Much Ado About Nothing Gender Analysis
Chosen Essay Title: “Women are presented as inferior to men in Shakespeare comedies” Explore the validity of this… Much Ado about Nothing is a dramatic comedy written by Shakespeare between 1598-1599 and published in 1623. During the Elizabethan era, women were raised to believe they were inferior to men. The quote “Women in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man” was written by a protestant leader of the time, who believed this was the way Elizabethan women should act. Stereotypically, women were expected to be very domestic and seen as less worthy compared to males. Shakespeare’s character ‘Hero’ in Much Ado about Nothing is the perfect example of the expectations of Elizabethan women. Her polite and submissive attitude portrays her as vulnerable and dominated by her father. However, the other
…show more content…
main female character Beatrice challenges this by being completely antagonistic compared to Hero. She portrays a diverse view of women by displaying emotions and attitudes unexpected of female stereotypes. The male characters in Much Ado about Nothing are portrayed as having great power and possession over females.
An example of this is when Hero is given away to Claudio, a man she barely knows. The emphasis on the phrase ‘giving away’ shows that she is just an object to society. The giving away is done by her father, Leonato, who seems to have complete control of Hero’s actions. She must marry and become the possession of a man she isn’t yet very familiar with, yet had no say in the matter. Hero has not been a bad daughter to Leonato, yet when he hears the accusation about her losing her virginity before marriage, he is quick to disown her. Claudio also instantly decides she is unworthy of his time. Despite it all being a false rumour, just for Hero to be accused unjustly makes her worthless to these men. This highlights the selfishness of both Claudio and Leonato, and shows that they hold the importance of their reputation and status greater than their relationships with their loved ones. In contrast, when the rumour is disproved, instead of being angry at the unjust attitudes of her father and Claudio, Hero is relieved to be welcomed
back. In Act 1 Scene 1, Benedick is introduced and our first impressions are that he has an arrogant and cocksure character. Benedick has high expectations of women and seems to believe that because he is a male, he is more superior. Arguably, it seems that even the most powerful women do not compare at all to Benedick, for example Beatrice. They are discriminated against by not being listened to over men, giving males more power overall. Benedick even describes himself as “being a professed tyrant to their sex”. ‘Professed tyrant’ means a declared harsh judger towards women. This portrays men as constantly judging women, despite any misjudgement or previous experiences with women. This could connect with Benedick and Beatrice’s suspected past. Benedick’s judgements of women could suggest he considers them as less human or less deserving of God’s love because of their inability to gain power over society. When Benedick announces “she’s too low for a high praise”, he suggests again the inferiority of women. The conversation between Claudio and Benedick in Act 1 Scene 1 also connotes the inferior presentations of women and how they are also perceived as objects to men. Claudio asks Benedick “can the world buy such a jewel?” with the reply “yea, and a case to put into”. The metaphor ‘jewel’ is a reference to women, and the way Benedick suggests ‘putting it into a case’, signifies that women are objects to the men, and are seen as owned belongings instead of real people. The precious item of a jewel in a case could also be rearranged to comment about how even the most precious of women are characterized as objects in the Shakespeare society. Benedick’s view that “all women shall pardon me” implies that he believes he is some sort of God women should bow down to. This problem doesn’t occur in reverse due to the social incapability of women to achieve high enough power to even be compared to the power of men. By women being judged and not males, this also supports the views of them being inferior which energises Benedick’s cockiness. Following through from Act 1 Scene 1 into Act 2 Scene 1, we are also introduced to Beatrice, who is a complete juxtaposition to the Elizabethan view of women. In comparison to Hero, Beatrice’s attitude is more similar to that of Benedick, and she has high views and perceptions of how males should act. Her opinions on marriage and love are also similar. Both Beatrice and Benedick are both certain that the opposite sex isn’t worthy of marriage and they both decide they’ll never love anyone. Benedick supports this by saying “truly I love none” following his comment on how all women love him. Beatrice replies “I’d rather hear a dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me”, showing Beatrice refuses to obey or be owned by a man, and doesn’t like the thought of being inferior. This presents Beatrice as having the same attitude of a man herself. Her high expectations of men accompany her decisions of not wanting to marry as nobody seems perfect enough. When Beatrice mentions “Not ‘til God make men of some other metal than earth” implies that she will not marry any men as none are right for her. The way she refers to dirty metaphors such as metal and earth (being soil), suggests Beatrice’s perception of men being less pure than women. In Shakespearean society, men are arguably portrayed as monsters and women as angels because of the way men treat women unfairly, for example going back to when Claudio and Leonato both betrayed Hero, despite questioning the cheating accusations first. In more modern times, Beatrice would be seen as a stronger character. She seems to dislike the stereotype of how women should act and makes the decision to not care what people think, despite this being frowned upon by Elizabethan society. She is scared to be vulnerable and doesn’t like to be controlled or in the possession of a male, linking to why she is against marriage. Despite Beatrice’s personality being so different to what is expected, she is well liked, a ‘pleasant spirited lady’. This suggests you don’t have to always act as anticipated to be accepted. Beatrice is the opposite to the stereotypical image of women in Elizabethan society, and chooses not to be dominated by men which invalidates the view of women being inferior in Shakespeare comedies. In Act 2 Scene 3, Benedick is again expressing his views on how much greater he is compared to women. In his declaration that until one woman can combine all good qualities, “one woman shall not come in my grace” he is again announcing how he is better than all women because of his gender. His remark of how all graces of one woman don’t compare to even one of his graces suggest he is big-headed and a highly judgemental character. Most of the men in Much Ado about Nothing look down on women and see them as possessions, judging them on their value and which one is good enough for them to control as an object instead of a human being. In Act 4 Scene 1, Claudio speaks; “Have vanquish’d the resistance of her youth and made defeat of her virginity”. Being a virgin suggests the purity of a woman, making her acceptable to marry. If not, you were viewed as worthless and highly frowned upon in Elizabethan society. This quote implies the inferiority of women, as men are allowed to lose their virginity before marriage whereas women are not. The hypocritical judgements men have against women and then thinking that was right was a clear sign that women had a lot less power and control. Overall, the views of women in Shakespeare’s comedies are true to Elizabethan stereotypes as shown by Hero and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Women seem, to be the butt of the joke, supported by the quote “Her mother hath many times told me so” which Leonato replies to the questioning of Hero being his daughter. With the arguable views of women being the overall topic of comedy, this implies their inferiority due to how they’re not respected as they should be, whether that be by males in the play or the overall judgements made of women in Elizabethan society. However a contrast to expected attitudes of women is shown in Beatrice, as she challenges the views of women and their inferiority. The statement that women are presented as inferior to men in Shakespeare’s comedies is valid with the character Hero. However in contrast, throughout the play, Beatrice fights against this generalisation. At the end she has Benedick wrapped round her little finger showing that this woman at least will not be dominated.
Bibliography
Word count: 1500 http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-women.htm on Elizabethan stereotypes, including John Knox protestant leader quote
Quotes from the book ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
main female character Beatrice challenges this by being completely antagonistic compared to Hero. She portrays a diverse view of women by displaying emotions and attitudes unexpected of female stereotypes. The male characters in Much Ado about Nothing are portrayed as having great power and possession over females.
An example of this is when Hero is given away to Claudio, a man she barely knows. The emphasis on the phrase ‘giving away’ shows that she is just an object to society. The giving away is done by her father, Leonato, who seems to have complete control of Hero’s actions. She must marry and become the possession of a man she isn’t yet very familiar with, yet had no say in the matter. Hero has not been a bad daughter to Leonato, yet when he hears the accusation about her losing her virginity before marriage, he is quick to disown her. Claudio also instantly decides she is unworthy of his time. Despite it all being a false rumour, just for Hero to be accused unjustly makes her worthless to these men. This highlights the selfishness of both Claudio and Leonato, and shows that they hold the importance of their reputation and status greater than their relationships with their loved ones. In contrast, when the rumour is disproved, instead of being angry at the unjust attitudes of her father and Claudio, Hero is relieved to be welcomed
back. In Act 1 Scene 1, Benedick is introduced and our first impressions are that he has an arrogant and cocksure character. Benedick has high expectations of women and seems to believe that because he is a male, he is more superior. Arguably, it seems that even the most powerful women do not compare at all to Benedick, for example Beatrice. They are discriminated against by not being listened to over men, giving males more power overall. Benedick even describes himself as “being a professed tyrant to their sex”. ‘Professed tyrant’ means a declared harsh judger towards women. This portrays men as constantly judging women, despite any misjudgement or previous experiences with women. This could connect with Benedick and Beatrice’s suspected past. Benedick’s judgements of women could suggest he considers them as less human or less deserving of God’s love because of their inability to gain power over society. When Benedick announces “she’s too low for a high praise”, he suggests again the inferiority of women. The conversation between Claudio and Benedick in Act 1 Scene 1 also connotes the inferior presentations of women and how they are also perceived as objects to men. Claudio asks Benedick “can the world buy such a jewel?” with the reply “yea, and a case to put into”. The metaphor ‘jewel’ is a reference to women, and the way Benedick suggests ‘putting it into a case’, signifies that women are objects to the men, and are seen as owned belongings instead of real people. The precious item of a jewel in a case could also be rearranged to comment about how even the most precious of women are characterized as objects in the Shakespeare society. Benedick’s view that “all women shall pardon me” implies that he believes he is some sort of God women should bow down to. This problem doesn’t occur in reverse due to the social incapability of women to achieve high enough power to even be compared to the power of men. By women being judged and not males, this also supports the views of them being inferior which energises Benedick’s cockiness. Following through from Act 1 Scene 1 into Act 2 Scene 1, we are also introduced to Beatrice, who is a complete juxtaposition to the Elizabethan view of women. In comparison to Hero, Beatrice’s attitude is more similar to that of Benedick, and she has high views and perceptions of how males should act. Her opinions on marriage and love are also similar. Both Beatrice and Benedick are both certain that the opposite sex isn’t worthy of marriage and they both decide they’ll never love anyone. Benedick supports this by saying “truly I love none” following his comment on how all women love him. Beatrice replies “I’d rather hear a dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me”, showing Beatrice refuses to obey or be owned by a man, and doesn’t like the thought of being inferior. This presents Beatrice as having the same attitude of a man herself. Her high expectations of men accompany her decisions of not wanting to marry as nobody seems perfect enough. When Beatrice mentions “Not ‘til God make men of some other metal than earth” implies that she will not marry any men as none are right for her. The way she refers to dirty metaphors such as metal and earth (being soil), suggests Beatrice’s perception of men being less pure than women. In Shakespearean society, men are arguably portrayed as monsters and women as angels because of the way men treat women unfairly, for example going back to when Claudio and Leonato both betrayed Hero, despite questioning the cheating accusations first. In more modern times, Beatrice would be seen as a stronger character. She seems to dislike the stereotype of how women should act and makes the decision to not care what people think, despite this being frowned upon by Elizabethan society. She is scared to be vulnerable and doesn’t like to be controlled or in the possession of a male, linking to why she is against marriage. Despite Beatrice’s personality being so different to what is expected, she is well liked, a ‘pleasant spirited lady’. This suggests you don’t have to always act as anticipated to be accepted. Beatrice is the opposite to the stereotypical image of women in Elizabethan society, and chooses not to be dominated by men which invalidates the view of women being inferior in Shakespeare comedies. In Act 2 Scene 3, Benedick is again expressing his views on how much greater he is compared to women. In his declaration that until one woman can combine all good qualities, “one woman shall not come in my grace” he is again announcing how he is better than all women because of his gender. His remark of how all graces of one woman don’t compare to even one of his graces suggest he is big-headed and a highly judgemental character. Most of the men in Much Ado about Nothing look down on women and see them as possessions, judging them on their value and which one is good enough for them to control as an object instead of a human being. In Act 4 Scene 1, Claudio speaks; “Have vanquish’d the resistance of her youth and made defeat of her virginity”. Being a virgin suggests the purity of a woman, making her acceptable to marry. If not, you were viewed as worthless and highly frowned upon in Elizabethan society. This quote implies the inferiority of women, as men are allowed to lose their virginity before marriage whereas women are not. The hypocritical judgements men have against women and then thinking that was right was a clear sign that women had a lot less power and control. Overall, the views of women in Shakespeare’s comedies are true to Elizabethan stereotypes as shown by Hero and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Women seem, to be the butt of the joke, supported by the quote “Her mother hath many times told me so” which Leonato replies to the questioning of Hero being his daughter. With the arguable views of women being the overall topic of comedy, this implies their inferiority due to how they’re not respected as they should be, whether that be by males in the play or the overall judgements made of women in Elizabethan society. However a contrast to expected attitudes of women is shown in Beatrice, as she challenges the views of women and their inferiority. The statement that women are presented as inferior to men in Shakespeare’s comedies is valid with the character Hero. However in contrast, throughout the play, Beatrice fights against this generalisation. At the end she has Benedick wrapped round her little finger showing that this woman at least will not be dominated.
Bibliography
Word count: 1500 http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-women.htm on Elizabethan stereotypes, including John Knox protestant leader quote
Quotes from the book ‘Much Ado About Nothing’