Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroines: Personality And Status Versus Gender

Authors

• Ryann Grace Howard

Advisor(s)

Rebecca Bach

Committee Member(s)

Gale Temple
Margaret Jay Jessee

School

College of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

Department (new version)

Arts & Humanities

Date of Award

2024

Degree Name by School

Master of Arts (MA) School of Education

Abstract

Readings of Shakespeare’s female characters as presentations of ideals – such as innocence – or as characters limited by the innate nature of their gender fail to understand the full personalities and challenges these characters have. The chosen characters are discussed in the pairings of Cordelia and Cleopatra (queens) and Desdemona and Juliet (high-status ladies) to show how this thesis’s chosen female characters are presented through their individual statuses and personalities rather than their genders.

ProQuest ID

https://proquest.com/docview/3050784710