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Much Ado About Nothing Gender Roles Essay

1182 Words5 Pages

Would you believe it if a story revolving around intelligent solid female characters who challenge traditional gender roles was made more than 400 years ago? With an intense focus on dismantling stereotypes, how is this play so ahead of its time, and what can we learn from it?
Shakespeare's ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ explores progressive themes of gender and the harm of social conventions which hold much importance in the modern-day era of education.
Shakespeare is widely regarded as one of the greatest playwrights known to man, while his works are a cultural phenomenon on their own, they bring a great deal of academic value that offers a fresh array of debate around social commentary issues.
To start, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ offers cultural …show more content…

The power dynamic is highlighted by the fact that, despite the circulating rumors about Hero's alleged affair are coming from an untrustworthy source, they are nonetheless considered true due to the speaker’s gender. Misunderstanding leads to separation and public humiliation rather than the intended union of marriage, sustaining a divided urge stemming from the misguided following of male loyalty. These themes remain relevant today, as modern debates about feminism and gender equality continue to gain prominence, especially with the rise of social media and infamous creators promoting misogynistic beliefs to impressionable young men. Even in the modern era we still see new laws and policies that seek to oppress women and minority groups coming from overpowering male voices. In this context, Shakespeare portrays the effect of male insecurities and how that can lead to violence and hate speech specifically toward people they see as less than. By teaching ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in schools, we can encourage critical thinking and promote a more nuanced understanding of how positions of power intertwine with …show more content…

Shakespeare offers a good characterization of Lady Macbeth but it doesn’t offer as much depth as Beatrice from Much Ado, who is a more fleshed-out character as a whole
"The equation of manliness with violence, a truism in the criticism of Macbeth, has a curious double edge. It is from Lady Macbeth that Macbeth himself takes his images of manliness. His fears and scruples, his anxious dependence on his wife's opinions bespeak a sensitive 'femaleness' in his own nature which is visibly belied by her brutality. We are left in gender limbo"(Derek Cohen, Macbeth and the issues of gender

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