Shakespeare’s War on Women

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Shakespeare's War on Women

Last Free Dates: 24th Dec 14 to 28th Dec 14
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...It is a short, free, read, but even at 5 pages it is unfortunately not something that I would consider informative, or even useful as an introduction to the topic....

The title is designed to take advantage of a current US political statement, but this is an extremely short essay on Shakespeare and the role of women in his plays.

I was disappointed. Although short it consists primarily of quotes from other works on the topic and lacks depth. It does not explore the topic and even in places contradicts and repeats itself despite being 5 pages long. There is little in-depth analysis, or contrasting of equivalent characters.

There is no contrast with other playwrights of the time, although the role of women in Marlowe and Webster’s work would have been an interesting comparison. The book also does not mention that Shakespeare was writing for a female patron and monarch (the third Britain had had in living memory if you count Lady Jane Grey) and that he was a highly politically savvy writer. The contrast of female characters to male which is done by line count, not plot impact, is skewed as he contrasts female supporting characters with male leads.

There is nothing wrong with the formatting, layout, or presentation, but the content is disappointing.

It is a short, free, read, but even at 5 pages it is unfortunately not something that I would consider informative, or even useful as an introduction to the topic.

Rating: 1
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