Shakespeare’s Renaissance Women
One woman disobeys her parents by eloping with a rival family, forces her lover to make the preparations, and eventually kills herself rather than live without him or under her parent’s rule. Another defies her father by eloping with a man of a different race and follows her husband off to war. These women may not sound like they could spring from the mind of a 16th century man, but, of course, they are. People unfamiliar with William Shakespeare’s work would probably assume his plays would portray women as meek, mindless creatures who are unable to get through life without a man. Those people would be wrong. Despite the patriarchal time period in which he wrote, there are plenty of strong, unconventional female characters in many of William Shakespeare’s plays including Juliet, Desdemona, Emilia, and Lady Macbeth.
A strong female character in a Shakespearean play does not dictate that she be perfect (or even sane) – strength merely indicates that she is not a stereotypical woman of the era in which the bard wrote. The woman can be physically strong or emotionally strong and everything in between. She may have the ability to stand tall with grace and dignity despite extraordinary circumstances – or she may not. The lady can be the type who does not let anyone, particularly a man, push her around – she does what she wants, when she wants, and how she wants; or she may abide by society’s social rules some of the times and other times not. In the context of Shakespeare’s time period, a strong woman was one who is powerful in influence, authority, resources, or means of prevailing, succeeding, and/or attaining her goals. The woman does not necessarily have to possess all of these qualities to be considered a strong woman. Above all, she must not fit the status quo of what a woman is supposed to be and possesses some more typically “masculine” traits.
According to Ruth et alia, there are two basic types of women in Shakespeare’s tragedies – victims (the “good” women) or monsters (the “bad” women) (17). For example, although Desdemona is more strong-willed than most women of the day, she is considered an innocent victim at the hands of Othello – she is the perfect “victim”; while Lady Macbeth in Macbeth and Katherine in Taming of the Shrew are most assuredly considered “monsters”. In contrast, men are not divided into two simple categories of heroes and villains – they are “warriors, princes, courtiers, Machiavels, Vices, braggarts, soldiers, clowns,” and “fools” (Ruth et al. 17). In the critical essay, “The Woman’s Part: Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare”, the authors make the claim that the only way a female character can “make her mark” is by “rejecting her womanliness” (Ruth et al. 17). It is only because Lady Macbeth cruelly speaks of dashing out the brains of her baby that one asks how many children (if any) she had because it was believed (and sometimes still believed) that reproduction is a woman’s main purpose in life (Ruth et al. 17). Many heroines in Shakespeare’s comedies disguise themselves as males in order to achieve a goal that would otherwise be denied them had they shown themselves in their true sex (Ruth et al. 18). Here, perhaps women have the advantage. Rather than destroying her identity, the small time spent transgendered actually enhances her sense of self (Ruth et al. 19). Without destroying or eliminating her femininity, she simply, for a time, uses her masculine side to get what she needs or wants and returns back to normal without having lost any of her femininity (Ruth et al. 19). Due to their ability to “change sex”, in Twelfth Night, Viola has a place to work and live with Orsino and both Rosalind, in As You Like It, and Portia, in The Merchant of Venice, get their men – Orlando and Bassiano, respectively . Unfortunately, however, the time spent in their temporary genders does not lead to any sweeping changes in sexist social order. Viola was able to make her way in the world as a male, but she never went so far as to form a search party to find her lost brother. Additionally, although Portia successfully defends Antonio in the courthouse, she does not go to school and become an attorney (Ruth et al. 18). Despite these ladies’ successes in typically male roles, no one’s mind is changed as to what a woman’s proper role is in society.
The youngest of Shakespeare’s female characters to defy societal norms was Juliet Capulet of the popular play, Romeo and Juliet. Oftentimes the common perception is that she is just a naïve, fourteen-year-old girl, but nothing could be further from the truth (Brown 333). Miss Capulet is neither immature nor “uncomplicated” as some critics have said; she is actually “self-willed, courageous, [and] intelligent” (Brown 333). She decides what she wants to do and does it. In an environment not usually kind towards women, she perseveres – maintaining her independence and integrity as best she knows how (Brown 333). According to Carolyn E. Brown, Juliet is actually more mature, complex, and insightful than Romeo (333). In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare treats the audience to multiple training sessions between a falconer (Juliet) and her falcon (Romeo), which helps to display Juliet’s superiority over Romeo. Throughout the play, Juliet is taming her “falcon”, Romeo, as any good falconer would; she even refers to herself as such and Romeo as her “bird” in Act II, scene ii, line 177 (Brown 335). She calls him her “tassle-gentle”, which is a reference to a male peregrine falcon, “O for a falconer’s voice / To lure this tassel-gentle back again” (2.2.158) (Brown 334). And in Act II, scene ii, she speaks of having Romeo attached to a “silken thread” – a designation for the trainer’s leash (Brown 334). Juliet even goes so far as to say that she prefers to have him “still stand” in one spot – a falconry term for an obedient hawk that does not “bate” it’s’ wings (Brown 334). In the famous balcony scene of Act II, Juliet actually performs some of her best “taming” of her “falcon”; it is as if she is teaching him how she wants him to speak to her. She hardly lets him get in a word, interrupting him frequently (Brown 337). While Romeo is a blubbering fool, completely wrapped up in his love for Juliet in Act II, scene ii, she is practical, to the point, and well aware of the inherent danger that their being together brings:
How cam’st thou hither, tell me, and wherefore? (62)
If they do see thee, they will murder thee. (70)
By whose direction found’st thou out this place? (79)
Here, Juliet defies the stereotype of women being the ones who are all consumed by emotions and men being the ones who take charge of conversation. Juliet takes charge by asking Romeo how he came, reminding Romeo that he is in deadly danger just by being there, and she wants to know who told him how to find her. She is clear thinking, while Romeo has only love on his mind. In this same scene, Juliet asks Romeo, “Dost thou love me?” (90). This question is something a man would typically ask of a woman – not the other way around – but, Juliet is a assertive woman and does not want to wait on Romeo. In several scenes, Juliet refers to Romeo as “my Romeo” – quite an aggressive, possibly even presumptuous, statement for a woman to make (Brown 336). In Act II, scene ii she states ” . . . with repetition of my Romeo’s name.” (163). Then in Act III, scene ii she says, “Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die., . .” (21). And yet again, in Act III, scene v, she proclaims, “Ere I again behold my Romeo!” (47). Juliet is basically claiming Romeo has her property. Although a man of the day might make such a gesture without anyone thinking twice, for a woman to do so is unusual. Not only does Juliet make Romeo make the arrangements for their marriage, but she even suggests in some of the most famous lines of the play that he deny his heritage and give up his name rather than she do so (Brown 336):
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other word would smell as sweet; / So, Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, / Retain that dear perfection which he owes / Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, / And for thy name, which is no part of thee, / Take all myself. (43 – 49)
Even in her own death, Juliet takes control. She was fully prepared to take her own life if she was unable, for whatever reason, to be with Romeo, “I’ll to the Friar, to know his remedy. If all else fail, myself have power to die.” (3.5.255); and again, when speaking to the Friar in Act IV, scene i, “If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help, / Do thou but call my resolutions wise, / And with this knife I’ll help it presently.” (52-4) and “‘Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife / Shall play the umpeer, arbitrating that / Which the commission of thy years and art / Could to no issue of true honor bring. / Be not so long to speak, I long to die. . . ” (62-6). Juliet “may achieve her own dignity and autonomy in death, bringing about her escape . . .” (Duncan-Jones 315). Even one of the most well known (and final) lines of the play, “For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo” (5.3.309-10), shows Juliet’s power; her name comes first and the wording, “her Romeo”, once again indicates her ownership of Romeo. Even though Romeo’s name comes first in the play’s title, by the end of the play the audience is reminded that Juliet is the more important character of the two, with her name taking predominance. And, Romeo again becomes Juliet’s property – being referred to as “hers”.
Desdemona is not as aggressive as some of Shakespeare’s other “strong” female characters, like Juliet, but she is still not your typical lady of the day. Although her Moor husband, Othello, is a literal warrior in the military sense, Desdemona is a warrior in the figurative sense – using her tongue as her weapon. She uses it to defend herself and Othello from her father and the Duke and, eventually, in defense of herself against her husband (Holmer 133). The Duke says of Othello that he is “far more fair than black” (1.3.291), but Desdemona turns out to be the most “fair” – both inside and out (Holmer 132). Desdemona is courageous. Besides standing up for Othello to her father and the Duke, she also urges them to allow her to join her husband to war in Cyprus. Despite Othello’s obvious anger and annoyance with her, she fights for Cassio, “As I have spoken for you [Cassio] all my best / And stood within the blank of his displeasure / For my free speech.” (3.4.128-30). She is baffled as to why Othello is upset with her since she knows her own loyal heart: “How have I been behaved that he might stick / The small’st opinion on my great misuse?” (4.2.110-17). Desdemona is not only brave, but she is also “good”. She stands up for what she believes is right, but she also abides by many of the standards set down by society for women; while she fights against Othello’s felonious accusations, in her last breaths she defends her husband’s character, blaming herself for her own murder. She believes in the goodness of men, being a good person herself, and she shows grace in all circumstances. She loves Othello’s “perfect soul” (1.2.31), “I saw Othello’s visage in his mind, / And to his honours and his valiant parts / did I my soul and his fortunes consecrate” (1.3.253-5). In the beginning, she does not believe that Othello could fall to “such baseness / As jealous creatures” (3.4.26-8) when she has given him no cause (Holmer 137). Othello was easily fooled into believing that the woman he loved so much he married was unfaithful to him; yet, even after he has smothered her, Desdemona still gives him the benefit of not condemning him to others. She tells Emilia that she blames herself for her own murder, but Othello was unable give her the benefit of the doubt when it came to her loyalty to him. Desdemona courageously tries to physically defend herself against her murderous husband, but to no avail. She revives long enough to tell Othello, “O falsely, falsely murdered!” (5.2.115). Just a few lines later she tells her dear confidant, Emilia, “A guiltless death I die.” (5.2.121). When asked by Emilia who killed her, she responds, “Nobody. I myself. Farewell. I commend me to my kind lord – O farewell!” (5.2.122-3). Why does she lie? Joan Ozark Holmer believes she did so to protect her husband (Holmer 143). Desdemona, being the good woman that she is, still wants to protect her husband of any ill will that will most likely befall him if it is known that he killed her when she was innocent (Holmer 143). Again, the ill-fated wife of the Moor shows grace and dignity – even in her final moments. Most people would surely condemn their murderer if given the chance – but not Desdemona. Desdemona sadly loses her “earthly battle for physical life, but more importantly, she wins the eternal war for spiritual salvation” (Holmer 148).
Desdemona’s confidant, Emilia, may not be a much talked-about Shakespearean character, but she should be. In the beginning of Othello, Emilia does not have a very prominent role and she hardly registers on the audience radar; but, by the end of the play, she is a force with which to be reckoned . In contrast to Desdemona’s naiveté and virtuousness, Emilia, is worldly and sensible (Turner and Newman 18). While speaking to Desdemona, Emilia tells her what she thinks of men’s use of women, “‘Tis not a year or two shows us a man: / They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; / To eat us hungerly, and when full, / They belch us out.” (3.4.102-6). In Emilia’s mind, men use women for their basic needs – food, sex, housekeeping – and when they are done, they want nothing more to do with them. Cassio and Bianca’s relationship highlights her theory. Cassio certainly does not want anything more from Bianca than her talents in the bedroom. At first, Emilia appears submissive to her husband, Iago, but then Iago’s plot unravels before him – and Emilia is the one unraveling it. He repeatedly calls his wife a whore and demands that she holds her tongue and leave, but she refuses and insists on being heard. She tells him she will not be quiet as he demands, “I will not charm my tongue; I am bound to speak.” (5.2.183-4). And a few lines later, in reference to Iago, “Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak. / ‘Tis proper I obey him, but not now.” (5.2.195-6). Emilia “scorns Othello’s sword, challenges his view of himself as an honorable murderer, and defies her husband” (Turner and Newman 18). Emilia stands up for Desdemona when asked by Othello about her faithfulness; however, when Desdemona asks her if she could ever be unfaithful “by this heavenly light” (4.3.71), Emilia replies, wittily, “Nor I neither by this heavenly light: / I might do it as well i’ the’ dark.” (4.3.72-3). This statement would remain humorous whether coming from a man or a woman; but coming from a woman, the statement becomes a bit surprising. While it was acceptable for a man to be unfaithful to his wife, it was not so for a woman. (as was so perfectly exhibited by Othello’s reaction to hearing of Desdemona’s infidelity). In the climactic Act V, it is Emilia, through her questioning of Othello and Iago, who uncovers her husband’s plot (Turner and Newman 18). She also discovers the part that she has played in regards to the infamous handkerchief (Turner and Newman 18). She, being the good wife that she is, believed her husband was a good man; and so never could have imagined that Iago’s intentions for the handkerchief were so sinister. Once she realizes what kind of man Iago really is in Act V, Emilia knows he is capable of physically hurting or even killing her. But Emilia only wants to ensure that the truth is known. She cares not of her own safety – only the truth and reputation of her dear friend, Desdemona. Emilia is selfless and defiant and is killed by her husband for telling the truth and exposing his insidious lies.
Lady Macbeth stands alone in comparison to Shakespeare’s other strong women because she is not “good”. She is usually perceived as an evil, wicked woman whose own heedless ambition causes not only her own demise, but that of her once goodly husband. Once Macbeth puts the thought into her head of him becoming king of Scotland, Lady Macbeth’s head is racing. She begs the spirits to help her become more “manly”:
Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe topful / Of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood, / Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse, / That no compunctious visitings of nature / Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peach between / Th’ effect and [it]! Come to my woman’s breasts, / And take my milk for gall, you muth’ring ministers, / Wherever in your sightless substances / You wait on nature’s mischief!” (40-50).
Lady Macbeth needs more conventionally masculine traits to help her accomplish her goal – becoming the Queen of Scotland. She must, for at least a time, become unemotional and aggressive – characteristics not accepted in a woman. According to many critics and fans of Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth is a treacherous manipulator who convinces her noble husband to become a murderer through “a meticulous process of cruel and piercing emasculation” (Thompson and Ancona 59). While being a “treacherous manipulator” is not a good thing to be, it is certainly more acceptable for a man to be thought of as such than a woman. Women are supposed to be meek and submissive and know “their place”. In Act I, scene vii, Macbeth indicates that he has no “spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition” (25-7) when in walks the “spur” herself – Lady Macbeth (Thompson and Ancona 60). Authors Thompson and Ancona claim “she is the very personification of the vaulting ambition that pricks the sides of his intent” (60). Lady Macbeth was full of blind ambition:
Hi thee hither, / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear / And chastise with the valor of my tongue / All that impedes thee from the golden round / Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem / To have three crowned withal. (1.5.25-30)
Lady Macbeth’s ambition is not a character flaw, but society certainly makes it seem way – at least when it is a woman who possesses it. Society tends to call it “aggression” rather than ambition when it is a woman who exhibits the trait. When Macbeth tells his wife that he no longer wants to pursue Duncan’s murder, she takes him to task – basically telling him that he is not a man and comparing him to an adage about a cat that wants to eat fish, but does not want to get its’ feet wet (Thompson and Ancona 59). In reality, she is the cat from the adage. When it comes down to it, she is the one who does not want to get her hands bloody (Thompson and Ancona 59). Macbeth makes an attempt to defend his masculinity, “I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none.” (1.7.46-7). Lady Macbeth returns with yet another hit to his ego, “When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And, to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man.” (1.7.50-2). In this same scene, Lady Macbeth tries to prove she is more “the man” than he, when she talks of ripping a suckling child from her breast and dashing its’ brains out (Thompson and Ancona 59). These are not the actions normally spoken by a woman; women are supposed to have a “motherly instinct”. Had a man spoken these words, the audience may still be taken aback, but not in shock. Immediately following Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth is directing her husband and correcting his mistakes, “Go get some water / And wash this filthy witness from your hand. / Why did you bring these daggers from the place?” (2.2.43-5). When he refuses to smear the blood on the grooms in order to implicate them in the killing, she retorts, “Infirm of purpose! / Get me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead / Are but as pictures.” (2.2.49-51) and is then finally forced to do some of the work. Even before the scheme is realized, Lady Macbeth is demanding that her husband stop showing his emotions, “Your face, my thane, is as a book where men / May read strange matters.” (1.5.62-3). After Duncan’s murder is completed, she tells him not to think about the incident any longer, “After these ways; so it will make us mad.” (2.2.37-8) – little does she realize how true this statement is. She simply tells him “what’s done is done” (3.2.13). Females in those days did not tell males what to do. Men were the ones who did the “dirty work” and they were the ones who took care of difficult situations. In addition, men are supposed to be unemotional and tenacious – not the other way around. In this case, Lady Macbeth is directing all the action. She is purposeful and detached, while her husband is a nervous wreck.
By the end of the play, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth go through dramatic changes – they completely reverse roles. She changes from a strong-willed, independent woman to a “guilt-driven hallucinator” (Thompson and Ancona 60). She starts sleepwalking and can never seem to get enough water to “cleanse her of her sins” (Thomson and Ancona 65). While Lady Macbeth is wandering the halls of their castle, Macbeth has turned into a heartless shell of a man. When told of his wife’s death (via suicide), he utters, “She should have died hereafter.” (5.5.17) and leaves it at that (Thompson and Ancona 61). While many believe it was her “monomaniacal ambition” which turns Macbeth into a monster, others believe she had no choice (Thompson and Ancona 59). Such a strong, determined woman must have felt trapped in such a rigid, patriarchal society; through her husband was the only way for her to achieve any kind of power (Thompson and Ancona 62). She was at a disadvantage because she was not a man and her husband was weak; lame excuse or valid reasoning (Thompson and Ancona 60)? Everything she does before she has her meltdown is completely unlike a typical wife of the day: she helps Macbeth with the murder, encourages him to complete the task, and smears blood on the grooms and returns the daggers. A typical woman would have known nothing about her husband’s business dealings, let alone give her opinion and help with the planning. A “normal” housewife would have been “content to wait for Macbeth to bring home guests for her to entertain” (Thompson and Ancona 63).
Of course, the women highlighted here are not the only strong women Shakespeare has created. There is the witty and intelligent Beatrice, headstrong Titania, clever Viola, and the bold and imaginative Rosalind – just to name a few. They are all wonderful and unique in their own ways. Juliet is the youngest of them all and most seemingly naïve and innocent, but if given another look, one will find an independent, defiant young woman. Desdemona is the good, obedient wife who stands up for herself and others when the situation demands such action. Emilia is the loyal confidant who demands the truth be told – no matter who it might offend or hurt. And finally, Lady Macbeth, the enormously misguided soul who paid the highest price for her reckless ambition. Carolyn E. Brown sums it up well, “Shakespeare suggests that . . . perhaps for all intelligent, strong-willed women . . . a physical death is preferable to a spiritual death in a world that denies women power over their own lives.” (342).
Works Cited
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Holmer, Joan Ozark. ”Desdemona, woman warrior: “O, these men, these men!” (4.3.59).(Articles)(Critical Essay).” Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England 17 (Annual 2005): 132(33). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Maricopa County Library District. 21 January 2007
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Thompson, Mary Ives, and Frencesco Aristide Ancona, “He Says/She Says: Shakespeare’s Macbeth (A Gender/Personality Study). (Critical Essay).” Journal of Evolutionary Psychology 27.3-4 (October 2005): 59(12). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thompson Gale. Maricopa County Library District. 10 February 2007. http://find.galegroup.com/itx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodld=EAIM&docld=A147792453&source=gale&userGroupName=maricopa_main&version1.0>.
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