Context Flashcards
What typical categories existed for women to fit into?
Maidens, wives, widows, or whores.
What is a modern interpretation of Desdemona’s fidelity to her husband?
Desdemona acts like a victim of abuse and stockholm syndrome, making excuses for her abuser and praising him and staying faithful.
What stock character does Brabantio represent? Where else can this be found in Shakespeare?
Brabantio is the ‘Senex Iratus’, or the old patriarchal figure, who holds control over his children - such as Lord Capulet in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, and Polixenes in ‘The Winter’s Tale’ (who is a king outraged over his son marrying a shepherd girl Perdita)
Who pioneered the revenge tragedy genre?
Thomas Kyd
Which other women in Shakespeare are rebellious against their fathers for the sake of love?
Juliet in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, who falls in love with Romeo of the opposing noble house, and Jessica in ‘The Merchant of Venice’, as she marries a Christian man and abandons her Jewish father.
What do Shakespeare’s rebellious women have in common in their love?
They seek to marry their cultural ‘other’ and defy social norms - Juliet wanting the opposing house, Jessica desiring a man of the opposite religion, and Desdemona wedded to a man of the opposite race.
Which of Shakespeare’s cunning women defy other cultural norms and how?
Portia in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and Viola in ‘Twelfth Night’ both crossdress in order to survive and achieve their aims in society which they could not achieve as a woman.
Who were the first actors to play Shakespeare’s females and how did this impact the characters’ portrayal and conception?
The first actors were groups of adolescent boys who would crossdress as women - thus Shakespeare’s women would either crossdress themselves to appear more realistic or feature less strongly within the play (such as Desdemona)
How were marriages often decided for upper class women? What does this mean about Desdemona and Brabantio?
Women’s marriages were often arranged in order to further a family’s success and wealth - thus in choosing her own husband, Desdemona is defiant of typical expectations of women of her status, thus explaining her father’s outrage.
What is a soliloquy?
A soliloquy is a character thought-track and speech delivered from the character to themselves, typically when alone on stage, not addressed to the audience but for the audience to listen to.
What is ‘manning’ a hawk?
Taming a female hawk by spending twenty days with it constantly, until the hawk looks upon the male falconer as a mate.
How were hawks treated in upper class gentry?
Hawks were prized possessions, and particularly beloved hawks could sleep in the master’s bedroom. Falconry itself was a noble sport.
How does John Leo Africanus, a Moor, write about Africans in his 1600 ‘Geographical Historie of Africa’
They are ‘most honest’ and ‘high minded’, but ‘subject to jealousie’ and deceived easily.
What significance did handkerchiefs serve in Renaissance upper class circles?
They were often uniquely embroidered and exchanged as gifts.
How do 16th century costume guides depict Venetian noblewomen?
Young women had to wear black silk veils over their faces in order to preserve their modesty.
