Her boisterousness and hostility is epitomised in the stage direction [She strikes him]. This indicates that Katherina employs physical abuse as a self defense mechanism against Petruchio. Such violent behavior was classed as shrew-like and highly unorthodox in the Elizabethan Era, particularly towards a male suitor of a high social class. Thus, Katherina challenges the values of courtship and marriage, in a way that is relevant to her society. Correspondingly, in 10 Things I Hate About You, Kat rebels against the social expectations of the permeating values of courtship and dating.
Othello says to her “It gives me wonder great as my content to see you here before me. O my soul’s joy!” (2.1.199-200). These beautiful and loving words are soon changed to hostility and rage with the thought of Desdemona’s betrayal. Both Desdemona and Hero are accused of being unfaithful through presented “ocular proof”, they are both disgraced by the leading male role, and they are young and inexperienced in the ways of love and both women are extremely forgiving after they have been mistreated by their suitors. Much Ado about Nothing was written by William Shakespeare as a comedy, but it could have very well been turned into a tragedy comparable to Othello.
How typical are Periplectomenus’ comments on women on pg 179? Plautine comedy, thought to be performed around the late 3rd early 2nd century BC in Rome, is heavily influenced by Greek New Comedy, as introduced by Menander in the 4th century BC, and therefore draws upon a variety of comical Greek female stereotypes, which arguably also inherit a misogynistic bias against women. Plautus’ ‘Swaggering solider’ can be seen to convey this bias, most explicitly demonstrated through Periplectomenus’ scathing diatribe against women on pg 179, through listing examples of a “bad” wife’s behaviour by drawing on various negative stereotypes of women. Notably, this comedy of manners would be seen as especially comic to a contemporary, predominantly male Roman audience, who would relate to this negative presentation of a wife, and would agree, to some extent at least. Periplectomenus’ depiction of women as being ultimately manipulative and deceitful and can be seen in many ways to be a very typical characterisation in the play as a whole, most explicitly shown in practice with the female characters themselves, but also in the male characters comments on them.
Along with the use of comedy as a means of critique, Fey also incorporates humor as a tool to downplay the serious aspect of her topic and as a way of keeping the attention of her audience. Fey incorporates humor throughout her entire narrative in order to critique the patriarchal society that she finds herself surrounded by. Fey’s use of humor is made up of sarcasm and does a good job at making her harder to refute. “The only person I can think of who has escaped the ‘crazy’ moniker is Betty White, which, obviously, is because people still want to have sex with her” (Fey p.3). Fey makes choses to talk about the way women are treated in the entertainment industry with a joke on Betty White, which targets both sexism and ageism, which Fey repeatedly addresses, but with a softer approach through the use of humor.
The Importance of Being Earnest Paper The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde that is comical and absurd in its plot and its characters. Much of the humor in Wilde’s play covertly makes fun of the social establishments and institutions of the time. This downplayed humor adds to the plot and makes it more surreal yet entertaining. One of the topics made fun of in Wilde’s play is girls’ treatment of each other during his time. The scene in which this is expressed represents women of the late 19th century in a proper but ridiculous manner.
The character of Nicholas can also be seen to mock the idea of courtly love through his vulgar actions and mannerisms. On several occasions within the tale, Nicholas is referred to as “hende” which is a word used to describe someone who was gentle in nature. However, Chaucer uses this word as an ironic pun to suggest that Nicholas has a habit of groping women. The idea of Nicholas being “hende” is a stark contrast to the idea of the
Desdemona is Othello’s wife who he is madly in love with and Iago preys upon Othello’s jealous personality and trusting nature to convince Othello of his wife’s infidelity resulting in the ultimate downfall of Othello – death. Othello’s downfall is caused by his own weakness due to his trusting nature and willingness to believe anything he is told. Early in the play, it becomes evident that Othello is blind to Iago’s evil when Iago says “I am not what I am” (I.i,65). This statement foreshadows Othello’s downfall as it is his trust in Iago, which causes it. Othello believes Iago’s lies and always listens to his advice throughout the play.
Girls Rule: “My Sassy Girl” as an Attempt to Promote Women’s Inequality By Olga Fedorenko “My Sassy Girl” is a hilarious comedy, which invites the audience to laugh at the misadventures of Gyeon-woo, who regularly gets beaten by his mother and by bossy girlfriend. Jae-young Kwak, the director of “My Sassy Girl,” seems to question the traditional gender roles; however, from another perspective, the movie can be interpreted as reinforcing the double standard for men and women and thus endorsing gender inequality. In this essay, I will argue that Kwak promotes gender inequality by portraying it as women’s secret weapon. While looking into how gender relations are presented in “My Sassy Girl,” it is important to keep in mind the social context of South Korea. Though the feminist movement took a strong hold and the ideas of gender equality are promoted within the educational system, women still have limited opportunities for self-realization outside the family (Cho, 2002; Janelli & Yim, 2002).
All three villains may differ in many ways, yet it seems they share a common urge for power, control and a use of sadistic measures. Jealousy is a very powerful emotion that can cause resentment and envy, creating strong anxieties in villains. This enviousness is a common motivational force for socio-paths. Both Iago and the Duke take on this form of motivation, in order to justify their actions that lack morally-correct social behavior. The Duke’s duchess is flirtatious in nature and this displeases the Duke “Sir, ‘twas not her husband’s presence only, called that spot of joy into the duchess’ cheek”.
She depicts the “madcap heiress” role; rich and spoiled like Irene in My Man Godfrey. The female is always dressed classy and elegant- draped in pearls and gowns. A common female trend in romantic comedies is the use of insults and other language with indirect sexual context. The female lead replaces sexual behavior through other means- such as minor physical aggression and verbal battles. This common theme of forthright behavior demonstrates that the female is battling for equality in a male-dominated world.