Influences of the Radical Feminist Perspective in The Merchant of Venice

Angela Caravella 2006

The role that women play within many Shakespearian plays often highlights their perseverance, strength, and intelligence. This perhaps indicates the playwright's understanding that women should be on equal ground with men. However, the conclusion of his works lead to the powerful, independent woman settling back into society with her husband. Within the play The Merchant of Venice, the female characters achieve amazing deeds to "clean up" the messes that their husbands had made and achieve their own goals, only to return to their subordinate positions as wives. Portia, Nerissa and Jessica's assumption of the male form to move unnoticed between Belmont and Venice allowed them a glimpse into the world of feministic ideals. In later scenes, when Portia and Nerissa push the boundaries of their disguise, they specifically emphasize the nature of radical feminism. The altering of Portia, Nerissa, and Jessica's gender to suit the society of Venice is a direct spat in the face of the patriarchy within the environment of The Merchant of Venice. Unfortunately, the overarching ideals of the world at this time are able to recapture their stranglehold on Jessica, Portia, and Nerissa.

The construct of feminism is based upon the woman's struggle in society for social, political, and economic equality with men. Feminism seeks to eliminate the notion of sexism, which is the degradation, oppression, and subordination of women (http://www.feministissues.com/radical_feminism.html). Feminism possesses many subcategories that focus on specific areas within the sphere of women's inequality tin conjunction to men. One sub category, radical feminism, concerns itself with the idea that society is influenced by a male dominated or patriarchal hierarchy. Under this school of thought, the patriarchy can be described as "the division of rights, privileges and power primarily by gender, as a result of oppressing women and privileging men (http://www.womenhistory.about.com/od/feminism/g/radicalfeminism.htm). A radical feminist essentially believes that they are oppressed on the single ideal that the gender of a woman is inferior and it can be considered that to alter one's gender would be a radical feminist activity.

The method in which the patriarchy is exercised upon women exists in physical and psychological forms through the physical action of deeds invariably leads to the psychological acceptance of the female's role as subordinate. Women must adhere to several physical standards that obey the guidelines that determine the feminine form. They must be of the desirable body type, with small and graceful movements confined within an invisible enclosed space that is modestly dressed and eyes cast downward (Bartky, 67-69). Conversely, men with regards to space, take up as much of an area as possible that he influences unlike a woman who tends to be a victim of her environment. A woman who does not conform to such stringent standards is often termed by society as a "loose" woman or bad influence. This type of woman has already been accounted for under the patriarchal system. She is of less stature than women who adhere to the proper code of conduct and society has marker her for disgrace: "Her looseness is manifest not only in her morals, but in her manner of speech, and quite literally in the free and easy way she moves" (68). Eye contact is another physical action in which the proper woman makes little of so as to not challenge the man to whom she converses with. The loose woman again is seen as a threat to social norms because she looks at whatever and whomever she solicits her attention (68). When an action has been performed by the woman to displease a man a great deal of suffering ensues. The man himself may deny intimacy if he is unsatisfied with a female's performance but the woman too punishes herself for having defiled the expectations placed on her by the patriarchy. "The depth of [these] women's shame is a measure of the extent to which all women have internalized patriarchal standards of bodily acceptability" (77). Since women have made patriarchal values part of their inner psychological being, it is very difficult to not feel the ramifications of feministic practices within one's self. Within the play, The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, the three female characters: Jessica, Portia and Nerissa's experience with differing levels of the influence of the patriarchy upon their radical feminist actions taken throughout the play.

The radical feminist perspective has a focus on gender inequality, so to defy traditional societal norms of gender; for example, cross-dressing might be a physical action that a woman could perform as a method of control, empowerment and activism to promote this ideal. The female characters Jessica, Nerissa and Portia all engage in cross-dressing however, each woman uses this activity to achieve different aims as well as possess varying opinions regarding its use. Within Act II Scene 6 of the play, Jessica assumes the form of a man so that she may escape from her father's grasp and elope with Lorenzo.

I am glad 'tis night, you do not look on me,
For I am much ashamed of my exchange.
But love is blind, and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit
For if they could, Cupid himself would blush
To see me transformed to a boy…
What, must I hold a candle to my shames?
They in themselves, good sooth, are too too light.
Why, 'tis an office of discovery, love,
And I should be obscured (Shakespeare, 2.6, 36-40,42-44).

Jessica is embarrassed by the disguise of a page to flee which exemplifies how tight the patriarchal ideals are bound to her personality. She is almost unable to save herself and exercise her own will when she realizes that she must pretend to be a man. When Portia and Nerissa cross-dress, the opinion is quite different or at least not indicated by Shakespeare.

When we are both accounted like young men,
I'll prove the prettier fellow of the two,
And wear my dagger with the braver grace,
And speak between the change of man and boy
With reed voice; and turn two mincing steps
Into a manly stride; and speak of frays
Like a fine bragging youth; and tell quaint lies,
How honourable ladies sought my love,
Which I denying, they fell sick and died-…(3.4,63-71).

These characters "neatly solve a knotty legal problem" for Antonio and Bassanio under the guise of male lawyers (Jardine, 30). In their form they are able to manipulate the course of action within the courtroom as well as outside it by attracting ladies' attention and convincing Bassanio and Gratiano to give up Portia and Nerissa's rings. By defying their genders to enter into the male-dominated society in Venice they enact the essence of radical feminism. Portia and Nerissa do not hold shame for their actions that could be an indication of their lack of concern for patriarchal values but also an interest in saving the life of Antonio because he has a deep relationship with Bassanio. The most powerful point of Portia and Nerissa's activity as lawyers in Venice is that they are able to move undetected in society and achieve their goals. This activity deconstructs the male hierarchy because they achieve more than what Bassanio, Antonio or Shylock could accomplish within the courtroom. As men these women were capable of accomplishing astonishing deeds since they were out of the realm of low expectations placed on women. To further strengthen the radical feminist philosophy, Portia and Nerissa are able to obtain power over the men so as to adjust the gender imbalance while not shrouded under the garb worn by men as well. "Portia's clothes effect no metamorphosis on her spirit, the lawyer was never a lady, although the lady is always something of a lawyer (Dusinberre, 267-268).

While Belmont can be considered more liberal in regards to women's equality there is at lease one decree that remains steadfast, Portia's marriage as determined from the casket test. Portias father's power over his daughter even in death is a testament to the control men have in the affairs of women, as though they were property and not human beings. According to her father's will, Portia's husband will be the man who chooses the correct casket that contains a picture of Portia. "Oh, me, the word, "choose"! I may neither choose who I would nor refuse who I dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father" (Shakespeare,1.2,22-24). While the casket selection appears to be a strict stipulation, the clever Portia deciphers a method in which she can still have an influence upon the man that she marries. Portia "accepts" the fact that she must marry Bassanio after he selects the lead casket as the fulfillment of her father's desires. She was able to tip the scales of the decision-making process in her favor so that she could choose her husband by discreetly providing clues to indicate the correct casket. "Let music sound while he doth make his choice…Let us all ring fancy's knell I'll begin it- Ding, Dong, bell. Ding, Dong, bell" (3.2, 43, 69-71).

Superficially, the situation relates to the overarching patriarchy and its strength; Portia however, acts to work against the oppressive contract she is bound to and chart the course of the selection of her husband (Dusinberre, 85).

In addition to the creation of an equilibrium over her destiny by means of manipulation of her father's will, both Portia and Nerissa are able to exercise some means of assurance that they will keep their husbands with the ring test. The concept of loyalty of the men towards the women embodied within a ring serves as a form of commitment and gives the full right to end at the engagement of marriage should such a keepsake be misplaced. The promise Bassanio and Gratiano make to Portia and Nerissa respectively regarding the rings as strong a contract for the women as a legal bond similar to Shylock and Antonio's agreement (Phialas, 145). When Portia and Nerissa call attention to the loss of the rings to Bassanio and Gratiano, they show signs of distraught and anger so much as to deny them their love. This exercises the feministic perspective because they are able to use as much discretion a man could in the gaining and subsequent dismissal of their fiancés.

Feministic values are highly prominent in the play The Merchant of Venice, especially those including the radical feminist concept of a patriarchal society. The female characters were able to utilize the activity of cross-dressing to carry out the business they needed so that their lives might be more bearable while under the control of men within society. Not all of the characters felt empowered by their action to become men, a sense of shame accompanied Jessica during her course as a man. Portia and Nerissa were able to humble their future husbands to provide an equal ground for both couples with the ring test. Portia also even made it possible to guide the husband selection decision to suit her interests. The constant varying tension between the male and female characters in their struggle for dominance over the other indicates that Shakespeare had a deep and profound knowledge of the dynamic between men and women.

 

WORKS CITED

Bartky, Sandra Lee. Femininity and Domination: Studies in the Phenomenology of Oppression. Chapman and Hall Inc. NY. 1990.

Bevington, David. The Necessary Shakespeare, Second Edition. "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare. Pearson Education Inc. NY. 2005.

Dusinberre, Juliet. Shakespeare and the Nature of Women. Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. Great Britian, 1975.

Jardine, Lisa. Still Harping on Daughters: Women and Drama in the Age of Shakespeare. The Harvester Press. NJ. 1983.

Phialas, Peter G. Shakespeare's Romantic Comedies: The Developmnent of Their Form and Meaning. The University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, NC. 1966.

"Radical Feminism" http://www.feministissues.com/radical_feminism.html. . Accessed October 2, 2005.

"Radical Feminism" http://www.womenhistory.about.com/od/feminism/g/radicalfeminism.htm. Accessed October 2, 2005.