Britomart and the Duchess: the Reflection of Patriarchal Society - Essay Example

Britomart and the Duchess: the Reflection of Patriarchal Society Introduction Both of the central characters, Britomart and the Duchess represent the autonomous feminine self of a woman ahead of their times, but Britomart’s self-ruling zeal is much more suppressed by the genders constructs of her society than the Duchess in hers. Indeed Adam Polgar more likely views Britomart’s character as overburdened with the gender constructs of her society (6). When Britomart chooses to safeguard herself with the armor of chastity, it is evident that the Duchess goes against another gender construct that is the loyalty to the decision of the male members of her society. Britomart, the central character Book III of in Spencer’s “Faerie Queen” is assigned with the role of a sophisticated representative of the Elizabethan patriarchal society, the eponymous heroine in the “Duchess of Malfi” appears to be the projection of a freewill feminine zeal against the patriarchal authority of the Jacobean Era (Roider). Though the texts deal with the patriarchal zeal of the authors’ societies, their central characters reflect these patriarchies in opposite fashions. While the silhouette of Britomart’s character is determined by the author’s conformation with the existing patriarchal structure of the society, the heroine in “Duchess of Malfi” appears to be in conflict with her society. On the surface level, Britomart’s quest for the Queen seems to glorify the position of women in Elizabethan society. But if she is examined from a more critical perspective, she appears to be a perfect patriarchal heroine who, though, is free of the negative chauvinistic view of the society. Gender Constructs of Elizabethan and Jacobean Society: Compliance of the Protagonists with Social expectations The gender constructs of both of the Elizabethan and Jacobean societies appears to be the same and to be the typical features of a patriarchal society. But the compliance levels of the two heroines with the expectations of patriarchy from the “inferior sex” differ from each other. In his analysis of the social constructs, Adam Polgar refers to the fact that Britomart’s characters is laden with what the Elizabethan expects from a woman. She is not only the warrior lady in concrete sense, but also a moral warrior who fights for her chastity, the moral expectation of her society. He more likely views Britomart’s quest for her future husband as her effort to save her chastity and loyalty to her future husband. Therefore she appears to be the perfect heroine for the Elizabethan readers. According to him Britomart’s armor that symbolizes her chastity, is the social construct of her gender and she complies with this construct fully, as he says, “The fact that the armor (as a physical object that augments the human body) is removable illustrates the social nature of chastity. Thus, social gender constructs like chastity are an extension of the way gender exists by nature, which itself is represented by the human body under the metal” (Polgar 6). Now as to the social constructs of gender in the Duchess’s character, it can be said that the social constructs of female are evident in Ferdinand’s desire for controlling her sister’s sexuality. Ferdinand’s society is dominating over the weaker sex to such an extent that it tends to create a code of sexual behavior for its female members. Like in Britomart’s case, chastity plays a significant role in constituting the society’s notion of a woman in the “Duchess of Malfi”. But unlike Britomart, the Duchess fully goes against the consent of her brothers. Referring to the role of chastity in the formation of a Jacobean woman, Orgel says, "the fear of losing control of womens chastity, a very valuable possession that guaranteed the legitimacy of ones heirs, and especially valuable for fathers as a piece of disposable property is a logical consequence of a patriarchal structure" (18). Webster shows that the masculinity of this patriarchy exists in its futile attempt to dominate the opposite. In this regard, Kim refers to the nature of masculinity in the lines, “Ferdinands extreme interest in his sisters sexuality has less to do with political ambitions than with fear that he is losing his own masculine identity” (130). Spenserian fallacy of putting a female character in “male role” significantly fails to predict the opposition and resistance of a patriarchal society. Britomart’s character lacks the firmness that the Duchess shows in her opposition to her society. It does not necessarily mean that her heroism is affected by this lack. Rather in Spencer portrayal it is taken for granted that the brave deserves the fair. Britomart’s heroism in contrast to her womanly meekness and loyalty to her husband becomes more entertaining for the readers in a patriarchal society. But Spenser is reticent to another fact. He does not tell his readers what the society would do, if the heroine is a freewill agents like the Duchess and if she does not conform to the patriarchal authority. One of the requirements of Elizabethan patriarchy for women is to be loyal to one’s husband and Britomart plays her role of a loyal wife perfectly. In this sense the central character in Spenser’s “Faerie Queen” sharply opposes the character of the Duchess. Though the fact whether Spencer’s “Faerie Queen” depicts the society in the author’s era as it was, the society depicted in the poem presents a plethora of norms, customs and attitudes towards women. The essential tone of the depiction of woman is rendered best in Arthur’s quest for Gloriana. But what is remarkable in this quest is that it significantly upholds the pampering attitude of the Elizabethan society towards the women. Though in Spencer’s “Faerie Queen” the some female characters such Britomart are found to be in so-called manly activities like the role of a warrior, such a manly role of women in Elizabethan society is to be considered as the pedagogical fallacy of Spencer’s age. Though the Elizabethan society was patriarchal in the fullest sense, Spencer’s portrayal of the female characters denotes remarkable deviation what women are expected to be Elizabethan patriarchal society. The Two Heroines Coping with the Identity Crisis in a Patriarchal Society The Duchess is in continuous effort to achieve an individual identity that Britomart does not have even after all of her heroism she shows in finding her husband. The identity crisis with Britomart’s self is symbolically represented in her obsession with the mirror image. The Duchess’s conflict with her brother regarding her identity as a autonomous and free woman is revealed, when, in her death bed, she asks Bosola, "Am I not thy Duchess?" and then answers herself, "I am Duchess of Malfi still" (Webster, IV.2.127; 134). Till her death, she has been aware of her identity, but Britomart, -even though she has her own identity when she looks at the image for the first time- assimilates her identity with the society’s expectation. In the first place Britomart sees her own image in image in the magic mirror. In this episode, the Elizabethan readers take her tendency to view her own image in the mirror for her temptation to narcissism, as Rebecca Dark says, “Readers have understood them to mean that in her vanity Britomart prefers to view her own image over the vision of virtues available in the mirror, equating this moment with Britomart’s first temptation to Narcissism” (13). But the expectations of the patriarchal Elizabethan readers is fulfilled when Britomart corrects herself by learning to view “the virtues rare, / which thereof spoken were” (Spenser, 3.2.22.7-8). She learns virtues by viewing the mirror. The event clearly insinuates the fact that the mirror can be taken as the moral expectation of Elizabethan society of womanhood and Britomart appears to be the sophisticated representative of Elizabethan women. Britomart finds out the solution of her identity crisis by assimilating her own choice and identity with the expectation of the readers of what a woman should be. But the Duchess does let her choice go down to the expectation of her society, as Mathew Tsang notes, “She refuses to be subservient to men and successfully embodies the conflicting qualities of a powerful woman in Renaissance times” (1). It is ironical that the Duchess’s pursuit for her own pushes her towards the conflict with the male dominated society; Britomart’s autonomous activity is appraised by other male characters in the text. Indeed the irony lies in the fact that though Spencer’s heroine assumes the role of a male member, her role is devoid of sufficient individuality. It is more assimilated with the expectation of her male counterparts. But the Duchess assumes the male autonomy in its true sense. Individuality of her character that is demarcated through her struggle seriously challenges the male domination of the society. There is another symbol that signifies the true nature of the male dominance in Elizabethan society. It is in the scene where the forester pursues a lady in order to rape her. It is the society in which the fragility of a woman is cherished. The scene in Book III Canto 1, in which the forester is seen pursuing a young lady to rape her, is significant for the whole character trait of Britomart. In this society the male are expected to be an active position. Either his intention to woo a lady or to rape her does not matter. Rather the lady is on continuous evasion; either she evades from herself, as the lady evades from the forester or she hides herself under a masculine mask. This scene ironically highlights willful loyalty and passivity of Britomart to her love. When in Spenser’s society, women are considered the weaker sex and they run away to save their chastity in order to survive in male hostility and rigid grip of the society, Britomart is brave enough to save her chastity to reward her love, her future husband. But certainly she is not brave enough to assume true self and chooses to hide her under the mask. Therefore for Elizabethan society the mask is the symbol of strength. When the lady was pursued by the forester, Guyon and Arthur proceed to help her. But Britomart does not need such masculine help, as she is safeguarded by the masculine mask. Britomart and the Duchess in “Male Role” and Reactions of Patriarchy Both of the Duchess and Britomart assume the male roles. But the “manly activities” of these characters differ from each other essentially. While the Duchess’s autonomous activities pose a serious challenge for Ferdinand brothers and the male authority of her society, the Britomart’s manly activities are praised by other male characters of the poem. The Duke’s fear primarily lies in the fact that he will be cuckolded. Kim refers to this fear in the following lines: “The Duke is threatened also by the Duchess, who he feels is capable of castrating his power, or subsuming his power….the Duchess has the power of disrupting his authority and her political identity would undoubtedly have been regarded…as genuinely masculine” (Kim 133). Here the most remarkable thing is the mask or the armor that differentiates Britomart from the Duchess in a way asserting that the best possible means of the survival of an autonomous character like Britomart in Elizabethan society is to assume a disguise. In this regard, the readers themselves observe the consequence of assuming the male-role by a woman, the Duchess, in a patriarchal society. The Duchess also assumes the role of a male character, as Britomart does. But she does not the mask that is taken by Britomart. Indeed the mask signifies the male expectation of both the Elizabethan and the Jacobean society. Therefore, the mask or the armor stands for the protection of a woman in a male dominated society (Polgar 6). Also it stands for the male dominance itself. It appears to be the symbol of masculinity. It is the masculinity that crushes the autonomous Duchess the “weaker sex” of both of the Elizabethan and Jacobean societies. When Britomart imitates the manly activities, it, in return, glorifies the qualities of a man. In no way it does glorify her existence. Hence it is the mask of masculinity that wins the appraisal from the Elizabethan readers. But when the Duchess assumes the role of a man by being autonomous in her decision to marry Antonio, she rather reveals her true woman self that is both individual and self-deciding. Therefore the self that the Duchess possesses is, in one sense, is unusual for the Jacobean readers. But certainly she wins the heart of her readers by her balancing the “manly” qualities. The Duchess embodies the “manly” qualities that are demarcated with the silhouette of a woman. Britomart, the Duchess and the Role of a Modern Hero As a heroine the Duchess is much more complex than Britomart. In her pursuit of identity and retaining her position in power, she shows the balancing “manly qualities” than her male counterparts. She shows the qualities of a modern heroine by her zeal to retain her position in power and by defying her brothers’ decision. Though Britomart’s role as a warrior is unexpected and offbeat, therefore entertaining as she conforms to the expectation of her society, she cannot defy her patriarchy, the Duchess does. Regarding the modern traits of her character, Roider says, “it is a feminist story of a strong woman ahead of her time” (Roider). One of the modern heroines who resemble the Duchess is Cleofilas in Sandra Cisneros’s “Woman Hollering Creek”. The Duchess is similar with Cleofilas in feministic essence. Indeed the story narrates the developing character of Cleofilas. Her story can be viewed as her development from the Britomart character to the Duchess’s character. The first stage of the story tells about the Britomart-like heroism. She marries a man with whom she is in love and moves with him. She is dependent on him both economically and socially. Her social dependence on her necessarily means that she lacks her own individual identity, as Langelo says “Cleofilas’s surroundings give her no choice but to continue being passive and dependent” (43). But soon her husband begins to torture her. Even her life becomes threaten with her husband. Thus her circumstances force her to decide her own fate. In this regard, Langelo says, “Cleófilas takes matters into her own hands and leaves for Mexico to live…she has come one step further towards taking charge of her own life” (49). Though the beginning of the story begins with her passivity and dependence, ultimately she becomes active and autonomous as the Duchess is in Webster’s drama. Conclusion In comparison to the character of Britomart, the central character in the “Duchess of Malfi” can be considered as a mutineer against the chauvinistic view of the Jacobean society that Spenser overlooks in his portrayal of Elizabethan society. While the Duchess follows her heart and goes against the male authority of her society for the sake of her love, Britomart’s chivalry and bravery are reminiscent of the medieval hero who deserves a beautiful and virtuous lady as a reward of heroic virtue. But in Britomart’s case the exception of the Elizabethan readers is that she deserves a husband. Her adventure for a husband is nothing but the fallacy of the Elizabethan society that imposes the mirror identity of the male upon the female character just to take pleasure in the novelty. It is far from the reality- of a woman challenging the male authority- that Webster’s Duchess faces. Bibliography Dark, Rebecca. “Reflections: Spenser, Elizabeth I, and Mirror Literature”, Early English Studies. Vol. 1, 2008 available at http://www.uta.edu/english/ees/dark1.pdf Kim, Hwa-Seon. “The Ocular Impulse and the Politics of Violence in The Duchess of Malfi”, 20 Nov. 2009. Available at http://hompi.sogang.ac.kr/anthony/mesak/mes131/HwaSeonKim.pdf Langelo, Marita. One foot in this world and one foot in that: Woman Hollering Creek. Bergen: Department of Foreign Languages. 2008 Orgel, Stephen. "Nobodys Perfect: Or Why Did the English Stage Take Boys for Women?" South Atlantic Quarterly 88 (1989): 7-29. Polgar, Adam. “On Men, Women and Fairies: Gender Constructs in Pre-modern Literature”, 2004. 20 Nov. 2009. Available at http://www.nativehue.com/ Roider, N. Lamb. “Arbella Stuart, Catherine of Valois, and The Duchess of Malfi: An Examination of Women, Marriage, and Widowhood in Jacobean England”, Trivium Publishing, LL. 20 Nov. 2009. Available at http://www.triviumpublishing.com/articles/duchessofmalfi.html Spenser, Edmund. The Faerie Queene, Ed. A. C. Hamilton. London: Longman, Pearson Education, 2001. Tsang, Mathew. “Feminism and the Fall of Men in The Duchess of Malfi”, March 30, 2009. November 20, 2009. Available at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1592729/feminism_and_the_fall_of_men_in_the.html?cat=38 Webster, John. The Duchess of Malfi. Drama of the English Renaissance II: The Stuart Period. Ed. R.A. Fraser and N. Rabkin. London: Macmillan, 1976. Read More