Gender Identity and Gender Performativity in Shakespeare’s Selected Plays: Macbeth, Hamlet and Merry Wives of Windsor

Mehdi Amiri, Sara Khoshkam

Abstract


The main argument of this article is focused on three plays by William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Hamlet and Merry Wives of Windsor. There are several points in these plays which deal with woman and their rights. This article deals with Shakespeare’s plays in relation to feminism, which pays more attention to the rights of women and their true identity. In all societies women are defined in terms of their relations to men as the center of power to which women have limited or no access. Judith Butler's performativity is significance on understandings of gender identity. Butler believes that gender is produced in society; also it can be changed in society. Feminism should aim to create a society in which, one's sexual anatomy is irrelevant to who one is, and what one does. Shakespeare’s view of a woman is shown through his representation of female characters in his plays specifically in Macbeth, Hamlet and Merry Wives of Windsor. 


Keywords


Identity, Performativity, Patriarchy, Femininity, Feminine Identity, Woman Role

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.4p.1

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