How the characters Gwendolyn and Cecily break gender roles

Posted on December 2, 2009 in Uncategorized by juliocesar  Tagged

How the characters Gwendolyn and Cecily break gender roles

Júlio César dos Reis

                             

 In the play The Importance of Being Ernest, Wilde brings the inverted values of the world in the play a comment on the values of the society it inverts. They are related to marriage and business. The play shows us the inversion of gender roles, whose female characers are more assertive than their male counterparts.  The mainly female characters that show us this are Gwendolyn and Cecily. They are crazy for marriage. They take the decision to get marry with Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff.

 Gwendolyn is a strong charater. She has ideals, she is bent on self-improvement. She is also artificial and pretentious. Her mother has the dominat position in their relationship. As her mother, when Gwendolyn  discuss about  taste and morality she speaks with unchallengeable authority. Although, she is authoritary, she  is  also likeable girl.

 The  Victorian’ time the upper-middle class had  preoccupation with virtue and honor, for this reason Gwendolyn falls in love with a man called Ernest, whose real name is Jack. She is excited on this name, because it looks like ‘earnest’. For her this is a perfect name:

 “It suits you perfectly. It is a divine name. It has music of its own. It produces vibrations.”

 For Gwendolyn, the name Ernest looks like the adjective ‘earnest’, which is solemn and sincere. Then, the name  inspires ‘absolute confidence”:

 It is common the man has iniciative to proposes a girl. However, Gwendolyn has the iniciative to conduct the situation for Jack proposes her marriage according to her ideas and ideals.

  “Gwendolen: I adore you. But you haven’t proposed to me yet. Nothing has been said at all about marriage. The subject has not even been touched on.   Jack: Well… may I propose to you now?” (Act I)

 Similarly, Cecily also has iniciative to provide her own engagement. Cecily has invented a romance with a man who has not met yet, whose name is Algernon. When he meets her, he proposes her but she claims they are alredy engaged for last three months:

“Algernon: … I love you, Cecily. You will marry me, won’t you?

Cecily: You silly boy! Of course. Why, we have been engaged for the last three months.

Algernon: But how did we become engaged?” (Act III)

 In oposite of men, both Gwendolyn and Cecily break gender roles because they have the femenine domination of their relationships, they control Jack and Algernon and they decline an offer of marriage, rather than usurping any of the masculine roles.

Laura and Blue Roses

Posted on October 22, 2009 in Uncategorized by juliocesar

The Glass Menagerie is a play written by Tennessee Williams. It shows us some symbols involving the main character of the play, Laura, who is a simple and fragile girl.
One of the most important symbols represented in the play is ‘blue roses’. This name appears in the play when Laura tells to her mother about Jim, when she tries to explain for him the reason she was absent of the classes:

Laura: When I had that attack of pleurosis – he asked me what was the matter when I came back [school]. I said pleurosis – he thought that I said Blue Roses! So that’s what he always called me after that. Whenever he saw me, he’d holler, “Hello, Blue Roses!”

Thus, we may relate the nickname ‘Blue Roses’ with some  possible meanings. It’s not common to find blue roses in the nature, as well as find in the world, a wonderful woman as Laura. Blue is a different color for roses as well as Laura is different from the other girls. Then, she is unique and special.

Blue roses may be the symbol of beauty and innocence. Blue is a beautiful color and rose is related to sensibility. Therefore, Laura is beautiful and sensitive, she is docile and naïve. Laura lives in a world of fantasy. She has a glass menagerie with animals as an unicorn.

According to American culture, blue may related to depression and sadness. Laura is sad because she has a physical problem. For this reason, she has a complex of inferiority and she is shy. It’s difficult for her to have friendship and relationship with the boys.
However, all roses may blossom and be seen for someone. In this way, Laura ‘blossoms’ when she is kissed by Jim at her home.

Posted by Júlio César

Lady Macbeth is as guilty as her husband

Posted on September 16, 2009 in Uncategorized by juliocesar  Tagged

         Lady Macbeth is an ambitious woman. She wants to conquer the throne of the king Duncan, the king of the Scotland. Her husband, Macbeth, is one of the general of the Scottish Army. He is urged to work for the murder of the king. In the beginning, Macbeth does not want to do anything to become the king:

“If chance will have me King, why,
Without my stir.” (Act. Sc. III, line 158-160)

          Macbeth thinks is not a good idea to commit assassination against his leader, because Duncan is a good king and they are relatives and Macbeth is his servant.

“First , as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed: then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne is faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great Office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking off:” (Act I, Sc VII, lines 13-20)

         However, Lady Macbeth does not think as Macbeth and she does not agree with him. Because of Macbeth’s thoughts, she calls her husband coward. She is not courageous too, but she is determined in her objectives. She does not do, but she thinks. She uses her power of persuasion to convince her husband of doing her wish come true. If she can not kill the king, her husband can, because he is used to kill opposed soldiers in the war. For those reasons, she manipulates Macbeth to kill Duncan. She invokes the powers of evil to help her and her to achieve her objectives. She makes an evil prophecy to herself.

“Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visiting of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it!” (Act I sc v)

          Lady Macbeth desires the power. She wants to become the queen. She plotted the murder of the king to achieve the crown. She prepares the plan and encourages Macbeth to do it. She intends and plans to transfer her guilt for the two chamberlains:

“When Duncan is asleep
(Whereto the rather shall is day’s hard journey
Soundly invite him), his two chamberlains
Will I with wine and wassail so convince…
When in swinish sleep
Their drenched raptures lie as in a death,
What cannot you and I perform upon
The unguarded Duncan? What no put upon
His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt
Of our great quell?” (Act I, Sc VII, 69-80)

         Of course, Lady Macbeth is as guilty as her husband. Maybe, she is guiltier than Macbeth because she plotted the most of part of the murder of the king. She is essential part of the murder of him. If were not her, probably Macbeth would not kill Duncan and he and her wife would have lived in peace, without guilt, all day of their lives.

Macbeth

Posted on September 13, 2009 in Uncategorized by juliocesar

Is Lady Macbeth as guilty as Macbeth in the murder of the King? Comment and explain your answer. 

Hello world!

Posted on September 23, 2008 in Uncategorized by juliocesar

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