Revisiting William Shakespeare: a protofeminist reading of as you like it and much ado about nothing
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Date
2022-12-30
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Larbi Ben Mhidi University Oum El Bouaghi
Abstract
This article questions William Shakespeare’s feminist ideas in his comedies As You Like Itand Much Ado About Nothing. Albeitmany scholars argue thatShakespeare is an anti-feminist writer, this articleseeks to vindicate that he transcended the stereotypes ofwomen in the Elizabethan society which regarded women as weak and meek to describe them as independent feminist characters. He violatedthe norms of his society in terms of women’s position to portray extraordinary feminist females: Rosalind in As You Like Itand Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothingthrough their strong personalities and eloquent speeches.Compared to Shakespeare’s Elizabethan world, Rosalind and Beatrice repudiate their social conventions about women to stand as outstanding female characters.Yet, the analysis unravels Rosalind’s and Beatrice’s wishes to be men to enjoy their privileges and rights. Thus, Shakespeare portrayed strong women by mixing feminine and masculine qualities as a reflection of his admiration for Queen Elisabeth. Hence, from a feminist standpoint, the analysis unravels that Shakespeare is aforerunner of feminist thought in the Elizabethan time.He expressed feminist ideas inhischauvinist patriarchal society. Consequently, Shakespearetranscended his age to present feminist ideas in his works
his article questions William Shakespeare’s feminist ideas in his comedies As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing. Albeit many scholars argue that Shakespeare is an anti-feminist writer, this article seeks to vindicate that he transcended the stereotypes of women in the Elizabethan society which regarded women as weak and meek to describe them as independent feminist characters. He violated the norms of his society in terms of women’s position to portray extraordinary feminist females: Rosalind in As You Like It and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing through their strong personalities and eloquent speeches. Compared to Shakespeare’s Elizabethan world, Rosalind and Beatrice repudiate their social conventions about women to stand as outstanding female characters. Yet, the analysis unravels Rosalind’s and Beatrice’s wishes to be men to enjoy their privileges and rights. Thus, Shakespeare portrayed strong women by mixing feminine and masculine qualities as a reflection of his admiration for Queen Elisabeth. Hence, from a feminist standpoint, the analysis unravels that Shakespeare is a forerunner of feminist thought in the Elizabethan time. He expressed feminist ideas in his chauvinist patriarchal society. Consequently, Shakespeare transcended his age to present feminist ideas in his works. Cet article s'interroge sur les idées féministes de William Shakespeare dans ses comédies Comme il vous plaira et Beaucoup de bruit pour rien. Bien que de nombreux intellectuels prétendent que Shakespeare est un écrivain antiféministe. Cet article cherche à prouver qu'il a dépassé les stéréotypes féminins de la société élisabéthaine qui considérait les femmes comme faibles et obéissantes pour les décrire comme des personnages féministes indépendants. Il a brisé les normes de sa société en termes de position des femmes pour représenter des femmes féministes exceptionnelles: Rosalind dans Comme il vous plaira et Beatrice dans Beaucoup de bruit pour rien grâce à leurs fortes personnalités et leurs discours éloquents. Par rapport au monde Elisabéthain de Shakespeare, Rosalind et Beatrice rejettent les conventions sociales concernant les femmes pour devenir des personnages féminins exceptionnels. Pourtant, l'analyse dévoile les souhaits de Rosalind et de Beatrice d'être des hommes pour profiter de leurs privilèges et de leurs droits. Ainsi, Shakespeare a décrit des femmes fortes en mélangeant des qualités féminines et masculines, ce qui reflète son admiration pour la reine Elisabeth. Par conséquent, d'un point de vue féministe, l'analyse montre que Shakespeare est un précurseur de la pensée féministe à l'époque Elisabéthaine. Il a exprimé des idées féministes dans sa société patriarcale chauvine. Par conséquent, Shakespeare a transcendé son âge pour présenter des idées féministes dans ses œuvres.
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Revisiting William Shakespeare, Protofeminist reading, Elizabethan time