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Shakespeare and The Renaissance Women: With Special Reference to Henry IV

S
S Anas Ahmad

Contact,me through LinkedIN if you want to download the slide or for permission to use it in school presentations. Email: anas.in994@gmail.com Shakespeare and The Renaissance Women: With Special Reference to Henry IV. I analyze the status of women in Shakespeare's plays. did they have any feminist undertones or otherwise?

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Shakespeare and the Renaissance women: special reference to Henry IV Shakespeare and the rennaisance women: With Special Reference to Henry IV
William Shakespeare 1564-1616
Renaissance Renaissance means re-birth or re-awakening. Renaissance originated in Italy in the 13th century. Constantinople, the capital of Byzantine empire fell to the Turks on 1353. This is taken as the official date of the beginning of Renaissance. When Renaissance came to northern Europe, Shakespeare and his plays were made into a symbol of free thought, anticlericalism and opposition to dogmas of society. Shakespeare wrote extensively on a variety of genre be it tragedy, comedy or tragi-comedy. His plays were not a one-man show unlike Marlowe, with women characters sharing the stage almost close if not equal to his male characters.
Brief History of I Henry IV Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV (two plays), and Henry V. Henry IV, Part 1 depicts a span of history that begins with Hotspur's battle at Holmdon against the Douglas late in 1402 and ends with the defeat of the rebels at Shrewsbury in the middle of 1403. Shakespeare's primary source for Henry IV, Part 1, as for most of his chronicle histories, was the second edition (1587) of Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles. Much of the primary narrative of the tetralogy deals with Kings, empires, battles and the male characters whilst women characters dont carry much weight as far as the progress of the plot is concerned.
The role of women in Renaissance is mentioned highly. But did women have a renaissance? is a question that is asked even today. The plays of Shakespeare can be used as a window upon Renaissance society. In his plays Shakespeare portrayed the difficulties and the oppression women experienced by their male counterparts and societal institutions that withheld such subordinating beliefs. It is through his playwriting ability that he was able to give women of his time a voice and action on the stage. The Renaissance Women
were shakesperian plays really feminist in nature? Lets analyse
The Tragic Innocent Women Pure and chaste at the beginning of the play, and tragically die once their innocence is lost. These characters are generally courtly, high born characters such as Juliet from Romeo and Juliet, Lavinia from Titus Andronicus or Ophelia from Hamlet. The Scheming Femme Fatale Lady Macbeth is the archetypal femme fatale. In her ambition to become Queen, she encourages her husband to murder. King Lears daughters, Goneril and Regan, plot to inherit their fathers fortune.
Rosalind in As You Like it and Viola in Twelfth Night both dress as men. As men, these characters have more freedom, highlighting the lack of social liberty for women in Shakespeares time. Falsely Accused of Adultery Women in Shakespeares plays are sometimes wrongly accused of adultery and suffer greatly as a result. For example, Desdemona is killed by Othello who supposes her infidelity. Women who dress as Men
Women in I HENRY IV In I Henry IV, the characters of the women are not equally developed as the male characters. Elizabethan society was marked by gender separation, both publicly and privately. Lady Percy does not play an active role outside of Hotspur's private life. Women were given the power to speak, but they were not necessarily heeded as worthy to be listened to. This is notable when Lady Percy shows assertion to Hotspur: "I'll know your business, Harry, that I will while Hotspur says Away, away you trifler!
Women were "objects of male desire and dependent on that desire for their status, livelihood even their lives. Lady Mortimer speaks no English, yet even without communicating with her husband she is able to display her dependence. Woman's honour reflected her husband's honour; a wife was a husband's most precious possession. Lady Percy displays her reliance on her husband when she decrees "for since you love me not,/ I will not love myself. Her sense of self-worth is based upon her husband's perception of her.
Feminist work has changed the perspective with which we view Shakespeare's plays today, and allows us to ask questions that before went unanswered. Hotspur's relationship with his wife would not have been questioned by Shakespeare's audience, the question is a phenomenon of modern society. However, in order to understand Shakespeare we must place ourselves historically, remember the values of the Renaissance and put aside the values explicit of the twentieth century. Conclusion
Thanks! Any questions? Lets have a Q&A session. Credits: The Interaction Blog 際際滷 Utopia

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Shakespeare and The Renaissance Women: With Special Reference to Henry IV

  • 1. Shakespeare and the Renaissance women: special reference to Henry IV Shakespeare and the rennaisance women: With Special Reference to Henry IV
  • 3. Renaissance Renaissance means re-birth or re-awakening. Renaissance originated in Italy in the 13th century. Constantinople, the capital of Byzantine empire fell to the Turks on 1353. This is taken as the official date of the beginning of Renaissance. When Renaissance came to northern Europe, Shakespeare and his plays were made into a symbol of free thought, anticlericalism and opposition to dogmas of society. Shakespeare wrote extensively on a variety of genre be it tragedy, comedy or tragi-comedy. His plays were not a one-man show unlike Marlowe, with women characters sharing the stage almost close if not equal to his male characters.
  • 4. Brief History of I Henry IV Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV (two plays), and Henry V. Henry IV, Part 1 depicts a span of history that begins with Hotspur's battle at Holmdon against the Douglas late in 1402 and ends with the defeat of the rebels at Shrewsbury in the middle of 1403. Shakespeare's primary source for Henry IV, Part 1, as for most of his chronicle histories, was the second edition (1587) of Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles. Much of the primary narrative of the tetralogy deals with Kings, empires, battles and the male characters whilst women characters dont carry much weight as far as the progress of the plot is concerned.
  • 5. The role of women in Renaissance is mentioned highly. But did women have a renaissance? is a question that is asked even today. The plays of Shakespeare can be used as a window upon Renaissance society. In his plays Shakespeare portrayed the difficulties and the oppression women experienced by their male counterparts and societal institutions that withheld such subordinating beliefs. It is through his playwriting ability that he was able to give women of his time a voice and action on the stage. The Renaissance Women
  • 6. were shakesperian plays really feminist in nature? Lets analyse
  • 7. The Tragic Innocent Women Pure and chaste at the beginning of the play, and tragically die once their innocence is lost. These characters are generally courtly, high born characters such as Juliet from Romeo and Juliet, Lavinia from Titus Andronicus or Ophelia from Hamlet. The Scheming Femme Fatale Lady Macbeth is the archetypal femme fatale. In her ambition to become Queen, she encourages her husband to murder. King Lears daughters, Goneril and Regan, plot to inherit their fathers fortune.
  • 8. Rosalind in As You Like it and Viola in Twelfth Night both dress as men. As men, these characters have more freedom, highlighting the lack of social liberty for women in Shakespeares time. Falsely Accused of Adultery Women in Shakespeares plays are sometimes wrongly accused of adultery and suffer greatly as a result. For example, Desdemona is killed by Othello who supposes her infidelity. Women who dress as Men
  • 9. Women in I HENRY IV In I Henry IV, the characters of the women are not equally developed as the male characters. Elizabethan society was marked by gender separation, both publicly and privately. Lady Percy does not play an active role outside of Hotspur's private life. Women were given the power to speak, but they were not necessarily heeded as worthy to be listened to. This is notable when Lady Percy shows assertion to Hotspur: "I'll know your business, Harry, that I will while Hotspur says Away, away you trifler!
  • 10. Women were "objects of male desire and dependent on that desire for their status, livelihood even their lives. Lady Mortimer speaks no English, yet even without communicating with her husband she is able to display her dependence. Woman's honour reflected her husband's honour; a wife was a husband's most precious possession. Lady Percy displays her reliance on her husband when she decrees "for since you love me not,/ I will not love myself. Her sense of self-worth is based upon her husband's perception of her.
  • 11. Feminist work has changed the perspective with which we view Shakespeare's plays today, and allows us to ask questions that before went unanswered. Hotspur's relationship with his wife would not have been questioned by Shakespeare's audience, the question is a phenomenon of modern society. However, in order to understand Shakespeare we must place ourselves historically, remember the values of the Renaissance and put aside the values explicit of the twentieth century. Conclusion
  • 12. Thanks! Any questions? Lets have a Q&A session. Credits: The Interaction Blog 際際滷 Utopia