influence of father figures, the economic principles which underlie their existence and the final subjection to their husbands even though they actively participate. But eventually, they remain in their traditional role, not being able to subvert the societal system effectively. To support this thesis, the concept of feminism will be discussed, especially in regard of de Beauvoir’s viewpoint. In a second step, the role of women in the Renaissance will be concerned, immediately referring to the play and its female characters. [...]