Renaissance Tragedy Calls into Question the Possibility of Happy Marriages - Assignment Example

? Renaissance tragedy calls into question the possibility of happy marriages For centuries, males have been dominating both in public life and in family circle. Women were often kept at the middle distance, and their rights and freedoms were significantly limited. In ancient and medieval European culture, females were regarded and valued as devoted wives, loving mothers, and housewives. In the period of Renaissance, number of educated and independent women grew; they tried to broaden social freedom and weaken their dependence upon kinsmen and social class. In their opinion, successful marriages were efficient protection against social injustice and oppression, although it often proved to be a failure. This tendency can be traced in Renaissance literary works. Renaissance tragedy calls into question the possibility of happy marriages. Destinies of the Duchess of Malfi and Desdemona exemplify attempts of Renaissance women to resist the established social structure. Contemporaries of both heroines considered that marriages of love were expression of disobedience and sin against morals. Taking any serious decisions, noble females had to obey their parents, husbands or male relatives. Both authors analyze consequences of assertion of authority on the part of the Duchess and Desdemona. At those times, boundaries of social classes were stiff and it was difficult for a female, even being rich and noble, to trespass them. Marriages of convenience formed the basis of medieval and Renaissance society. In case of Webster’s Duchess, her wealth and noble birth became additional obstacles on her way to personal happiness. Her brothers regarded the marriage with steward Antonio Bologna as a misalliance, therefore, they opposed it and applied violent measures of punishment. “Though the duchess is an exception, boldly reaching out beyond her class to choose a husband, her brothers wish to isolate her and themselves so as to avoid contamination.” (Levin, 2001, p.110) Moreover, this social inequality contributes much to the perception of the drama as the most horrible and tragic story of the Elizabethan tragedy. It was appropriate for the Renaissance drama to implement tragic feelings and drastic events in the context of social lives of people of that period. The root of evil in this drama is the Duchess. A woman in that period should have been subjected to men with no hint for freedom and independence. Analysis of the Duchess and Desdemona’s socio-cultural surrounding allows the understanding of disadvantages concerning women’s status in that period. The Duchess belonged to the highest nobility by birth and by marriage. Being a rich and enviable fiance, she could not marry of her own free will. Official marriage beneath her social status would cause public ostracism and reproach; she would have lost her high social position and self-esteem within her surroundings. Thus, public opinion and family values were the main hindrances on the Duchess’ way to happiness. The author of the tragedy often hints about imperfection of the existing social system and, thus, contrasts Antonio’s idealistic views and powerful ambitions of his brothers-in-law. Both the Cardinal and Duke of Calabria were rich and influential; unequal marriage of their sister enraged them. The young woman secretly rebelled against their oppression and tried to make independent decisions. The figures of Antonio and Bosola can be opposed to the Duchess’ brothers through the prism of social identity. Both of them are intellectual and gifted to make a successful career, but conservative and corrupted state system of Calabria leaves them limited opportunities. “Duke Ferdinand and his brother, the cardinal, are evil. As part of their reign of terror, they methodically gather intelligence. Ferdinand disguises his power by operating through others” (Levin, 2001, p.112). Thus, they built a local tyranny, within which their sister lived. The Duchess was very beautiful, but Antonio Bologna agreed to marry her neither for beauty nor wealth, but for her virtues. Antonio understood her inner world, valued her point of view and also strived for ordinary family happiness. Also he was her adherent supporter against corrupted power of two brothers. For the first time, she felt herself as the full-fledged personality. Concerning the brothers of the Duchess, their feelings had nothing in common with brotherly love and care, but with breach of social customs and family honor. They were selfish and greedy and misused power to protect their own interests, hiding their true motives behind family values and noble birth. According to Levin (2001), they strived to protect purity of their bloodline. They considered their sister as a dummy with limited thinking patterns and abilities who would obey them blindly. The difference between brothers and sister is so great that readers may doubt they are blood kin at all. The Duchess was well-educated and intelligent, although she consorted only with courtiers and closest relatives. In comparison with modern times, the heroine’s personal space was quite narrow. In everyday life, she was surrounded with servants, courtiers and her brothers’ spies and had to hide her marriage. She had to be a good actress to hide her pregnancy and protect her privacy with Antonio. Contrary to the Duchess, Desdemona succeeded to protect her marriage in the face of her family. She protected her choice before Brabantio and Gratiano, praising her husband’s best qualities. Othello was clever and purposeful. He proved to be a successful leader and commanded deep respect his people. In the play, Desdemona is surrounded with male characters and each of them represents her connection with him in his own way. Thus, the readers can see a multisided representation of the female image by different males. Moreover, a constant feeling of pity and sorrow shows a human being as a creature, which is subjected to a constant suffering. Tragedy opposes the character’s strengths and weaknesses and his failure in the face of destiny. Othello is a tragic hero, because he knows that he kills his beloved woman, who did a wrong action, and he knows that in such a way he frees the society from a spoiled member. His strength and his weakness are in his righteous psychology of a society’s male nurse. The marriage under discussion was a challenge to society of that time. For example, Desdemona’s father was greatly shocked and distressed with daughter’s choice. “Finding in his white daughter a paragon of virtue, he is incredulous that … as to choose a black husband” (Hall, 1999, p.65). Shakespeare underlines a striking contrast between husband and wife in different ways. According to Brabantio and Cassio, Desdemona embodies purity, innocence and naivety. Dark-skinned Othello evokes suspicions and doubts among Venetian nobility; besides, he rises up a secret enemy in face of Iago. The ensign envies his successful career and happy marriage in Venetian society. So, he strives to redress his own injustice, having broken balance within the newly married family. Within the play, Desdemona’s character transforms gradually. Having married Othello, Desdemona acted against her father’s will and in the teeth of the Renaissance public opinion. She is “a woman who combines spiritual and physical love for Othello and who is courageous and independent in her judgments, often stubbornly so” (Hall, 1999, p.67). Firstly, she had fully relied on her father, but in her married life, she had to submit to her husband. On Cyprus, she supported him in career making and dealt with household with pleasure. At the same time, she tried to be independent in her decision making, but a limited surrounding and other male characters, such as Iago and Cassio, significantly affected her. At the beginning, the main heroine was stunned with Othello and regarded him as the man of her dreams. “Her romantic attachment to him is based on a strong appreciation of, and yearning to identify with, his courage and dignity in exotic, life-threatening situations.” (Hall, 1999, p.69) Desdemona defies her destiny and does not want to be subjected to the desires and wishes of her husband, but wants to follow her own emotions and feelings. Her tragedy is in a constant subjection to will and desire of men, surrounding her. But in the second part of the play, Desdemona seemed disappointed. She went into shell. Majority of male characters had almost divinified Desdemona, but she was a usual flesh-and-blood woman who could make mistakes. In reality, Desdemona and Othello were tangled with threads of betrayal, hidden hatred, envy and omissions created by Iago. Desdemona lacked life experience to find a flexible way-out from this difficult situation. The sense of the daughter’s betrayal extends to marital relations of husband and wife and provokes the tragedy. Examples of the Duchess of Malfi and Desdemona proved that Renaissance society created many obstacles for females. They could not make an independent choice and had to submit to their husbands and fathers in all situations. High social position and wealth even worsened life tragedy for both Desdemona and the Duchess. A tragedy of a woman, who was positioned not as a sound member of the society, but as a creature, subjected to the world of males, highlights social peculiarities of that time. Bibliography Hall, J. L., 1999. Othello: A Guide to the Play. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Levin, R.A., 2001. Shakespeare's Secret Schemers: The Study of an Early Modern Dramatic Device. Newark: University of Delaware Press. Read More