The Winter's Tale - Feminist lens Flashcards
A1S2
Pol’s opening line justifying to L reasoning for soon returning home to B
“Nine changes of the wat’ry star”
In his opening line, Polixenes justifies to Leontes that he must soon return to Bohemia as it had been “Nine changes of the wat’ry star” since he left. “Nine changes”, the period of human gestation, coupled with the feminine symbol of the moon establish women’s ability to fulfil their maternal role within the patriarchy as a prerequisite for social order.
A2S1
Antigonus to L, ostensibly in defence of H
“geld” his daughters “shall not bring false generations” if H is guilty + “by mine honour”
However, Antigonus misaligns fecundity, a sign of what the feminist critic Marilyn French calls the “inlaw feminine principles”, threatening to “geld” his daughters so they “shall not bring false generation” if Hermione is guilty. This disproportionate and violent reaction
demonstrates how the conservation of male patriarchal lineage is unjustly prioritised over the welfare of women.
A2S1
L to H
“I am glad you did not nurse him. Though he does bear some signs of me, yet you have too much blood in him”
Although Leontes’ salacious diatribe can be seen to be the instigation of the play’s fallout, he places blame on Hermione, expressing that he is “glad [she] did not nurse [Mamillius]” for she has “too much blood in him”. Ironically, Leontes’ characterisation of Hermione as a contaminating force establishes a pattern of diction around disease that continues throughout the play and later serves to highlight his own “tyranny”.
A1S2
L’s diatribe
“revolted wives” → “tenth of mankind” → “bawdy planet”
Attempting the undermine Hermione’s reputation as a paragon of virture, Leontes condemns the “revolted wives” of the world who have betrayed a “tenth of mankind” and adulterated the entire “bawdy planet”. Through this salacious language and the rapid escalation in the scope of Leontes’ wrath, from just “wives” to the whole “planet”, Leontes antagonises women’s maternal role by corrupting the pure relationship between “innocent breast” and “innocent mouth”, exposing him as the root of the disruption to the Sicilia’s patriarchal order.
A2S2
Pla to Em on her plan to make L see sense
“… the office
Becomes a woman best
… I’ll… undertake to be
Her advocate the loudest”
In contrast to the “inlaw” expectation of women to be passive, Paulina proves herself to be outspoken and subversive when she undertakes to be Hermione’s “advocate to the loudest”, suggesting that empowering the voiceless is the antidote for tyranny.
A2S3
L to Pla as she challenges him
“A callat
Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband
And now baits me”
In response to Paulina’s indignant defense of Hermione’s innocence, Leontes’ condemns her as a “callat/Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband/And now baits me”, the alliterative ‘b’ sound emphasising components of the shrewish woman archetype that Leontes’ so relies upon in his attempt to silence women and reinforce his status as a powerful patriarchal ruler.
However, the court’s refusal to remove Paulina despite Leontes’ multiple requests indicates women are an integral part of patriarchal society.
A4S4
F to P
“Or I’ll be thine, my fair,/Or not my father’s” (F)
Professing his love for Perdita, Florizel, who’s name carries connotations of spring and feminity, disowns patriarchal identifiers by promising: “I’ll be thine, my fair,/Or not my father’s”. Juxtaposing Leontes and Hermione’s volatile and oppressive relationship, Florizel’s authentic love for Perdita - demonstrated by the affectionate title, “my fair” - reflects their healthier, balanced partnership and thus illustrates how embracing femininity promotes societal harmony.
A3S3
Clown to Shepard abt sinking of S ship + death of M (vehicle for L’s opp of women bc attempting to remove P = ev of H’s life-giving power)
“Now the ship boring the moon with her mainmast”
Immediately following the tragic deaths of Mamillius and Hermione, audiences are transported to the untamed world of Bohemia. Here, Clown histrionically recounts the Sicilian ship’s violent final movements, fruitlessly “boring the moon with her mainmast”. Hence, the image of the ship, a vehicle for Leontes’ arrogant abandonment of Perdita, metaphorically attempting to “bore” the feminine emblem of the moon exhibits the punitive and hostile power of nature which seeks to avenge the unjust treatment of women in the play.
A5S3
Pla animates H
“Holy” statue of H animate w “Dear life redeems you” (Pla)
Paulina animates the “holy” statue of Hermione with the imperative, “dear life redeems you”. Through the biblical allusion in the verb choice of “redeems”, likening Hermione’s resurrection to that of Christ, both her and Paulina are restored as paragons of French’s “inlaw feminine principles”, as their mythic qualities position them as pure and sacrosanct.
A5S3
Pla proclaims fulfillment of oracle
“Our Perdita is found” (Pla)
The healing power of the female triad is realised when Paulina proclaims “Our Perdita is found”, mirroring the words of the oracle. Here, the use of the collective possessive determiner “our” relates a sense of female solidarity and camaraderie, positioning the fulfilment of the oracle, an inherently masculine edict due to its issuing by the god Apollo, as an effort waged by all womankind.
–> t/f patriarchal harmony = dependent on women’s ability to fulfill “inlaw principles”
A1S2
L diatribe
“no barricado for a belly” + “let in and out the enemy”
Fearing the threat the “outlaw feminine principles” pose to his patriarchal rule, Leontes laments that there is “no barricado for a belly” which can “let in and out the enemy”. The martial symbolism evoked in “barricado” and “enemy” characterise women as initiators of destruction, staging a violent conflict between Leontes’ toxic compulsion to protect his male lineage and, counter-productively, women’s maternal capacity.
A5S1
L to Pla abt respect gained during 16 yr penance
“Good Paulina… I/Had squared me to thy counsel”
After a sixteen-year period of penance, Leontes demonstrates his ostensible reform by rendering himself “squared” to the “counsel” of “Good Paulina”. Through subordinating himself to Paulina and echoing her earlier description of Hermione as a “Good Queen”, Leontes can be seen to have adopted feminine qualities which have fostered a new understanding between him and Paulina, who he previously condemned as a “mankind witch”.
–> L finally reconciled with the necessity of feminine influence –> create harmony w/in pat soc
BP1
WHAT
For feminist critics, the first half of The Winter’s Tale reveals the violent antagonism inherent within toxic masculine attitudes which causes its conflict with the feminine, natural world.
BP1
WHY
Hence, feminist critics may denounce androcentric societies’ lack of appreciation and respect for women and their integral role in the natural order of the world and indeed, the patriarchy itself.
BP2
WHAT
However, the second half of The Winter’s Tale demonstrates how harmony can be achieved through embracing feminine influence.
