Conquering the Masculine

I don't really remember exactly how it came about but something was mentioned in class about "conquering the feminine" and since we explore all sides of things, I thought it would be a fun challenge to (in such short time) explore briefly how in fact we could also say that in Shakespeare's works "the conquering of the masculine" was also apparent.

One interesting thing I found in my research was that while rivers are masculine in their personifications in latin, Shakespeare conforms to the customs of the English Poets and therefore feminizing them. For example, in Julius Caesar, "her concave shores".

The power of females is truly admirable, humorous, and at times bittersweet in Shakespeare's works. We see Venus, the Goddess of Love. In Venus and Adonis, seduction is a large factor in her power and in the end it is in fact Adonis that dies after rejecting her love.

Cleopatra so has Antony whipped. Ferdinand is possessed by Miranda's beauty. In A Winter's Tale, we see Hermione's power through death

In Shakespeare's plays we also have the bed trick arranged by women. Come. On. Cunning, huh?

In All's Well that Ends Well, Helena is granted the option to choose her husband (in which case she then takes on this masculine sort of role). Because Helena takes on both a masculinity and femininity, she reflects the pressure on women to conform to these standards imposed on the feminine. Helena also reflects the ability of women to remain chaste but still carry with them the power of sexuality. Wearing many faces. Bertram, the weak male, caught between boy and man finds himself in this world of powerful women and absent men (his father). By being surrounded by women, Bertram fears his masculinity is in danger, but does he dare not have these powerful women surround him?

Troilus is yet another male character that portrays less masculinity in the beginning of the play through his desires for Cressida. He blames Cressida for his femininity (a bit grotesque but we all know how the play goes). Cressida is more of a maternal image to Troilus (oedipal desires).

The feminine identity is so complex that Shakespeare's women must explore through many guises to make it.

This blog was just a creative challenge for me, I do not consider myself a feminist or mull over whether one sex reigns over another, but I do find it interesting how Shakespeare possesses the power to make both men and women powerful images in his woks.