Most women are not able to flesh out their characters to the same extent that men are, meaning most female characters remain mysterious and underdeveloped.

Question

Answer

Pro: Soliloquies—a central device that Shakespeare uses to allow characters to break the fourth wall and so express their deepest internal thoughts and motivations to the audience—are rarely, if ever, given to female characters.

Answer

Con: In some cases, a female character's lack of speech can be a precise reinforcement of her character arc: both Ophelia (in 'Hamlet') and Desdemona (in 'Othello') have character arcs that rely on being overlooked and mistreated by other key characters.

Was Shakespeare a feminist? (guided research activity)

Most women are not able to flesh out their characters to the same extent that men are, meaning most female characters remain mysterious and underdeveloped.

Pros

Cons

Soliloquies—a central device that Shakespeare uses to allow characters to break the fourth wall and so express their deepest internal thoughts and motivations to the audience—are rarely, if ever, given to female characters.

In some cases, a female character's lack of speech can be a precise reinforcement of her character arc: both Ophelia (in 'Hamlet') and Desdemona (in 'Othello') have character arcs that rely on being overlooked and mistreated by other key characters.

Selected claim, opposing its parent

Most women are not able to flesh out their characters to the same extent that men are, meaning most female characters remain mysterious and underdeveloped.

Pro claim 1

Soliloquies—a central device that Shakespeare uses to allow characters to break the fourth wall and so express their deepest internal thoughts and motivations to the audience—are rarely, if ever, given to female characters.

Con claim 1

In some cases, a female character's lack of speech can be a precise reinforcement of her character arc: both Ophelia (in 'Hamlet') and Desdemona (in 'Othello') have character arcs that rely on being overlooked and mistreated by other key characters.