Shakespeare's Feminism

November 2019, "English Lit I"

Shakespeare’s Feminism

Jessica McDermitt

            King Lear is unique among Shakespeare’s works in that it casts a trio of sisters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, as main characters alongside their father, the titular King Lear. In a male-dominated literary scene, this is unusual and raises questions about feminist themes in the work. One element of a feminist work is female characters who act for themselves, rather than being told what to do—characters who break female stereotypes of submission and marginalization and take control of their own lives. In King Lear, Goneril and Regan challenge traditional ideas of femininity, while Cordelia remains within expected gender norms, and it is only through moral commentary on the sisters’ actions that readers understand Shakespeare’s negative portrayal of the feminist elements.

            

Goneril, Lear’s eldest daughter, subverts traditional notions of femininity by taking on a commanding role that directly challenges the power of the men around her. Early in the play, Goneril refuses to allow her father to keep his attendants in her home. She demands that he reduce his retinue by half, or else she will “take the thing she begs” by force (Shakespeare 1161). Though he is a man, Lear is powerless against Goneril’s demands and cannot do anything except curse her. In fact, Lear explains “thou has power to shake my manhood,” indicating that Goneril is encroaching on a traditionally male space (Shakespeare 1162). Later in the play, Goneril breaks further out of the mold of traditional femininity when she symbolically switches places with her husband. She states, “I must change arms at home, and give the distaff / Into my husband’s hands” (Shakespeare 1197). By relegating her husband, Albany, to doing women’s work, Goneril is inverting the balance of power in her relationship. She is the one who accomplishes things, while Albany looks on.

            

While Goneril breaks with traditional femininity by taking on a commanding role, Regan takes on the role of counselor. Instead of leading the family and making judgments for the family, as traditional for a man, Regan’s husband Cornwall defers to her opinions with statements like “My Regan counsels well” (Shakespeare 1180). Cornwall does not take direct action without Regan’s lead. This is demonstrated when the Earl of Gloucester is blinded on suspicion of treason in Act 3, Scene 7. Initially, Cornwall remains hands-off with Gloucester, issuing orders to bind him but refraining from physical aggression. In contrast, Regan jumps right into physical assault by plucking Gloucester’s beard. Once this door has been opened, Cornwall and Regan work together to gouge out Gloucester’s eyes. Plainly, Regan is the leader in this situation. This is a departure from traditional power dynamics that emphasize men as active and aggressive. While less bombastic than Goneril, Regan clearly has more control than her husband over her family life.

            

In contrast to her sisters, Cordelia is portrayed in the traditionally female role of caretaker. Cordelia’s only function in the play appears to be to care for her father. Initially, this is what Lear expects of her, causing disappointment when she refuses to flatter him for money like her sisters did. Lear laments, “I loved her most, and thought to set my rest / On her kind nursery” (Shakespeare 1146). This indicates that Lear’s expectation of his child is that she will care for him when he is old. When she does not fulfill that function, Lear does not hesitate to banish her. Importantly, Cordelia does not reappear until it is again time for her to care for Lear, this time as he is dying. Most of her dialogue in the last scenes of the play centers around her desire to care for and heal her father, as when she exclaims, “Let this kiss / Repair those violent harms that my two sisters / Have in thy reverence made!” (Shakespeare 1202). Cordelia never breaks out of this role, in sharp contrast to her sisters, who subvert typical female roles from the start.

            

To fully understand Shakespeare’s perspective on the gender roles the sisters explore, it is important to examine his moral commentary throughout the play. Goneril and Regan are both described as monsters in cases where the descriptor is tied directly to their subversion of gender roles. For example, toward the end of the play, when Goneril defies the laws, claiming “the laws are mine, not thine,” Albany retorts by describing her behavior as “most monstrous!” (Shakespeare 1219). This descriptor is tied directly to Goneril’s subversion of expected female submission, indicating a negative perspective on female “empowerment.” Regan receives a strikingly similar epithet when she demands a sword to retaliate against Gloucester’s servants as they defend him from her cruelty. In response to her unfeminine actions, servants claim that if she gets away with her actions, “Women will all turn monsters” (Shakespeare 1195). Clearly, Regan is being berated for transgressing her role as a woman. In contrast, Cordelia, the most traditionally feminine of all the sisters, is eulogized. Wracked by grief over her death at the end of the play, Lear remembers that “Her voice was ever soft, / Gentle and low, an excellent thing in woman” (Shakespeare 1222). This positive portrayal is grounded in Cordelia’s feminine attributes. By describing those who defy gender norms as monsters and casting them as villains, Shakespeare condemns any attempts to break away from stereotypical roles.

            

The moral commentary on characters’ actions in King Lear reveals a distinctly anti-feminist promotion of traditional gender roles. While the story contains powerful, dynamic, individual female characters, they are portrayed as monsters when they step outside of their traditional boundaries. In contrast, Shakespeare praises Cordelia for remaining within her expected role as a caregiver. King Lear is hardly a feminist masterpiece. A complete understanding of the play requires both recognizing Shakespeare’s genius in portraying the individuality and range of human personalities and acknowledging the contemporary attitudes toward women that appear in his work.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. “King Lear.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, 8^th ed., W. W. Norton, 2006, pp. 1143-1223.