Throughout the span of the plays, Shakespeare allows his female characters to establish greater independence and freedom than they would actually be allowed for the time period. This freedom is not necessarily a feminist action on Shakespeare's part, but mainly serves to upset the normal standards of society in order to create a comical situation. The very concept of feminist action was unheard of in Shakespeare's time. While her tragic heroines have more limited roles, it is the very nature of comic book heroines stepping outside of prescribed roles that allows the comedy's unpredictable scenarios to take place. The earlier plays feature a more subdued heroine than will be seen in later plays; however, she is still the driving force behind the direction of his work. The act of masquerading or cross-dressing allows the comic heroine to express herself in a way that she would not have been able to do if she had not pretended to be someone other than herself. Under the mask, however, he retains his true identity. The comic book heroine is not exclusively dependent on her male counterpart. In Shakespeare's festive comedies, there is a great dependence of female characters on mutual friendship that almost overshadows the male hero. Although Shakespeare used his comic book heroines as a narrative device, today they serve as examples of vibrant, independent women in a time when such a thing was hardly imaginable. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The heroines of Shakespeare's plays act in ways that would be seen as unseemly, improper, or even vulgar in the period in which Shakespeare wrote them. He relied on this social upheaval to create the sense of chaos that he brings to the comedy. When the chaos has calmed down and the heroine has generally returned to social graces, the play has come to an end. The possibility of betrayal in this world is very slim. Women will not betray men, the world of comics will not betray its chosen ones, the playwright will not betray our expectations of a happy ending” (Bamber 21). No matter how chaotic the situation or the comic book heroine, we are sure that everything will resolve into a happy ending. The heroine will take her rightful social place as a wife alongside the comic book hero, although he is generally much less interesting than his female counterpart. The comic book heroine does not always openly create discord. She has also been accused of using her sexuality as a form of social disorder. A female character's supposed virginity and innocence can cause enough upset to create a comical situation. Shakespeare's first play, The Taming of the Shrew, presents a subject as confusing as its comic heroine. Katherine's role has divided modern readers into two camps. According to some opinion, the play represents Shakespeare's misogynistic attitude towards women. According to the other view, the play is actually mocking misogyny and Katherine maintains control of her independence throughout the text. John C. Bean, in his essay “Comic Structure and the Humanizing of Kate in The Taming of the Shrew”, supports the second point of view. He states that Katherine's cunning at the beginning of the play is the out-of-place element that creates the comedy; however, instead of being tamed or subjugated by an overbearing husband, Katherine learns to direct her fury into a form of banter or “play” that creates a relationship of equality between her and Petruchio (Bean 72). This newly subdued Katherine, Bean argues, is no less independent than Act I's Katherine; butby learning to direct his wits into a socially acceptable form, he put an end to the upheaval caused in the first acts and allowed the show to end with everything in its proper social place. “If cunning is a kind of rigidity, a behavior pattern locked into closed, predictable responses, then the chaos of the game is a liberating force, and Kate's initial bad character is directly related to her failure to accept it” (Bean 72 ). Once Katherine embraces her ability to act, she is free to live without reproach within the confines of society. The Merchant of Venice, another early comedy, features two slightly more independent female characters; although both are still tied to their respective male oppressors. Jessica depends on her fiancé Lancelot to free her from her unfortunate situation as a Jew and make her a respectable Christian member of society. Portia's character demonstrates a more independent heroine; however his life is still dominated by the provisions of his dead father. Jessica dares to go against her father's wishes by leaving him, robbing him, and marrying a Christian man. Portia presides over her Belmont home, but she does not ignore her father's wishes by simply choosing her own suitor. “Her will coincides with the terms of her father's will” (Bamber 117), and she is not forced to choose her own will over her father's. Jessica's decision, while courageous, does little to advance the plot. It increases the comic aspect of the work by further upsetting the social order of the world of Venice. Ultimately it is Portia who becomes the director of the show, taking control at the end of the fourth act to save her husband's best friend. It once again eliminates the need to choose between maintaining social order with Antonio's death or letting the bad guy do what he wants and allowing a respected figure in the community to die. “The course of the law is maintained and Antonio is saved; thanks to comic book heroine we can have it both ways” (Bamber 118). It is through Portia's decision to disguise herself as a man and enter the courtroom, a place that she would not have been allowed as a woman, that the work manages to return to its original social order. It's through festive comedies that Shakespeare really lets his comic heroines shine; their character development is more extensive than Katherine's. “When the shrew challenges the social order, it reasserts itself in response; the comic heroine, in contrast, emerges when and where the social order can be taken for granted” (Bamber 36). It is by taking the social order for granted that gives holiday comedies their sense of play and joy. A Midsummer Night's Dream was written before the three traditionally accepted holiday plays, but has more in common with them than with other earlier plays. Already in the first act, scene one, Hermia decides to disobey her father and run away with the man she loves. She makes the choice that Portia was able to avoid in The Merchant of Venice. She chooses her husband; she does not allow her father to choose for her, even though she must venture into the Green World to fulfill his wish. Helena completely disrupts social conventions by refusing to wait to be courted by a man. She knows she wants Demetrius and pursues him thoroughly and comically. It is because she breaks the social conventions of sitting silently and waiting for a man to choose her that her pursuit of Demetrius becomes comical. Titania's character is strong-willed without being bitchy. The female heroine is able to challenge the social order in the Green World, where chaos reigns supreme. Unlike the Green Worlds of other holiday comedies, however, in the Green World of A Midnight's Dreamsummer, it is Oberon who plays the stage manager and controls the actions of the other characters. While Hermia and Helena ultimately manage to get what they want and receive the approval of Aegeus and Theseus, Titania must ultimately submit to Oberon's rule after he mocks her into falling in love with Bottom. The remaining three holiday comedies feature strong, independent comic book heroines whose intentions and desires guide the course of their respective comedies. Hero is the beautiful young virgin from Much Ado About Nothing, but she is not the comic book heroine. She is too passive, too accommodating; she is the recipient of the action of her play, not the stage manager. Beatrice, with her wit, charm and commanding presence, confidently steps into the role of comic heroine for this comedy. “Beatrice [is a woman] freed by her father, and [her] voice is that of the adult world, where Hero is still a child” (Dusinberre 96). Being free from a father figure, Beatrice also has the freedom to choose her own husband and to refuse a royal suitor such as the Prince, while Hero was under orders from her father not to refuse the Prince's offer of betrothal, if it were made. away. Beatrice has the same sharp tongue as Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew, and her uncle calls her a shrew: “Truly, niece, you will never get a husband if you are so crafty with your tongue” (Shakespeare, Much 1397). Unlike Katherine, Beatrice is never punished for her cunning, but is instead matched with a man with as sharp a wit as she possesses. When Hero is slandered at her first wedding, Beatrice accuses Benedick of killing Claudio. Benedetto initially refuses, but Beatrice manages to convince him to change his mind with her words of fury and desperation. “O God, if I were a man! I would eat her heart in the market place”, (Shakespeare, Much 1429) Beatrice cries. As the heroines of later holiday comedies will understand, there are limits to being a woman. Beatrice cannot avenge Hero in his female form. Instead, she must convince Benedetto to act for her. Shakespeare gives his character enough verbal wit to eventually convince Benedick to agree to kill his friend. Beatrice may be limited in her actions, but she can manipulate with her words. The festive comedy As You Like It belongs entirely to the comic heroine Rosalind. He takes the act of masquerading, a common comic element, to a high level by taking on not only the face but also the personality of the young Ganymede. Rosalind accepts her limitations as a woman in the same way as Beatrice; however, she does not depend on a man to carry out her plans. She herself simply assumes the identity of a man. This new identity frees Rosalind from the constraints of the court and allows her to move the show to the Green World to achieve resolution (Claiborne Park 108). When she meets the object of her affections as Ganymede, she encourages him to woo her as if Ganymede were Rosalind. In this way he is able to control how their relationship will take shape; she is not passive in her role as lover. She is the director of the show. Writer Claiborne Park states that "Rosalind's decisions control the flow of As You Like It, and it is through her agency that the four couples come together in the final wedding dance that... embodies for the audience the restored harmony that is the essence of Shakespearean comedy" (107).When the shepherdess Phoebe falls in love with Ganymede, Rosalind manages to manipulate the situation in such a way that Phoebe ends up marrying Sylvius. Rosalind is also given the task of reciting the play's epilogue, which she acknowledges is not typical for a female role. It is her strength of character that leads the audience to trust her enough to finish the show. He took over theher role as a woman, submissive to her husband, even though he has now been educated – by her – and the social order has been restored. Yet he still manages to have the final say. The pinnacle of holiday comedies features two intelligent and formidable heroines. Twelfth Night features Olivia, a countess who has no bonds but her own, and Viola, who is shipwrecked in an unknown city. Instead of accepting the help of the ship's captain, she chooses to fend for herself by assuming the identity of a man and enlisting the captain as her servant. Viola doesn't seem to appreciate her masking as much as Rosalind. The difference could be that Rosalinda, although disguised as Ganymede, was sure of Orlando's love, while Viola, disguised as Cesario, must deliver love messages from the man she desires to another woman. Viola is the only heroine engaged in a duel and courageously draws her sword, even though she admits to the audience that she is afraid. “Pray to God to defend me. A little thing would be enough to make me tell them how much I miss a man” (Shakespeare, Twelfth 1805). Olivia's character is strong, but she is overshadowed by Viola's wit and tenacity. Olivia rules her family; he does not answer to his dead father or brutal living uncle. Olivia doesn't need to change sex to maintain her strength, but she disguises herself with her mourning veil. She uses her brother's death as an excuse to avoid a marriage she doesn't like, but abandons the ban when she falls in love with Cesario. She will marry only those she chooses and will not tolerate being courted by those who do not have her interest. Shakespeare devotes a significant portion of his later plays to the close relationships between his female characters. Helena scolds Hermia for mocking her grief after "all the counsel [they] two have shared – / The sisters' vows, the hours we have spent" (Shakespeare, Midsummer 839). It is true that Hermia appears to abandon Helena as she flees the city with Lysander. Friendship in this earlier play lasts only as long as the love of the right man. When everyone is paired correctly, Helena and Hermia are friends again. Beatrice and Hero have such a close relationship that they sleep in the same bed. Hero knows Beatrice's nightly habit of waking up laughing in case she has an unpleasant dream. When Hero is slandered, Beatrice is enraged enough to demand Claudio's death. Rosalind and Celia “learned, played, ate together, / And wherever we went, like Juno's swans / Yet we went paired and inseparable” (Shakespeare, As You 1610). It is through these close relationships that the characters are free to truly express themselves. This expression is especially important for Rosalind and Celia, who are masked from the rest of the world. “In this open air, far from the court, where fathers laugh and let their daughters go, Ganymede and Aliena transform women's speech into a dynamic art form” (McKewin 123). Celia is the only person Rosalind can talk to about her love for Orlando while disguised as Ganymede. Shakespeare gave the heroines of his plays strong voices and memorable personalities. They cleverly steal the spotlight from forgettable heroes; comedies belong to women. “Women are forced to keep watch in a world ruled by men, and the power of Shakespeare's heroines over the male world in the plays comes from their detachment from it, their departure from its assumptions” (Dusinberre 156). Shakespeare needs his women to be unruly and out of place. Without their boldness, there would be no discord leading to a comical situation. Shakespeare's early comic heroines, as we have seen, are no match for their later sisters. Katherine and Portia are beautifully written and dominate their respective stories; however Beatrice, Rosalind, Olivia and Viola., 1997. 1761-1821.