Gender Roles in Much Ado About Nothing and Trifles
Today, gender roles have become far more flexible than as recently as 50 years ago. Women today can enter management positions, have focused careers, and expect salaries on the same level as those of men. Indeed, some women have proved themselves to be as competent, or more so, in leadership positions as men. At the same time, however, women are free to choose for themselves the lives they want, and some prefer lives as home makers and mothers. Society today is far more tolerant of women who choose either a career, homemaking, or a balance of both to live their lives. This is why it is so interesting to examine plays from earlier times, when assigned gender roles were far more rigid. Authors such as Shakespeare in "Much Ado About Nothing" and Susan Glaspell in "Trifles" offer significant comment on the social values of their times with regard to gender roles. With the perspective of today, critics can also add their own interpretations of these roles when reading such plays. In both plays, women and men have commonly accepted gender roles, but it is also true that some of the women break the norms imposed by these roles to great dramatic effect.
In Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" Claudio and Hero are the most obvious examples of traditionally assigned gender roles in the play. Claudio is the typical strapping young lad, a nobleman who is well-respected. In other words, he is a typically prince-like character to sweep the princess-like Hero off her delicate feet. Hero, on the other hand, is a sweet, sensitive, and kind woman. She plays the typical role of her gender and age, pining for marriage, and delighted when it presents itself in the form of Claudio. The two are in love almost as soon as they meet for the first time. Neither Claudio nor Hero break their traditional gender roles, even in the face of conflict.
When Claudio is deceived into believing that Hero is unfaithful, he immediately jumps to the conclusion that it must be true, again in typical male fashion. When he goes even further by humiliating Hero on their wedding day, she in turn responds...
Heroes occur -- within the conventions of Western drama and Western literature more generally -- within the context of tragedy, for it is the stresses of tragic situations that (typically) allow for heroism to arise. But we can -- especially if we use the lenses of gender and queer theory -- see that Shakespeare has written a comedic play that nevertheless allows for heroism to come through. At least
In "Piaf," Pam Gems provides a view into the life of the great French singer and arguably the greatest singer of her generation -- Edith Piaf. (Fildier and Primack, 1981), the slices that the playwright provides, more than adequately trace her life. Edith was born a waif on the streets of Paris (literally under a lamp-post). Abandoned by her parents -- a drunken street singer for a mother and a
Flapper Movement The Effect of the Flappers on Today's Women The 1920's in the U.S. And UK can be described as a period of great change, both socially and economically. During this period the image of the women completely changed and a "new women" emerged who appears to have impacted social changes occurring in future generations of both men and women. This new symbol of the women was the Flapper. The Flapper
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Shakespeare's Foreshadowing In Tragedy And Comedy Shakespeare is popularly known as "The Bard" for good reason: he excels at his literary craft, applying all the techniques and tools of drama at his disposal with a certain regularity. One of these important tools necessary for any truly coherent play is foreshadowing, or the appearance of elements early in the play that subtly predict the future direction of the plot, action, or symbolism.
Hisory of Palliatve Care Palliative Care Palliative Care Methods Palliative care entails assisting patients get through pain caused by different diseases. The patient may be ailing from any diseases, be it curable or untreatable. Even patient who are sick and almost passing away will need this care. Palliative care has characteristics that differentiate it to hospice care. The key role for palliative care is to help in improving the existence of someone and
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