Women of Resolve: female characters in works attributed to Shakespeare: an inclusive guide for teachers

By: Dlugosch, Tom E.

Do the plays in the Shakespeare Canon portray men in a more favorable light than women? To what extent do the plays endorse prejudices of the time against women, and are those prejudices in line with those we see in our day? Or from the opposite angle, is it possible that the author of the plays understood women better than men? This book addresses those questions in light of the range of characters in the entire body of plays. Such questions receive halting answers when applied piecemeal. Considering the works in sequence provides the surest basis for noting gender issues within them. My method was to read first, waiting for patterns and intent to emerge. What quickly became clear is not just that female characters have significant roles but also that there is an enormous gender difference in their approach to the world. To put it bluntly, a sense of purpose defines the difference between genders. Female characters are capable of resolve, one of the Bard's favorite words, meaning the action of solving problems and making an effective response. My background is that I was an English teacher in a private secondary school for 38 years, guiding students on 'Shakespeare' plays several times each year, mostly the standard material for curricula; so there were over a dozen plays I had not read. I set out to take a look at every female character in all 40 plays including collaborations, plus the two narrative poems, Venus and Adonis and Lucrece. The notes I have presented here are in a way a guide for high school teachers who want to make sure they pay due attention to gender issues. Misogyny, sexism, and authorship deserve discussion. Scholars have addressed the question of misogyny extensively over recent decades but most work focuses on single plays or a set of plays with similar imagery, or a genre of plays such as comedy or tragedy. Thematic concerns ought also to be considered as gendered material; and the Bard reflects his era, when gender expectations were that empathy and family were issues central to female characters.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1704070619
• ISBN13: 9781704070612
• Release Date: October 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 150 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"