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A very common Shakespearean characteristic is his ability to push the boundaries set in place at that time,
(i.e. the Great Chain of Being) but never quite cross them.
During the Elizabethan period, there were social norms,
backed up with the law, set in place.
There being a woman with sole power in place (who was respected and feared)
caused some of these norms to be questioned.
She spoke up without fear of repercussions, and she embraced her position of power to the fullest. In her speech to the troops at Tilbury she said,
I know I have the body but of a weak and female woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king…I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. (Gerlach, Almasy, & Daniel, 2012, para. 9)
In her execution of power, Elizabeth “played” with her role as a woman.
Since she had no male helper, she performed the role of a man as well.
Seeing this, her advisers and the people were challenged
to reconsider their thoughts on male and female roles.
Gerlach et al. (2012) say that although there were certain
characteristics specifically associated with male or female,
the characteristic itself did not have a sex.
For instance, crying is a characteristic associated with females,
but since males also cry, crying is not “feminine.”
This blending of typical male and female characteristics occurs in multiple Shakespeare plays.
Although he does push the social boundaries,
Shakespeare always manages to
bring everything back to the order established by the end of his stories.
He is also very subtle when he questions a social norm.
One of the most prevalent ways in which he speaks out is through the mouths of minor characters, instead of through the main characters (Gerlach et al., 2012).
Minor characters have very short lines that are easy to overlook.
However, what they actually say carries a heavier weight.
Since they are seen as unimportant, their words are lost by the end of the play.
Shakespeare also uses the main characters to contradict, oppose, and prove false the minor characters’ statements (Gerlach et al., 2012).
Shakespeare’s plays were for a people who thought they had the universe figured out.
There was a hierarchy that needed to be kept in place, and they believed that at the very top was God.
Because of these beliefs, it was important for Shakespeare
to not cross those boundaries set in place (Bevington, 2014).
He did his best, it seems like, to cause some comfortable discomfort amongst his audience,
but just before the discomfort became too much, he gave them something they liked.
(i.e. the Great Chain of Being) but never quite cross them.
During the Elizabethan period, there were social norms,
backed up with the law, set in place.
There being a woman with sole power in place (who was respected and feared)
caused some of these norms to be questioned.
She spoke up without fear of repercussions, and she embraced her position of power to the fullest. In her speech to the troops at Tilbury she said,
I know I have the body but of a weak and female woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king…I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. (Gerlach, Almasy, & Daniel, 2012, para. 9)
In her execution of power, Elizabeth “played” with her role as a woman.
Since she had no male helper, she performed the role of a man as well.
Seeing this, her advisers and the people were challenged
to reconsider their thoughts on male and female roles.
Gerlach et al. (2012) say that although there were certain
characteristics specifically associated with male or female,
the characteristic itself did not have a sex.
For instance, crying is a characteristic associated with females,
but since males also cry, crying is not “feminine.”
This blending of typical male and female characteristics occurs in multiple Shakespeare plays.
Although he does push the social boundaries,
Shakespeare always manages to
bring everything back to the order established by the end of his stories.
He is also very subtle when he questions a social norm.
One of the most prevalent ways in which he speaks out is through the mouths of minor characters, instead of through the main characters (Gerlach et al., 2012).
Minor characters have very short lines that are easy to overlook.
However, what they actually say carries a heavier weight.
Since they are seen as unimportant, their words are lost by the end of the play.
Shakespeare also uses the main characters to contradict, oppose, and prove false the minor characters’ statements (Gerlach et al., 2012).
Shakespeare’s plays were for a people who thought they had the universe figured out.
There was a hierarchy that needed to be kept in place, and they believed that at the very top was God.
Because of these beliefs, it was important for Shakespeare
to not cross those boundaries set in place (Bevington, 2014).
He did his best, it seems like, to cause some comfortable discomfort amongst his audience,
but just before the discomfort became too much, he gave them something they liked.