ipl-logo

Cultural Dominance In The Winter's Tale

1832 Words8 Pages

Cultural Dominance in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale This paper tries to explore how culture, society and their belief influenced the text produced in that time with reference to William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. The Winter Tale was produced in Renaissance period so, we can see the features of Renaissance period in the drama. Breaking the notion of theocentric world of Dark Age, the concept of “Humanism” is developed in Renaissance period then man came into the power and women were regarded as weaker sex and assigned to submissive role. Therefore, Shakespeare in his drama The Winter’s Tale tries to visualizes the contemporary renaissance society which is full of cultural dominance.
As in The Winter’s Tale Shakespeare suggests the …show more content…

When the Apollo’s Oracle from Delphi says “Hermeone is chaste; Polixenes blameless; Camello a true subject; Leontes a jealous tyrant, his innocent babe truly begotten, and the king shall live without an heir, if that which is lost be not found” (3.2.60). Here, Apollo’s Oracle proves that Hermeone, Polixenes, Camillo and the baby are innocent and Leontes is a jealous tyrant but Leontes denies Apollo and regards himself as a most powerful and keeps himself at the center as he says, “ there is no truth at all in the oracle”(3.2.60). He says that the oracle is false; hence Hermeone and the baby should be killed. By denying Apollo’s oracle revelation, he tries to keep himself at the center of the universe. As M.H. Abhrams mentions, “ Renaissance humanism assumed the dignity and central position of human beings in the universe; emphasized the importance in education of studying classical imaginative and philosophical literature, although with emphasis on its moral and practical rather than its aesthetic values; and insisted as the primary in ordering human life” (116-17). Here, Leontes also keeps himself at the center of the universe and gives priority to his dignity. He opines that Hermeone has harmed on his dignity, so she should be punished. Renaissance period glorifies man centric point of view and we can see the influence of Renaissance Humanism in this drama

Show More
Related

Summary Of One Vast Winter Count Sparknotes

648 Words | 3 Pages

Josh Herzer Dr. Despain The American West 13 October 2017 Academic Book Review: Colin G. Calloway’s “One Vast Winter Count” Calloway, Colin G, One Vast Winter Count: The Native American West before Lewis & Clark, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2003.

Read More

Winter Dreams Literary Analysis

831 Words | 4 Pages

“That Bitter Dream” Minnesota is known for its cold weather; F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "winter dreams" takes place in Black Butte Lake, Minnesota. Dexter, the protagonists, is a fourteen-year-old caddy at the Golf Club. Dexter falls in love with eleven-year-old Judy Jones, and looks forward to have her. After some time when he is twenty-three years old, they start dating. Though Judy tricks Dexter and goes with another guy.

Read More

Women In Beowulf And The Wife Of Bath's Tale

1333 Words | 6 Pages

Beowulf and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” are both narratives in which gender acts as an important theme within their individual communities; both have underlying meanings when it comes to defining what the role men and women in a good community should be. Or in other words, both stories paint a vivid picture of the role of women during the medieval time period, by suggesting that one gender had more power over another. However, these two narratives take alternative paths when expressing their views; Beowulf conveys its message through what is missing, while “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” incorporates satire and uses explicit narrative when telling the experience of a woman that is highly different from other women in her time. Furthermore, another difference that is appealing to the reader’s eyes, besides the way the two narratives reflect to women’s role in medieval times, is that men become the hero in Beowulf, while “the wife”, so a woman, becomes the authority figure in the story of “The Wife of Bath’s Tale.” I want to first introduce the two main differences between the two narratives and then I will explain how regardless of the differences, both of these narratives’ main goal is to show that women had less power and a good community back that time was male dominated.

Read More

Literary Analysis Of Winter Dreams

1560 Words | 7 Pages

“Winter Dreams” was published in 1926. Francis Scott Fitzgerald is most well-known for his novel “The Great Gatsby”. A common theme he is known for is the American dream and how it is corrupt. Fitzgerald enjoys writing about the poor boy chasing after the rich girl. This story is about a man named Dexter Green trying to achieve the American dream by obtaining the girl he adores.

Read More

Gender And Gender Stereotypes In Shakespeare's Macbeth

1514 Words | 7 Pages

This study will focus on the way in which Shakespeare crafts his play and uses dramatic devices in his portrayal of Lady Macbeth in order to confront the gender stereotypes of the time, femininity and the natural order of society. During the early 17th century there was a substantial fear that if women were liberated from their domestic, maternal roles, the historically patriarchal society would unravel. With prevailing challenges of gender such as “When you durst do it, then you were a man” Shakespeare uses the character of Lady Macbeth to transgress the natural limits concomitant with her sex. In order to be able to answer the research question, it is vital to concretely establish the contemporary gender roles and the context of the play.

Read More

Courtship And Marriage In A Midsummer Night's Dream

1633 Words | 7 Pages

It is the first goal of our essay to understand how marriage and courtship in Shakespeare´s plays are an important exciting theme because it was something real during XVI century. The objective of the essay is to examine how courtship and marriage affects the issues and formation of the play named A Midsummer Night´s Dream (The Malone Society, 1996) focusing on the social and emotional relationships between men and women. Consequently, the aims are: first, to show the importance of the female character in the play according to virginity, chastity and sexuality; second, to explain how love is treated in the play; and lastly, to illustrate how courtship and marriage are depicted through the characters. It is crucial to understand that all of

Read More

Examples Of Misogyny In Romeo And Juliet

778 Words | 4 Pages

Romeo and Juliet Essay “Shakespeare and Misogyny” A world where men dominate women. This idea was the basis of many Renaissance era dramas. Writers always used to perceive certain genders as having distinctive qualities and traits. Men were held up to a higher respect and given more violent roles than women.

Read More

Gender Roles In Romeo And Juliet

1408 Words | 6 Pages

In today’s world, gender expectations and roles of men and women are a highly debated topic. However, the reconsidering of these expectations is not a new phenomenon. Set in Verona, Italy, the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare explores the reversal and fluidity of characteristics usually assigned to a specific gender. In this play, two young people fall in love and end up tragically taking their lives as a result of their forbidden love. Shakespeare suggests that men are not necessarily masculine, women are not necessarily feminine, and that when people are forced by society to act the way their gender is “supposed” to, problems will arise.

Read More

Masculinity In Othello

1010 Words | 5 Pages

For Shakespeare’s plays to contain enduring ideas, it must illustrate concepts that still remain relevant today, in modern society. Shakespeare utilises his tragic play Othello, to make an important social commentary on the common gender stereotypes. During early modern England, Shakespeare had to comply to the strict social expectations where women were viewed as tools, platonic and mellow, and where men were displayed as masculine, powerful, tempered, violent and manipulative. As distinct as this context is to the 21st century, the play exposes how women were victimised by the men who hold primary power in the community in which they compelled women to conform to the ideal world of a perfect wife or confront an appalling destiny for challenging the system. Moreover, Shakespeare utilises the main antagonist, Iago, to portray how men are desperate to achieve what they want and to indirectly fulfil the stereotype of masculinity and power through manipulation.

Read More

Values And Beliefs In Shakespeare's Hamlet

1262 Words | 6 Pages

Values and beliefs are defining principles of the way in which we view a person, action or relationship. Often, we are encouraged to think again about these values and beliefs, after being exposed to challenging and insightful events, people, or material. William Shakespeare's tragedy, “Hamlet,” written in the Elizabethan era, encourages us to think about our values and beliefs surrounding revenge, love and loyalty. After examination of these concepts, the reader develops new insights into their values and beliefs, and come to fully support the statement that “ the most significant texts encourage us to think again about our values and beliefs.”

Read More

The Audience In Othello

931 Words | 4 Pages

The interest of an audience is held by themes that are fundamental to the human condition, as these reflect our world and examine human nature. For example, Othello explores themes of jealousy which is still relevant to this day. Therefore most themes in this play have a broad appeal to all people. The lives of a twenty first century audience are substantially different to those of a Shakespearean time but the themes of love, hate and death are timeless.

Read More

Shakespeare's Impact On Theatre

1095 Words | 5 Pages

Shakespeare was a famous author and poet that wrote extremely well-known texts, such as “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet.” Shakespeare lived during the Renaissance when art and science advanced and he was one of the major contributors to this historical period. “Shakespeare Influences the way we speak now” by Hephzibah Anderson, “William Shakespeare’s Impact on Theatre” by Octane, and “How Outrage Built Over a Shakespearean Depiction of Trump” by Sara Krulwich suggest that Shakespeare had a great influence on many aspects of society, such as the phrases we use, style of theater, and is a figure of inspiration to many people. Shakespeare has contributed to many well-known phrases that are still used to this day, showing his significance in history.

Read More

Feminist Criticism In Othello

1360 Words | 6 Pages

A Modern View of Feminist Criticism William Shakespeare 's "Othello” can be analyzed from a feminist perspective. This criticism focuses on relationships between genders, like the patterns of thoughts, behavior, values, enfranchisement, and power in relations between and within sexes. A feminist examination of the play enables us to judge the distinctive social esteems and status of women and proposes that the male-female power connections that become an integral factor in scenes of Othello impact its comprehension. I believe that the critical lens that provides modern society with the most compelling view of literature is Feminist Criticism because it analyzes distrust and disloyalty among relationships, women being treated as possessions

Read More

Men And Women In A Midsummer Night's Dream

1205 Words | 5 Pages

The male roles in the family seem to be above females’ because they get to make decisions for girls. Men feel dominant to women, so the same behaviors as the women are acceptable for them. Along with these, the ladies are not expected to crave love and affection like the gentlemen do. The gender issue of men being dominant and women being submissive used in the drama, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, shows the differences in the roles, behaviors, and expectations appropriate for each gender and is an example of an outdated stereotype. Unlike the time frame of this literature, women in the present are valued equal to men.

Read More

Sympathy For Women In Shakespeare's Othello

328 Words | 2 Pages

In his play “Othello,” Shakespeare is very compassionate towards the women of his era. He treats Desdemona with special sympathy. She is the victim of two crossed male aspirations — the devilry of villain Iago and the jealousy of her husband. The main cause of Desdemona’s tragedy is the total absence of women’s personal liberty. The lack of self-development without restrictions of society and family constricts the mind.

Read More

More about Cultural Dominance In The Winter's Tale

Related Topics

Open Document