188 Conclusion

Conclusion
Throughout the analysis of some of Shakespeare's critics' viewpoints
concerning him as well as some of his plays, many deductions about
Shakespeare as well as about his viewpoints concerning life, human nature
and his attitudes towards the society in which he lives can be elicited.
Shakespeare has revealed the relationship between men and women. t is
obvious that Shakespeare uses his plays as a means through which he tries
to show his e!ual interest in human kind and his appreciation of women as
important representatives of human nature who are noteworthy of
contemplation and understanding.
n fact, many of these deductions lead many critics to regard
Shakespeare as a playwright who supersedes his contemporaries, a man of
his age, a man who en"oys the privilege of viewing society from top to
bottom. #ence, they argue that in his plays, he reflects the entire spectrum
of contemporary life, from the court and the nobility, through the middle
class to the lower classes. Thus, as $i%a &ardine emphasi%es, 'n order to
portray his e(perience of life and of the society around him, he used the
prevalent beliefs and views to inform and enrich his own dramatic vision'
)*+.
n other words, Shakespeare's plays show that he is a product of his
age and conse!uently is influenced by the popular trend of thought of his
time. Thus, si(teenth and seventeenth centuries drama could not afford to
overlook or neglect the social and political concerns of its time. ,ne of the
most important preoccupations of that period is the position and nature of
women in the society. Shakespeare lived in the middle of changing times
where new beliefs and concepts emerge from the crumbling of the old and
the challenge of the new. #ence, -usinberre claims that, 'he and his fellow
dramatists started !uestioning men's attitudes to their mothers, wives, sisters
and daughters and by implication attempt to reform them' ) .+.

/urthermore, according to many critics, Shakespeare e(cels his
contemporaries in his attitude and treatment of women to the e(tent that
many of them as 0aula S. 1erggren regard his attitude and his treatment of
women as 'modern'

)23+. 4ccording to those critics what is characteristic
and outstanding about Shakespeare is that he shows a great ability to e(cel
and supersede his contemporaries in his understanding and profound
analysis of the nature of women. /urthermore, he provides versatile pictures
of their innermost souls and minds. 5mphasi%ing this further, -usinberre
writes6 'Shakespeare's women are not isolated phenomena in their
18. Conclusion
emancipation, their self7sufficiency, and their evasion of stereotypes8.
Shakespeare's are different only in the degree of his artistry' )3+.
Thus, Shakespeare's plays present attitudes to life, male viewpoints to
womanhood and different relationships between genders. #e portrays
women struggling to be treated as independent, individuals in a world
which regarded them solely as females. n Broken Nuptials in
Shakespeare's, 9eely stresses this point of view and e(plains that
Shakespeare puts the women characters into the same ideological crossfire
in which :enaissance women found themselves. They are defended or
attacked, degraded or ideali%ed. '4lthough Shakespeare certainly did not
speak as a woman or in defense of women, he did respect them fully,
absorbing and recreating in another dimension all of the contradictions that
surround women's status' )21+.
9evertheless, many critics of Shakespeare believe that despite the
constraints imposed on Shakespeare by the patriarchal age in which he
writes, yet his works indicate that he is conscious of the predicament of
women. '#e implicitly and subtly tries to !uestion and undermines the male
preconceptions and pre"udices about women' )&ardine, Still #arping 1;<+.
-usinberre also e(plains that6

Shakespeare was not concerned to register in his plays his own
presence as a defender of women. #e wrote no theses on the
position of women = as did most of his contemporaries in one
form or another. Shakespeare saw men and women as e!ual in a
world which declared them une!ual. #e did not divide human
nature into the masculine and the feminine, but observed in the
individual man or woman an infinite variety of union between
opposing impulses. To talk about Shakespeare's women is to talk
about his men, because he refused to separate their worlds
physically, intellectually, or spiritually. )*>3+

Thus, according to many of these critics, in the domain of both tragedy and
comedy, Shakespeare has a large space to present women and give them
full dimensions. n his plays, he shows enlightened views and insights into
the nature of women. #e takes no e(plicit position on women. n a
reflecting glass, he reflects the varieties of womanhood in his society.
n other words, Shakespeare discusses the position of women in
patriarchal society and throughout his artistic career? he shows his interest
in the sub"ect. 4ccordingly, he analy%es women's nature thoroughly, men's
attitudes towards them and the restrictions society imposed upon them. #e
1.> Conclusion
believes that the old beliefs and values should give way to the treatment of
women as independent, free individuals. @oreover, Shakespeare shows
ability to reflect controversy, to comment on it and call for more liberal
attitudes to women. #e offers a consistent view of the society's reactions to
them. Thus, as -usinberre illustrates, 'n order to accomplish these he used
the theatre to e(plore the real nature of mankind, both men and women'
)18+.

4pplying the previous claims to Shakespeare's plays, it is obvious
that as -ash claims6
Shakespeare's women characters move beyond that restricted
world into the great globe itself. They burst the limits of the
:enaissance stage and illuminate issues which women still face.
/or even today women must confront re"ection or domination in
a patriarchal society? they must wrestle, too, with the burdens of
poverty or wealth? the one making them susceptible to male
political power, the other making them susceptible to the
ambitions of the fortune hunter. )2<;+
n other words, Aomen still fall into the role of ',ther' in a society that
considers man 'primary'. 4dopting the views of the dominant group,
women, too often, learn self7hatred, in their varied roles as daughters,
sisters, lovers, wives, mothers, and widows. 5ven when single, celibate and
unattached to men7women come to life in Shakespeare's plays and raise
!uestions about se(ual, political, familial, and economic patterns in the
world around them.

Thus, analy%ing the five plays whether comedies or tragedies,
presented in this thesis, it is obvious that Shakespeare presents dramas of
great insight where women are depicted as sub"ect to the same passions,
liable to the same weaknesses, vulnerabilities and limitations, as men.
They portray power, richness, variety and depth. n short, Shakespeare's
women characters portray the whole range of character traits such as
nobility, self7assertiveness, self7determination, ambition, greed, arrogance
and passivity.
/urthermore, in order to present his deep interest in women and the
pressures these women have to face and how they tend to deal with them,
Shakespeare depicts women characters in the most important phases in their
lives or in the midst of the relationships they have to share. Thus, he
concentrates on family relationships, whether father7daughter relationships,
husband7wife, mother7son, or lover =beloved relationships. n fact,
1.1 Conclusion
Shakespeare's utmost goal of depicting women's characters in such
relationships is to show the importance of these relationships in reflecting
women's characters as well as in reflecting the impact of such relationships
on the characters of women. n other words, he uses such relationships to
show how they may hinder or aid the maturity and development of women
characters.
Thus, for e(ample, in The Taming of The Shrew, The Merchant of
Venice and Much Ado About Nothing, and contrary to some critics'
viewpoints, through depicting husband7 wife relationships, Shakespeare
tries earnestly to reconcile love and marriage. Thus, according to him, for
the marital relationship to be successful, permanent and stable, there must
be mutual trust, understanding as well as genuine love. Conse!uently, he
supplies marriage with a new mythology of love and companionship as he
believes that the roles of husband and wife should be complementary,
neither can live nor fulfill himself Bherself without the other. n short,
Shakespeare celebrates the institution of marriage and regards it as the only
means available to man and woman to achieve happiness and fulfillment.
@oreover, in order to stress the importance of mutuality in love and
marriage, Shakespeare stresses another important issue which is the
importance of women's consent to their espouses. n other words, he
emphasi%es woman's right to choose her husband and in order to achieve
his aim, he approaches this issue gradually. /urthermore, he tackles another
important relationship within the society which is parent7child relationship?
especially if this child is a daughter and the impact of this relationship on
the development and maturity of the daughter's character which affects her
relationship with her husband later on.
n fact, such issues and the way Shakespeare tends to approach them
are clearly presented in the five plays discussed in this thesis. Thus, as far
as paternal and filial relationships are concerned, in The Taming of The
Shrew, Shakespeare does not only approach the father7 daughter
relationships presented in this play? e(emplified in 1aptista's relationships
to his two daughters, Catherine, the shrew and 1ianca, the demure, but he
also tackles the issue of marriage e(emplified in the aristocratic marriage
and the fact that it is based mainly on economical bases rather than on love
and mutuality. Conse!uently, Shakespeare refers to 1aptista's way of
arranging his daughters' marriage without even consulting them to reflect
the effect of paternal authority on the characters of women, especially on
daughters. /or e(ample, Catherine becomes a shrew, who though
outwardly appears to oppose everything and everyone especially her father
and men in general, yet she is dying for social acceptance. #ence, she does
not really ob"ect to the idea of marrying 0etruchio, though he seems to be
1.2 Conclusion
mad and a fool. ,n the other hand, 1ianca, the demure, who appears to be
the epitome of good :enaissance daughter and obeys her father in whatever
he says, pretends modesty to keep a space of freedom for herself in the
patriarchal society in which she lives. Thus, on the one hand, Catherine
submits to her father's command to marry 0etruchio as a means to escape
social re"ection and gain social acceptance in society. ,n the other hand,
1ianca pretends modesty and demureness to gain social acceptance and
keep a space of freedom for herself.
n The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare presents a more mature,
witty, developed woman who is capable of handling her own life without
violating her dead father's will about whom to marry, which is e(emplified
in the lottery game. Throughout this lottery game, again Shakespeare
tackles father7daughter relationship in a patriarchal society and the options
such society provide women, especially daughters, with. n Much Ado
About Nothing, Shakespeare introduces two female characters who
completely contradict and contrast each other in everything. Through the
two female characters, #ero and 1eatrice, Shakespeare takes his interest in
women as well as in critici%ing the norms and conventions of patriarchal
society about women a step further. #ence, he compares between 1eatrice
and #ero's different relationships and reactions to $eonato as representative
of paternal authority. ,n the one hand, he is #ero's father and on the other
hand, he is 1eatrice's ruler and guardian. n order to elaborate filial and
paternal relationships in the play further, Shakespeare discusses the issue of
marriage in accordance with the characters of the two females of the play.
#owever, in order to reveal the great impact paternal authority has on the
characters of the daughters, he refers to the devastating impact of women's
repression and submission to the male dominant figures in their lives.
5laborating this viewpoint further, Shakespeare chooses, #ero, the
innocent, submissive character and makes her endure all the ramifications
of her total submission first to her father and then to her husband7to be. n
doing so, Shakespeare implies to his audience as well as critics that #ero's
submission to patriarchal conventions of her society has not saved her from
being wronged and tortured by the dominant male figures in her life. t has
not saved her image from being un"ustly spoiled in their eyes. ,n the other
hand, he pinpoints that in spite of her shrewishness, it is 1eatrice who
succeeds in maintaining her independence, maturity as well as happiness.
4fter discussing the great effects paternal authority has on shaping
daughters' different characters in the three comedies, Shakespeare shifts his
interest to discuss women's characters in relation to their suitors, lovers or
husbands. #e believes that women have two important relationships in their
lives, their relationships to their parents and those to their husbands or their
1.* Conclusion
relationships in the conte(t of marriage, whether wooing, love or marital
relationships. n tackling these relationships in his comedies, for e(ample in
The Taming of The Shrew, through 0etruchio and Catherine's marital
relationship, Shakespeare shows genuine interest and depth in presenting a
uni!ue husband who is interested in forming a uni!ue relationship with his
wife. 0etruchio's utmost goal is to build a mutual marital relationship with
Catherine to the e(tent that he ignores all the characters that surround them
as well as the patriarchal conventions of the society they live in. @oreover,
he presents 0etruchio, the husband who has all the privileges of the male
self in society, yet he allows him to teach Catherine, the wife, the best way
to gain respect and acceptance in the society she lives in and at the same
time manage to protect her individuality and independence.
/urthermore, in The Merchant of Venice, as far as 0ortia and
1assanio's marital relationship is concerned, Shakespeare uses 0ortia's
e(cellence in maintaining a mutual private relationship with her husband to
reflect first the impact of paternal relationships on shaping daughters
characters, whether as mature or immature women. #e also uses the
couple's relationship to emphasi%e the importance of mutuality in
enhancing the couple's marital relationship. @oreover, he allows 0ortia
more space to show her developed, mature and witty character and the
success of that developed character not only in providing happiness for
herself, but for all around her. #ence, contrary to most critics' claims that
0ortia fails to maintain a dignified position for herself, it is obvious through
her actions in the trial scene till the ring trick at the end of the play, that she
succeeds in maintaining a dignified position for herself as a daughter, a
wife and a woman. @oreover, she succeeds in achieving her aim of having
a mutual marital relationship with her husband that is based on e!uality and
respect. She also emphasi%es to him that they can each have other
relationships with other people without affecting their marital relationship.
@oreover, through reflecting the difference between the two male
characters, Claudio and 1enedick, in Much Ado About Nothing,
Shakespeare shows the impact the difference between the two men's
characters has on their relationships to women whether #ero or 1eatrice.
@oreover, he pinpoints the importance of changing the prevailing male
viewpoint of women and the dangerous results such viewpoint has not only
on women's characters, but also on their relationships with other characters
in the society. n the aforementioned comedies, Shakespeare shows his
deep interest in women's characters as well as in their conditions in the
society and the impact of such conditions on them. #e also proves that
contrary to some critics' points of view, he tends to provide women with the
same privileges he assigns to his male characters in his plays. n other
1.< Conclusion
words, he is e!ually interested in male as well as female characters in his
comedies.
#owever, as far as Shakespeare's tragedies are concerned, many critics
tend to claim that Shakespeare tends to manipulate the women characters in
his plays to play the role of audience to his male heroes. #owever,
throughout his two Tragedies, Macbeth and Hamlet and the way the female
characters in these plays are depicted, it becomes obvious that this claim is
completely incorrect.
This can be reali%ed through the character of $ady @acbeth and
Shakespeare's great interest in her character, and in her relationship with
her husband as well as in the impact of the lack of mutuality and love
between her and her husband on her character which leads at the end of the
play to her madness and death. @oreover, contrary to the prevailing
viewpoints about $ady @acbeth's character and the claims that Shakespeare
has assigned to her all the negative !ualities he can afford, such as ambition
and greediness, this thesis reflects a completely different $ady @acbeth
who is herself the victim of her husband and his greed, ambition and self7
indulgence.
n fact, Shakespeare's interest in his female as well as male characters
especially in the tragedies, can be reflected in Hamlet, in the way he
presents the two contradictory female characters in the play e(emplified in
the characters of ,phelia and Dertrude. /urthermore, the fact that
Shakespeare tends to sympathi%e with women's problem or dilemma is
clear in the way he tries to depict the different relationships they have to
share with the dominant male figures in their lives and the impact of these
relationships not only on the development and maturity of their characters,
but also on their destinies.
The women Shakespeare creates are not marginal, but effective,
motivating characters, whether they are wives, mothers, daughters or
lovers, which prove that if Shakespeare is not a feminist, he is a playwright
who is e!ually interested in his female as well as male characters. #e
regards both genders as representatives of human nature. @oreover, it is
obvious that he tends to sympathi%e with women characters more for all the
in"ustices they have to endure "ust for being females.