Youve come a long way baby
Shakespeare's presentation and portrayal of his female characters in The Merchant of Venice and Henry V follows a typical pattern that is present in all of the Shakespearean plays that I have read so far. When looking closely at the fate of his female characters, this pattern becomes even more evident for it repeats itself no matter how different the plays are. For instance, Henry V and The Merchant of Venice are different in every respect. The female characters not only come from different backgrounds, they also have very different personalities. However, as different as these plays and their characters are, the female characters end up suffering the same fate. It doesn't seem to matter whether they are born into a life of peasantry, nobility, or come from royalty, for they ultimately will end up being no better than a piece of land, or cattle, or some possession that a man can own and do with as he pleases. Scholars have been debating for centuries now as to whether Shakespeare's women reflect his society's attitudes or that of his own. Henry V is definitely geared more for the male audience. There are only two or thre
This image that he can do no wrong and is as close to being perfect as one can get, only holds up if you don't go digging around in Henry's past, in which he had been portrayed as a spoiled, pampered partying boy. This play is very biased and one-sided. Afterall, isn't Katherine the "Grand Prize" that will be awarded to the winning side? I find it very insulting that Shakespeare's only significant female role in the whole play, is being used as a " Prize" to be given away. e acts in which a female character is present at all. The French, in contrast to the English, are presented as arrogant, incompetent, and weak, very similar to what Henry had been not to long ago. Katherine character, for the most part, adds very little, if anything at all, to the play. Scholars have been debating for centuries now as to whether Shakespeare's women reflect his society's attitudes or that of his own. For all her power, riches, and strengths, she still is no better than the man she marries. There is, however, one thing lower than a Frenchman, and that is, a French woman. However, I have a feeling that it's only due to the fact that Shakespeare thinks less of "Jews" than he does women. Just the fact that he disguises his women characters up as men in order to bring them to higher levels, leads me to believe that he is just making it all up as he goes along. I only hope that is the case, for I can't imagine women ever being so passive. It's a shame that Shakespeare put it in at all because it definitely changes the way I feel about this play, in particular, as well as the others. Henry V is definitely geared more for the male audience. When we first get a glimpse of Katherine, she is trying to learn the English language.
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Acceptance Essays
