Gwin 1Asha GwinEnglish 3122 March2008William Shakespeare: FeminineActivist or Male Dominance Advocate?Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory. Oxford: Manchester University Press, 2002.Barry’s book gives an overview of a variety of different theories and how to approach a text while using a particular one. Thechapter onfeminist theory is notan analysis itself, but gives insight as to what certain theorists believe and how they use the theories themselves. It’s a broad theory, primarily because there are so manyinstances when one has to consider forces outside of the textbeing examined.Bartels, EmilyC. "Strategies of Submission: Desdemona, the Duchess, and the Assertion of Desire.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-190036(1996): 417-33.A feminist lens is appliedto the tragedyOthello, exploring how Desdemona argues the dominant male gender role in society. Bartels uses examples from Othellowhich exhibit Desdemona’s assertiveness and audacity towards a male-governed society.Boehrer, Bruce. "Economies of Desire in A Midsummer Night's Dream."ShakespeareStudies 32(2004): 99-117.Male domination in the sixteenth centurywas the norm in European society, which was when Shakespeare wrote the majority of his work. This way of life transitionedinto his literature, specificallyinA Midsummer Night’s Dream. Boehrer takes his analysis further by suggesting a possible correlation between Shakespeare’sfemale characters and animals; something he feels Shakespeare treats equally within his work.
Gwin 2Chamberlain, Stephanie. "'She is herself a dowry': King Lear and the Problem of FemaleEntitlement in Early Modern England." Domestic Arrangements in Early ModernEngland. Ed. Kari Boyd McBride. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press, 2002. 169-87.Utilizing Victor Turner’s“theoretical model of social drama”, Chamberlain explores multiple scenes of King Learand assigns each with a stage in Turner’s social drama. The essay focuses on Lear’s decision to granthis three daughters an inheritance over his illegitimate sons. Theresolution produced pandemoniumwithin the fictional society, as well as the citizens of England at the time, being this was such an unheard of occurrence.Conlan, J.P. "The Fey Beauty of A Midsummer Night's Dream: A ShakespeareanComedy in Its Courtly Context." Shakespeare Studies32(2004): 118-72.Politics andthe English court bothplay a big role in Shakespearean literature;althoughprevious scholars and critics have thought that they were not relevant. Conlan introduces the idea that many of Shakespeare’s playsmay not follow the rules of the English Court exactly,mainly becausehe adopts other political courtsas well. The essay has little to do with gender, other than briefly stating that the marriages at the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dreamfollow the political outline and gender roles of every society.Cox, Catherine S. "Sons of Eve: Ambiguity and Gender in the First Tetralogy."UpstartCrow 17(1997): 53-65.Gender identities and constructs are major themes throughoutthe first three parts of HenryVI. Cox suggests that the women exhibit non-traditional attitudes and characteristics, which was completely unprecedentedduring this period. Shakespeare completely disengaged himself from the cultural and gender boundaries of the sixteenth century within the lines of the play by creating strong and outspoken women.Darraj, Susan Muaddi. "'The Sword Phillipan': Female Power, Maternity, and