Feminism & The Tempest
Correia � PAGE �6�
Brandon Correia
Ms. Bradley
ENG-3U1
December 10, 2007
Feminism in the Tempest
Feminist theory aims to understand the nature of inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations and sexuality. To do Feminist Research is to put the social construction of gender at the center of one 's inquiry. Feminist theory is about seeing gender as a basic organizing principle which profoundly shapes/mediates the concrete conditions of our lives. In the play The Tempest, by William Shakespeare Miranda is a perfect example of a woman 's role in literature from a feminist theorist perspective. In The Tempest, Miranda 's prescribed gender role and physical stature account for her naturally being subordinate to males.
In Literature there are many instances when women are objectified solely because of their physical stature. Since women are generally smaller in size, her social hierarchy is inferior to the man. Gender is defined as masculine or feminine attributes that are socially fixed to their biological sex in opposition to each other. Scholar Germaine Greer states that, "the male sex/masculine gender embrace the positive side of the opposition and the female sex/feminine gender, the negative side"(4). A woman 's physical stature excludes her from being superior, since superior is determined by masculine attributes. Furthermore, Joanne S. Frye, author of Living Stories: Women and the Novel, states that, images of women are analyzed by men based on physical appearance, as opposed to intellectual capacity. A woman is not seen for her inner beauty, only judged by what can be identified by bodily manifestation. The woman 's physical appearance is a primary factor as to why she is seen as subordinate to the male.
In The Tempest Miranda is often objectified solely because of her physical appearance. To explain, Miranda is seen a beautiful woman, nothing more that a sex object. Ferdinand 's first thoughts of Miranda are revealed when he states, "most
Brandon Correia
Ms. Bradley
ENG-3U1
December 10, 2007
Feminism in the Tempest
Feminist theory aims to understand the nature of inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations and sexuality. To do Feminist Research is to put the social construction of gender at the center of one 's inquiry. Feminist theory is about seeing gender as a basic organizing principle which profoundly shapes/mediates the concrete conditions of our lives. In the play The Tempest, by William Shakespeare Miranda is a perfect example of a woman 's role in literature from a feminist theorist perspective. In The Tempest, Miranda 's prescribed gender role and physical stature account for her naturally being subordinate to males.
In Literature there are many instances when women are objectified solely because of their physical stature. Since women are generally smaller in size, her social hierarchy is inferior to the man. Gender is defined as masculine or feminine attributes that are socially fixed to their biological sex in opposition to each other. Scholar Germaine Greer states that, "the male sex/masculine gender embrace the positive side of the opposition and the female sex/feminine gender, the negative side"(4). A woman 's physical stature excludes her from being superior, since superior is determined by masculine attributes. Furthermore, Joanne S. Frye, author of Living Stories: Women and the Novel, states that, images of women are analyzed by men based on physical appearance, as opposed to intellectual capacity. A woman is not seen for her inner beauty, only judged by what can be identified by bodily manifestation. The woman 's physical appearance is a primary factor as to why she is seen as subordinate to the male.
In The Tempest Miranda is often objectified solely because of her physical appearance. To explain, Miranda is seen a beautiful woman, nothing more that a sex object. Ferdinand 's first thoughts of Miranda are revealed when he states, "most
Cited: Frye, Joanne S. Living Stories, Telling Lives: Women and the Novel In Contemprary Experience. United States of America: The University of Michigan Press, 1986 Lambert, Ellen Zetzel. The Face if Love: Feminism and the Beauty Question. Boston: Beacon press, 1995 Ferguson, Michaele L. "Sharing without knowing: collective identity in feminist and democratic theory. (Critical essay)." Hypatia, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2005 Baumlin, Tita. "Holy Estates: Marriage and Monarchy in Shakespeare and His Contemporaries." Renaissance Quarterly. Portland, American Book Company, 2005. Harding, Sandra. "Feminism and Methodology Social Science Issues." Bloomington. Indiana University Press, 1987