I Introduction
This term paper examines the question in what way Shakespeare’s sonnett Nr. 130 represents a woman, how the woman is represented in his 12th Night and how these representations correspond or disagree with the conception of a woman at Shakespeare’s time under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
This issues shall be considered under the New Historicist Approach. New Historicism is a literary theory which takes a closer look at cultural concepts and values at a given time and “the relationship between individual subjects and discourses”. (Meyer 189) This means for the examination of Shakespeare’s Sonnett and 12th night: how is a woman represented in the poem? How is a woman represented in the comedy and what does it mean that a woman performs the role of a man? To what kind of woman in Shakespeare’s time under the reign of Elizabeth I could both pieces of literature refer to?
Both the Sonnet and the comedy carry traces of the Petrarcan tradition of poetry. Whereas the Sonnett parodies this traditionnal language of love using the original form altered by “Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542), Henry Howard and Early of Surrey (1517-1547)” (Meyer 53) into the English Sonnet, the comedy parodies the language of the Petrarcan lover by making a woman use this sophisticated language, disguised as a man. The subversive quality of that fact is obvious: a woman impersonating a man on stage could be seen as a parallel to a woman representing a man in English society. But it also points to the real situation of Elizabeth I on the English throne, enacting the duties which were the ones of a King before. This ambigious situation we will examine under the point of view of role game play. If we go back to the Sonnet, we could think about if this Sonnet doesn’t attribute a man’s qualities to a woman as well, as we shall see later.
Table of Contents
I Introduction
II The Paradox between ordinary women at Shakespeare’s time and the role of Queen Elizabeth
III Gender in Shakespeare’s Sonnett Nr. 130
IV Role Play in Shakespeare’s 12th night
V Conclusion
Objectives & Research Focus
This term paper examines how women are represented in Shakespeare’s Sonnet Nr. 130 and his comedy "12th Night," and how these portrayals align or conflict with the societal perception of women during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
- The role and social standing of women in Elizabethan society.
- The subversion of traditional Petrarchan love poetry in Sonnet Nr. 130.
- The function of cross-dressing and role-playing in "12th Night."
- The intersection of power, gender, and identity in Shakespearean literature.
- New Historicist approaches to analyzing Elizabethan literary discourses.
Excerpt from the Book
III Gender in Shakespeare’s Sonnett Nr. 130
Shakespeare’s sonnett Nr. 130 is a parody of the traditionnal Pertrarchan love sonnett and in my opinion a parody of a sonnet written in the dolce stil novo, as the poems in this style are concerned with “the evelation of the human soul through love” (my translation, Förster 64) In the Petrarchan love sonnett the beloved woman is far away and unreachable because she is married. Nevertheless, in oposition to the dolce stil novo, the adored woman is a real woman who lived at Petrarch’s time and who was aging – not only in real life but also in the sonnets of the Canzoniere. In his Canzoniere, Petrarch made use of his knowledge of the human psyche and the ability to “reflect upon himself” (66).
It is this self reflection which is essential for his poetic language which is self centred and which shows that Petrarch is torn between carnal love and pure divine love resulting in a platonic love relation with his adored. Inspite of that, Förster describes Petrarchs language in the canzoniere as “apparently simple” (63), using images of symbolic landscapes. According to Förster, those landscapes are never described in a realistic way but tend to “provide a frame for an athmosphere of Petrarchs feelings” (64).
The woman in Sonnet Nr. 130 is, on the contrary to women of the dolce stil nove or Petrarch’s Laura, is very human. Shakespeare takes no attempt to idealize her appearance. Her eyes are described as never comparable to the sun, her lips are pale, her breasts aren’t white but brown, while white was the ideal of beauty in Shakespeare’s time. Her hair is not soft but gives us a wild image being described as “black wires” (l.4) Thus it already becomes clear in the first two stanzas, that Shapespeare appeals to the senses.
Summary of Chapters
I Introduction: This chapter defines the research scope and introduces the New Historicist methodology to analyze representations of women in Shakespeare's work.
II The Paradox between ordinary women at Shakespeare’s time and the role of Queen Elizabeth: This chapter contrasts the limited, domestic role of ordinary Elizabethan women with the powerful, exceptional position of Queen Elizabeth I.
III Gender in Shakespeare’s Sonnett Nr. 130: This chapter analyzes how the sonnet subverts traditional Petrarchan tropes to present a more realistic, humanized version of the female subject.
IV Role Play in Shakespeare’s 12th night: This chapter explores how cross-dressing and metalingual functions in the play serve as tools to challenge gender roles and mirror the tensions of Elizabethan society.
V Conclusion: This chapter summarizes how Shakespeare’s literary portrayals of women reflect contemporary societal shifts and the underlying concerns regarding female autonomy.
Keywords
Shakespeare, Sonnet 130, 12th Night, New Historicism, Gender, Queen Elizabeth I, Role Play, Petrarchan Tradition, Elizabethan Society, Cross-dressing, Identity, Literary Analysis, Subversion, Humanism, Reformation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this paper?
The paper explores the representation of women in two of Shakespeare’s works—Sonnet 130 and "12th Night"—and compares these depictions to the reality of women's lives during the Elizabethan era.
Which theoretical framework is applied?
The author utilizes the New Historicist approach, which emphasizes the relationship between literary texts and the cultural concepts, values, and discourses of their time.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The goal is to determine whether Shakespeare's female characters and subjects align with or challenge the societal expectations and power structures faced by women under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
How does the author analyze "12th Night"?
The analysis focuses on the role-play and cross-dressing of characters like Viola and Olivia, using linguistic functions to highlight the tension between theatrical play and social reality.
How is Sonnet 130 interpreted?
The sonnet is viewed as a parody of traditional Petrarchan poetry, replacing idealized, unreachable beauty with a realistic, humanized depiction of a woman.
What are the key themes discussed?
Central themes include gender roles, the influence of the Reformation on women, the power of female education, and the subversive potential of performance in theater.
How does the author relate "12th Night" to Queen Elizabeth I?
The author argues that cross-dressing on stage and the double identity of characters like Olivia reflect the broader societal ambivalence regarding a female ruler who wielded the power of a king.
Does the author believe the sonnet is purely subversive?
While the author notes the departure from traditional ideals, she concludes that a "double identity" pointing specifically to a ruler cannot be clearly discerned within the sonnet itself.
Why is the "metalingual function" important in the play?
It is used as a tool to reveal that the play is a performance, suggesting that the characters themselves are playing roles, which parallels women's societal roles at the time.
What is the significance of the Petrarchan language in these works?
In "12th Night," the author notes that Petrarchan language appears in "the wrong place" (used by women), whereas it is notably absent in the sonnet, where it would traditionally be expected.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Julia Wuggenig (Autor:in), 2013, Role playing and Gender in Shakespeare’s "Twelfth night" and Sonnet 130, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/279305
