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Makes everything better. Really, it does.
I remember last year in Humanities, when we did our nano-unit on Much Ado, Mrs. Burger posed the discussion question of "How can Claudio get away with his treatment of Hero?" As we had about three minutes of discussion, in which about two people participated, we didn't get an answer. I volunteered that maybe a woman's virtue was such a concern that maybe a contemporary audience would be understanding to such a reaction. Not a very good answer I know.
But it strikes me now: so many Shakespeare plays do revolve around female "virtue" and the dangers of its loss.
The possibility that Hero might be unfaithful in Much Ado nearly destroys her marriage. A "reputation disvalued by levity" was enough to do in Mariana's in Measure for Measure. Not to mention that the entire plot of the play revolves around the dangers of sex before marriage and the ensuing shame.
In Othello, Desdemona is murdered, Hermione in A Winter's Tale is charged with treason, Imogen's husband in Cymbeline tries to get her killed, all on the same worry.
Hamlet freaks out about his mother's infidelity in remarrying so soon after his father's death, and he projects his disgust with her onto Ophelia and all women (get thee to a nunnery).
On a slightly different note, we have Marina's struggle to keep her virginity intact in Pericles and Diane's in All's Well that End's Well.
Obviously, this was a really worrisome situation.
( Banned Books Meme )
I remember last year in Humanities, when we did our nano-unit on Much Ado, Mrs. Burger posed the discussion question of "How can Claudio get away with his treatment of Hero?" As we had about three minutes of discussion, in which about two people participated, we didn't get an answer. I volunteered that maybe a woman's virtue was such a concern that maybe a contemporary audience would be understanding to such a reaction. Not a very good answer I know.
But it strikes me now: so many Shakespeare plays do revolve around female "virtue" and the dangers of its loss.
The possibility that Hero might be unfaithful in Much Ado nearly destroys her marriage. A "reputation disvalued by levity" was enough to do in Mariana's in Measure for Measure. Not to mention that the entire plot of the play revolves around the dangers of sex before marriage and the ensuing shame.
In Othello, Desdemona is murdered, Hermione in A Winter's Tale is charged with treason, Imogen's husband in Cymbeline tries to get her killed, all on the same worry.
Hamlet freaks out about his mother's infidelity in remarrying so soon after his father's death, and he projects his disgust with her onto Ophelia and all women (get thee to a nunnery).
On a slightly different note, we have Marina's struggle to keep her virginity intact in Pericles and Diane's in All's Well that End's Well.
Obviously, this was a really worrisome situation.
( Banned Books Meme )
