Women as Objects of Men in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice'

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Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2009 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Literatur, Note: 2,0, Universität Trier, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: 1. IntroductionThe relationship between women and men and the broader social, judicial, familial,psychological or political ramifications of this relationship is an ongoing topic in thecultural arena with discussions of varying degrees of intensity and often with extremelydifferent conclusions. The movement of feminism can be seen as initiator, but also as acatalyst or as an outcome of these discussions. But there is no monolithic block of feminismand no single literary theory of feminism, but one major landmark in the evolutionof feminism is the publication of Simone de Beauvoirs book Le DeuxièmeSexein 1949. By tracing back womens role and position in society with different methods,she stresses that the oppression of women is due to patriarchy pervading almost all societies.Turning back to literature, this description of patriarchy can usefully be applied in analysinga drama such as Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice(1998). The female charactersin this comedy are embedded in societal structures of patriarchy. This can beseen in the influence of father figures, the economic principles which underlie their existenceand the final subjection to their husbands even though they actively participate.But eventually, they remain in their traditional role, not being able to subvert the societalsystem effectively.To support this thesis, the concept of feminism will be discussed, especially in regard ofde Beauvoirs viewpoint. In a second step, the role of women in the Renaissance will beconcerned, immediately referring to the play and its female characters.[...]

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