In Much Ado about Nothing, the character of Benedick is presented as a misogynist. He embodies the stereotype of a military bachelor, and his exaggerated chauvinism and sexual bravado provide much comic effect. However, Shakespeare insinuates that this is a comic façade, and that what exists beneath it is a deep mistrust of Renaissance women. At the beginning of the play, the portrayal of Benedick as a one dimensional misogynist is a convincing one; Shakespeare presents him as a stereotypical chauvinistic young man. He appears to be solely interested in women’s sexuality, shamelessly objectifying them.
The Language of the Brag” by Sharon Olds On a personal level, I found Old’s poem to be tremendously stimulating. I was both disgusted and enthralled with the almost violent and grotesque imagery Olds provides, I also thought this short story left me conflicted with the strength and courage of childbirth but also left me discouraged to endure the process myself. Though descriptions of “my stool black with iron pills” and “…passed blood and feces and sweat” are enough to horrify a young woman, I felt a sense of empowerment from the narrator’s recognition of her accomplishment, one that cannot be achieved by men (1280). The author eloquently shows her pride as she states, “I and the other women this exceptional/ act with this exceptional heroic body” (1280). With these lines Olds takes the female body, a subject that has been overly abused by past poets who glorified a woman’s anatomy as a possession and a prize, and contorts the sometimes iconic symbol into a reality: a reality which feels pain, but also gives life.
Another technique that Rossetti uses to create memorable characters is Maude Clare's repetition of 'half'; this illustrates another side to Maude Clare's seemingly arrogant character 'queen'. It conveys that she feels betrayed and rejected by her 'Lord'; 'Here's my half of the golden chain/ You wore about your neck.' Many critics believe that Maude Clare giving back Thomas' gifts along with the repetition of the plural pronoun 'we' reveal a significant factor of Thomas' character; he is fickle. Therefore, throughout the poem
Broe’s main claim points out Plath’s stupidity, progress and comedy relief of her famous poem, “Daddy.” Broe puts forth supportive, textual evidence that persuades the audience of this claim. Broe opens her critique by justifying that Plath’s poem, “Daddy,” was one of the most quoted poems written by Plath. She, then, mentions the allusion Plath created of her father and Mein Kampf. “The speaker attempts to exorcise not just the memory of her father but her own Mein Kampf model of him as well as her inherited behavioral traits that lead her graveward under the Freudian banner of death instinct or Thanato’s libido,” (Broe, 283). Furthermore, Broe is creating an emphasis on the word ‘own’ in this sentence because she claims Plath is uneducated about Mein Kampf.
In a way, Harwood is using Eisenbart as a representation of the all the stereotypical men of this time, and to the women readers, this foreshadows the events that are coming, of Eisenbart's – and hence the men’s – demise, as women rise to the level of men. In lines 3-6, Harwood talks about how Eisenbart was persuaded to still come and join the event, perhaps because he grew frustrated with the many “dry scholastic jokes”. Eisenbart agreed with “indifference”, still keeping his pride within him, and somehow downgrading women, as if they are beings who are not worth his time. Yet Harwood humorously says he “grace[d] their humble platform” in line 6, directly making Eisenbart seem much more
The use of the word ‘inspecting’ shows the idea of power from the male gaze as the Marquis is praising himself for what he has ‘achieved’ for his wife. The lack of punctuation could show that she feels under pressure and intimidated by the Marquis, as though she is being judged and is nervous she isn’t good enough for her new husband which again shows that he possess and has the ability to control her not only physically but also mentally as she is seeing herself as a piece of ‘horseflesh.’ Another feminist issue in ‘The Bloody Chamber’ is the force of a sexual relationship with the Marquis in the story. Usually sexual relations are built around a women’s objectification, however in one section of the story the Marquis instigates the relation and forms the idea based on his own desires “I stammered foolishly: we’ve not taken luncheon yet; and, besides, it is broad day light… ‘All the better to see you’” The breakup of the sentence could represent a break down in her mental state and
Thus, Shelley warns that the destructiveness of Man’s intrinsic desires for knowledge stems from the change in values. Scott’s film Blade Runner on the other hand, extrapolates the same negative stance towards Man’s hubris in a different context, one shaped by materialistic ethos. This drastic shift in time, where commercialism now dominates the world, is conveyed through the numerous low angle shots of advertisement billboards and blimps to illustrate the extinction of the values present in Shelley’s time. As a result, Man’s inexorable desire has shifted from knowledge to corporate greed and caused the world to become a Romantic dystopia. Tyrell’s
The Minotaur is a particularly fierce example of Hughes’ poetic criticism against his wife Sylvia Plath. Hughes presents a very subjective view of a situation that happened in Hughes and Plath’s married life. He trivialises the situation through juxtaposing strong words like “demented” with the insignificance of “being twenty minutes late for baby minding”. Hughes uses direct quotes to present himself as a supportive and helpful mentor and takes credit for her creative pursuits through the personification of Plath’s conscience as a goblin. His calm and supportive nature is juxtaposed through his portrayal of Plath as an unstable, explosive woman through the use of personal pronouns and strong onomatopoeia such as “you smashed” and “you swung”.
The two characters in these two poems have a certain attitude towards women, which is that they both see women as objects but in different ways. The Duke in "My Last Duchess" is an arrogant, disrespectful man, who cares more about status and wealth then love. He is a megalomaniac, who is jealous about his ex-wife not giving only him her attention. The speaker in "To His Coy Mistress" seems like a respectful man, who is articulate, this is important because it is his main strength which he uses to lure her to him. He uses his skill to flatter her, but we then learn that he only wants her for pleasure rather than love; he puts up a false persona of love as another technique to lure her.
Despite common belief that Ophelia and Gertrude merely serve as subservient, foil characters among the men in the play, many critics see strong glimmers of feminism within the two. Many feel that the weaknesses in the women are highlighted solely to take attention away from the atrocities that the men commit. In other words, the men fear the weak, feminine characteristics within themselves, so they project the image of promiscuity onto the females in order to secrete their masculine bloodshed. This is found evident in Hamlet’s reaction to Polonius’ death in his infamous scene with Gertrude, where he attempts to “speak daggers to her, but use none.” (3-2-378) Upon the murder of Polonius, Gertrude’s "supposed sin is made to overshadow his actual sin and somehow to justify it." Moreover, it’s only when Ophelia dies that she is finally able to escape the “whore” image that the men in the play had branded her with.