Shakespeare’s women characters as a mirror of society

Abstract

Shakespeare is undoubtedly the world's most influential poet and dramatist. His works have been studied by many people and his plays have been made into movies and even live performances. In each of his play we find the grim reality of human conscience. Shakespeare's presentation of women in his plays demonstrates his feelings about women and their role in the society. In his plays women do not constitute main character, yet they play an important part. We can see the impact of society and time on the feminine characters in his plays. During Shakespearean age women had very little authority, autonomy and recognition. They gained their status based on the position of their father or husband. They were expected to be a silent observer. Under those circumstances, Shakespeare created such a beautiful and memorable characters like Beatrice, Cleopatra, Juliet, Rosalind, Hermione, Lady Macbeth, Helena& Hermia , Olivia and Viola etc. all these unforgettable characters act as a mirror to Shakespearean age. Thus the main aim of this research paper is to highlight the correlation of his women characters with the time and society and in what ways they act as a mirror or reflection.