While Iago manipulates Desdemona’s reputation to cause the downfall of almost every primary character in Shakespeare’s Othello, Desdemona still exhibits power that defies her role as a female in a patriarchal society. Her reputation is subject both to Iago’s shrewd attacks and to her society’s structure; which unknowingly puts the men at risk while they think they are securing their own safety by confining these women. Desdemona is treated as a product exchanged by men and is smothered by Othello in his efforts to protect other men and keep her sexuality contained. Iago objectifies Desdemona as he manipulates Othello’s perspective of her until Othello literally deconstructs his wife, despite her innocence. Though she seems the stereotypical female, Desdemona breaks free of gender constraints as she defies her father and exhibits complete control over Othello at the beginning of the play.
Jean the key representative of the lower class shows through her sexual antagonism of Hopsie, that she like the lower class wields the real power when it comes to real world situations. Jean, through her trials, shows us a character that has been pegged by society as inferior to that of Hopsie simply because of predominant social class
The Colony’s view on single women influenced greatly the way women were treated within the colony. The colonists saw them as a threat because they were vulnerable without a husband or father for protection and were seen as unproductive in their work compared to men (Grimshaw, p. 87, Rushen p. 52, 54). They were blamed for prostitution and sexual immorality within the colony. The colony rather than holding out a hand of care for these new immigrant women pointed
The society preaches freedom however value uniformity more. Conformity and suppression destroyed the sense of trust between villagers causing greed and leading them to blame each other. People would exploit others in order to save themselves leading to an endless cycle of lies and mistrust. Tragedy first started with false accusations thus the suppression of the girls therefore their act of rebellion, through expressing themselves in less desirable ways. Miller creates conflict with maximum affect by not only using one or two women in the close-knit village but most of them including the young
Feminists believe that the family is patriarchal, dominated by men, and that it exploits and oppresses women. The family supports and reproduces inequalities between men and women. Women are oppressed because their socialised to be dependent on men and remain in second place. They reject the new rights view of the separate roles, and also reject the ‘march of progress’ view in that society has not changed and it is still unequal. Feminists believe that marriage remains patriarchal and that men benefit from wives.
Priestley was concerned with the inequality of life – those who had much abusing those who were in their power. How far does the action of this play demonstrate his ideas? In ‘An Inspector Calls’ Sybil Birling is often seen abusing the power she has, especially when she refuses to help Eva Smith by giving her support from her organisation. “(Stung) I didn’t like her manner” shows the audience that Sybil is shocked by the manner of someone who is in a lower class than her. It gives us the impression that Sybil believes people in lower classes than her should talk to her with a better manner than someone of a higher class as Sybil sees herself as more respected than someone of a lower class.
As Linda grows older she experiances this first hand with her master attempting to suduce her and also threatening her. Masters used either threats to scare slave women into submitting or favorable treatment to entice slave women into submitting to sexually acts. Along with the worrie of having to sexually satisfy her master, Linda has to fear her mistress. The Mistress of the house can become very jealous of her husbands lust for slave women. She most often takes that anger out on the female slaves in the household.
Indeed it is this tradition that both writers attempt to disrupt at various points in the two texts with varying degrees of success. At the time of writing women were often disregarded as second class citizens and were presented as inferior to men. In this way, these two texts present the difficulties that women experience when trying to assert themselves in male society. Specifically, their identities often suffer due to lack of communication and voice. However the traditional role of femininity that was enforced upon women by a stringent and somewhat vigorous society was changing and these two texts challenge the traditional role of femininity both directly and indirectly throughout.
In Athol Fugard’s, The Island, the oppression of women can be seen by Winston’s dissatisfaction as dressing and playing the role of a woman in a performance for their fellow prisoners. Both of these societies have created the ideal that woman are inferior to men both physical and intellectually, and no man wants to be seen as womanly. In the play The Island, John comes up with the idea for him and Winston to perform the play in front of the other prisoners. John uses his whit to convince Winston into playing the role of Antigone. At first Winston agrees with Antigone’s actions in the play because they are similar to those of his self.
A time when the banner of patriarchy flew over the bonnets of subjugated females. A time when you could choose either to conform, or face social rejection. Some women preferred to rebel in their own graceful ways, but most exacerbated their oppression with frivolous attitudes and behaviors. Beginning with the witty opening phrase, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen, 3), the author perpetuates a note on the status of the one track mind held by the female gender of this time. As exemplified in Pride and Prejudice with characters like Mrs. Bennet and her child, Lydia, many ladies put money above love when it came to the subject of marriage.