Date of Award

6-2015

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

English

First Advisor

Jillmarie Murphy

Language

English

Keywords

play, shakespeare, society, thesis, western

Abstract

Centuries after his own lifetime, William Shakespeare dominates the Western canon and continues to have a profound effect on Western society. As the values of that society shift and social movements progress, so too must critical reception of Shakespeare's work. The purpose of this thesis is to reexamine Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida (1601), Othello (1604), and Antony and Cleopatra (1606) through a feminist lens in order to expose the larger societal issues addressed within the play. This thesis draws on Intersectionality, a modern branch of feminism, to discuss sexism, racism, classism, and homophobia within Shakespeare’s texts and the way in which they function to create the tragic ending of each play.

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