4. THE MODERNITY OF THE PLAYS
4.2. FEMINIST PLAYS
4.2.3. EVOLUTION OF WOMEN'S ROLES
Even though it was a patriarchal period, the authors explore the representations of female sexuality which contrast with popular ideas of the Early modern period283. François Laroque asserts that the Elizabethan and Jacobean revenge tragedy is considered as a big and loud machine, spectacular and thrilling284.
Women challenge the patriarchy285, for instance "through choosing someone of a lower social status, [the Duchess] goes against the male authority in a male dominated
280 S.M. STAHL, op. cit., p.7.
281 Ibid, p.4.
282 Ibid, p.7.
283 Team 18, LL516-Editorial. ‘How Was Female Sexuality Presented in Seventeenth Century Drama?’, Folio, updated 29 May 2015, https://folio.brighton.ac.uk/group/ll516-editorial-team-18/untitled. Accessed 30 Jan. 2019.
284 F. LAROQUE, op. cit., p.20.
285 M.S. STAHL, op. cit., p.24.
society, who would have disapproved of this"286. The imagery of female sexuality is also very present and confronts the imagery of phallic male sexuality, for instance in The Duchess of Malfi, there is the reference to the apricots (2.1.127) which can be seen as a representation of the female sexual organ as well as an apparent signs of breeding (Bosola, II.2.129). The suggestion in this imagery is the female unashamed desire for sexuality287.
The usual roles given to women in the Early Modern period, such as wife and mother, are no longer the only legitimate roles that women can fill. For example, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, and Scotswoman Mary Oxlie, expressed their sentiments and justification as females in writing of a larger public in the works themselves288. Yet, women who dared speaking in public about equal rights were a minority. According to Merry Wiesner, it was by the late seventeenth century that women took steps that could be considered as feminist, they expressed themselves in public and realised the unequal rights they were victim of as a result of their gender289. Linda Woodbridge even adds that "the Renaissance literary obsession with aggressive women reflected the realities of London life"
and that foreign visitors noticed that "women in London took many liberties"290.
Without being totally feminist, these plays do not only blamed female characters but also male characters. The difficulty of these plays is to differentiate the moment when the authors ridicule the female characters, through the stereotypical ways to perceive woman and do not create a transcendence beyond these same stereotypes291, and the time when they portray strong characters who tend to transcend the patriarchy. Both types of characters appear in John Ford's, John Webster's and William Shakespeare's plays. Therefore, controversial female characters are present in the Renaissance drama in reference to the standards of a gender conscious society292 and the celebrated women who cross-conventional lines between virtue and vice293 are the representatives of a society in constant evolution.
286 Team 18, LL516-Editorial. ‘How Was Female Sexuality Presented in Seventeenth Century Drama?’, Folio, updated 29 May 2015, https://folio.brighton.ac.uk/group/ll516-editorial-team-18/untitled. Accessed 30 Jan. 2019.
287 Team 18, LL516-Editorial, ‘How Was Female Sexuality Presented in Seventeenth Century Drama?’, Folio, updated 29 May 2015, https://folio.brighton.ac.uk/group/ll516-editorial-team-18/untitled. Accessed 30 Jan. 2019.
CONCLUSION
For some years, there has been a revival of a feminist literature, which tries to undo the stereotypical images that literature tended to associate with the female figures. Female sexuality has always been a difficult subject to deal with due to the patriarchal systems which are in place in the modern society.
This dissertation aimed to understand the position that women occupy in the Early Modern society through the plays Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare, 'Tis Pity she's a Whore by John Ford and The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster. We have wondered what were the representations of the female sexuality from the male perspective and how the notion of femininity was a reflection of the Renaissance society.
We have attempted to understand women's social status as well as the importance of female sexuality in the seventeenth century patriarchal society through the reading of different books and studies about the Renaissance period as well as critical studies about the three plays under study. This work principally intended to be a social commentary through the literature of the Renaissance period. Thus, it invested the disciplinary fields of literature as well as history and sociology.
The theatrical art was the best means to convey this dissertation as it was the most prolific art in the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. It was found that the female sexuality was not the main subject in the theatrical plays of this period. It primarily was used among other social themes such as corruption, the abuse of power or the injustice of society.
However, the role of women as well as the relation between male characters and female sexuality were highlighted in The Duchess of Malfi, 'Tis Pity she's a Whore, and Measure for Measure. These plays constitute an invitation to criticise the seventeenth century social mores. For G. Wilson Knight, Measure for Measure forms the explanation of a crucial theme: the moral nature of mankind, especially about the sexuality vice294. As William Shakespeare was the master of the Renaissance theatrical art, the inspiration taken from his works can be seen in John Webster's and John Ford's plays. Thus, they all tend to explain the moral nature and the place of female sexuality in a society dominated by men.
In the Renaissance, women were considered through predefined status which were associated with the female sexuality. The wife has to be faithful, she cannot defy her
294 J-F CHAPPUIT, op. cit., p.363.
husband's authority, she has to be a mother, thus, she is seen as a fertilised body only, the female pleasure was not taken into account at this period. The widow is the wife who cannot have sexual relationships anymore due to the loss of her husband, widows have more power than the wife or daughter because they inherited from their deceased husband, which was not well perceived by the patriarchal society. These women were encouraged to remarry someone that their male kin had chosen and not to choose a husband by themselves. As for the prostitutes, they were considered as she-devil and to be responsible for the decay in society. The nuns have a specific status in society, and young women were more likely to be encouraged into marriage rather than into a religious career due to their fertility. Measure for Measure, 'Tis Pity she's a Whore and The Duchess of Malfi show well the difference between these categories with the three main female characters: Isabella, Annabella and The Duchess. However, they also show that these categories are not well defined and could be transgressed through the female sexual behaviours. Moreover, their sexual behaviours determinate their social status, which can change. In the Early Modern period, women were objectified and could be exchanged through the patriarchal rules, going from the father to the husband, the female sexuality was merchandised.
Due to the religious tradition and because of the rise of Puritanism in the Early Modern period, sexual relationships were encouraged within marriage only. Therefore, chastity was gradually replaced by matrimony.
Onstage, the female roles could not be perfoemed by actresses as they were forbidden. Once again, the female sexuality cannot be really shown in public. However, many playwrights invented female protagonists. At the time, the perceptions of these female characters were different from nowadays. Even if the first intention of the playwrights were not to stand up for women, but to show the corruption of the religions and state of their time, they still manage to convey a debate about women's positions in society.
The moral problem which is at the core of these plays do not only condemn female characters as sinners of the society and the reasons of male's misfortunes; they also highlight strong female characters as well. Characters facing a patriarchal world which do not leave them live their sexuality freely. Therefore, these women are forced to the utmost to protect and defend their sexuality. The Duchess has to keep her marriage a secret, Isabella wants to become a nun to flee from the corrupted society and is finally trapped into a proposal, and Annabella finds her freedom through sexual intercourses with her twin brother. The moral ambiguity and hypocrisy surround the characters, and do not end until they are all dead.
However, the female characters' status in Measure for Measure, 'Tis Pity she's a Whore and The Duchess of Malfi are defined by their relationship with the male characters.
And the treatment accorded to female sexuality is ambiguous, because of the male perceptions and behaviours. Female characters tend to break free from male oppression through their sexual behaviours.
The social conditions of the period play a part on these behaviours. Although, introducing strong female characters was not unusual in the Puritan period, Measure for Measure, 'Tis Pity she's a Whore and The Duchess of Malfi still remain great masterpieces which give to women non-stereotypical images.
Nowadays, behaviours towards women have changed but they are facing different challenges concerning their bodies. The religious beliefs and the patriarchal society are still profoundly settled in the Western society. With the emergence of the seventh art, the means of expression about sexuality have been popularised and women can express themselves.
For instance, the documentary film directed by Barbara Miller in 2018 addresses the global issue of female sexuality. It deals with the treatment of women's sexuality in the 21st century around the world. The objectification of women, their sexuality and the control that patriarchy exerts on female bodies, are still a wide and global issue.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Fig 1. Act II Scene 6 ... 71
Fig.2. Act I Scene 2 ... 71
Fig.3 Act V Scene 5 ... 72
Fig.4. Act V Scene 6 ... 72
Fig.5. Act III Scene 5 ... 73
Fig.6. Act IV Scene 2 ... 73
Fig.7. Act I Scene 2. ... 74
Fig.8. Act III Scene 1 ... 74
Fig.9. Act I Scene 4. ... 75
Fig.10. Act V Scene 1. ... 75
ILLUSTRATIONS
Fig 1. Act II Scene 6
Screenshot from the Youtube Channel "The City of Liverpool". Unknown actors in Tis Pity She’s A Whore – Performance. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4_xUFLR7Pk>.
(Putana, Annabella, Florio and Donado). Time [01:07:10].
Fig.2. Act I Scene 2
Screenshot from the Youtube Channel "The City of Liverpool". Unknown actors in Tis Pity She’s A Whore – Performance. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4_xUFLR7Pk>.
(Annabella and Putana). Time [00:18:12].
Fig.3 Act V Scene 5
Screenshot from the Youtube Channel "The City of Liverpool". Unknown actors in Tis Pity She’s A Whore – Performance. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4_xUFLR7Pk>.
(Giovanni and Annabella on the table). Time [02:57:01].
Fig.4. Act V Scene 6
Screenshot from the Youtube Channel "The City of Liverpool". Unknown actors in Tis Pity She’s A Whore – Performance. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4_xUFLR7Pk>.
(Richardetto, Vasques, Annabella, The Cardinal, Giovanni and Donado). Time [03:14:07].
Fig.5. Act III Scene 5
Screenshot from the Youtube Channel "GreenStageShakes", unknown actors in The Duchess of Malfi - Hard Bard. March 20 2016.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p2bUpkigpg>. (The Duchess and Antonio). Time [01:10:07].
Fig.6. Act IV Scene 2
Screenshot from the Youtube Channel "GreenStageShakes", unknown actors in The Duchess of Malfi - Hard Bard. March 20 2016.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p2bUpkigpg>. (The Duchess and Antonio). Time [01:36:08].
Fig.7. Act I Scene 2.
Screenshot from the Youtube Channel "ASU Theatre Shakes". Unknown actors in Measure for Measure Full Play: Part 1. 2016.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeK5KtCfL5w&t=3456s&frags=pl%2Cwn>. (Mistress Overdone and Lucio). Time [00:04:40]
Fig.8. Act III Scene 1
Screenshot from the Youtube Channel "ASU Theatre Shakes". Unknown actors in Measure for Measure Full Play: Part 1. 2016.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeK5KtCfL5w&t=3456s&frags=pl%2Cwn>. (Elbow, Pompey, Lucio and the Duke disguised as a Friar). Time [00:55:38].
Fig.9. Act I Scene 4.
Screenshot from the Youtube Channel "ASU Theatre Shakes". Unknown actors in Measure for Measure Full Play: Part 1. 2016.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeK5KtCfL5w&t=3456s&frags=pl%2Cwn>. (Isabella and Lucio). Time [00:14:28].
Fig.10. Act V Scene 1.
Screenshot from the Youtube Channel "ASU Theatre Shakes". Unknown actors in Measure for Measure Full Play: Part 1. 2016.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xURrt5o0Zp4&t=1938s&frags=pl%2Cwn>. (Mistress Overdone, Claudio, Elbow, Isabella, the Duke, Friar, Mariana and Angelo). Time [00:41:33].
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