The Excellence Of Women In Shakespearean Tragedy Essay -- William Shak

Excellence, from the root excellent, is the achievement of something extremely good in life. These achievements can be of a literary nature, or a cosmic nature, however the excellence that pertains to the coming essay, is that which is found within the female characters of Shakespearean tragedies. Despite the patriarchal slipway of life during Shakespeares age, he constantly conveys the ladies of his plays with nothing short of excellent ... beauty, wit, and virtue. Doran 135 Dorans article The Idea of Excellence In Shakespeare is a detailed work, which engages itself in the wide oscilloscope of Shakespearean sonnets and all his theatrical work concerning excellence. Doran says very frankly that due to Shakespeare?s representation of women, through his plays, it is very clear that he prides himself with excellence in general. Although Doran brings to our attention the importance, and possible disaster, of over emphasizing glorious attributes, the act of which is kn proclaim as a hyperbole 134, Shakespearean females, even when denied fancy dialect and metaphors, smooth are able to expose their virtues of loyalty, honestly, love, and patience in most everything they do. Doran begins his detailed account of specific females with none other than Cordelia, but due to further tune I will pass over his analysis of Lear?s daughter and continue with his depiction of Desdemona. Doran introduces Desdemona by stating, ?her virtues are ? independence, honesty, loyalty, and great generosity.? 147 Within a model reading of Othello these characteristic are by no means shadowed, they are vividly portrayed in most, if not all, of her actions. Her independence is conveyed by her decision to follow Othello without the good grace of her ... ...ults are that of a divine member, a goddess.To conclude Shakespeare presents all his ladies as self-righteous, independent, loving women who deserve to be noticed. Each woman holds her own sense of excellence with regards to he r virtues. In particular, Desdemona and Cordelia, especially rise up to the occasion. Both of these women know who they are, how they got to be who they are, what they want, and how to get what they want, nothing, I repeat nothing, explains the excellence of a women expose than that.Work CitedDoran, Madeleine. ?The Idea of Excellence In Shakespeare.? Shakespeare Quarterly 27.2 (1976) 133-149.Greenfield, Thomas A. ?Excellent Things In Women The Emergence Of Cordelia.? South Alantic Bulletin 24.1 (1977) 44-52.Harding, D.W. ?Women?s Fantasy of Manhood A Shakespearean Theme.? Shakespeare Quarterly 20.3 (1969) 245-253.