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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
The comedies of Shakespeare are often the forum for comment concerning the assignment of gender roles that were true for the Elizabethan society of which he was a part. Under the auspices of the pen and the play he was able to portray women in ways that were not generally acceptable. The characters of Rosalind from 'As You Like It' and Portia from 'A Merchant of Venice' are two cases in point. This 10 page paper examines the use of dialogue, character and costuming in the presentation of gender roles. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
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10 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Womnshak.rtf
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portray women in ways that were not generally acceptable. The characters of Rosalind from As You Like It and Portia from A merchant of Venice are two cases in
point. In feminist literature critique of Shakespeare has been characterized either by its intensive concentration on gender, specifically female circumvention of male authority or concerned with the impact of
developments in feminism and emphasized cultural differences among women. The Merchant of Venice largely dwelled on the victory of Portia over Shylock and the implications of usurpation of gender
roles (Erickson 1-5). Rosalind, in As You Like It, uses the device of subterfuge and manipulation to meet her needs then considered masculine. Both characters use cross dressing
to graphically depict the interchange of gender identity and roles. Rosalind Rosalind of Shakespeares As You Like It is the central character in one of his better comedies.
She is the virgin heroine, the masked sleuth in search of proof of the love so ardently and profusely extolled by Orlando. She is Shakespeares "perfect woman" who
is well bred, educated, intelligent and articulate and yet, reticent to give her love to a man not proven and acerbic in conversation. Her response to the love poems
of Orlando sets in motion the complex maneuverings that form the core of the plot (Kinney 299). The poems of Orlando are a mirror for the character of Rosalind
and a counterpoint to her sense of reality. When Orlando speaks of her in terms of the qualities of the Goddesses, "Helens cheek, but not her heart, / Cleopatras
majesty, / Atalantas better part, / Sad Lucretias modesty/Thus Rosalind of many parts/By Heavenly synod was devised" , she retorts, "..what tedious homily of love have you wearied your parishioners
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