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Was Shakespeare a feminist? (guided research activity)
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Selected claim, supporting its parent
Several of Shakespeare's plays highlight the impact that repeated objectification and marginalisation has on the lives of his female characters.
Pros
Cons
Pro claim 1
In 'Much Ado About Nothing', Hero—when viciously mistreated—engages in a plot, which includes faking her own death, to teach her would-be husband to never mistreat women. Many Shakespeare plays involve similar devices, where women demonstrate the plausible impacts of mistreatment to compel male characters to behave better.
Pro claim 2
In many of his tragedies, Shakespeare presents situations where female characters lose their lives due to the actions of prominent men.
Con claim 1, children below
Often, the impact of that repeated marginalisation is presented as beneficial to the women involved. This is the case with Katherina (in 'The Taming of the Shrew'), who in the end is happy to be 'tamed'.