Gendered lives : patriarchy and the men and women in Shakespeare's early history plays

Elton, Gillian Heather (1999) Gendered lives : patriarchy and the men and women in Shakespeare's early history plays. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The examination of Shakespeare's Henry VI plays in this thesis, and the consideration given to Richard III in the conclusion, focuses on the assignment of gender-specific roles in patriarchal society, and how any deviation from these roles results in the corrosion of the social order. Assigned arbitrarily, with no consideration given for personality, these roles shape and limit the lives of women and men. In particular, unruly women who attempt to seek power, and the effeminate and weak men who allow them to do so, create situations in which both personal and public tragedies result. This subversion of gender roles causes a spiralling disintegration of the values held and promoted by the patriarchal society, which in turn leads to chaos and anarchy. It is only when gender roles are once again embraced that order can be restored.

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