Shakespeares Women: Surviving without male protectors

Shakespeare lived in an essentially patriarchal world. And yet, for someone writing in a society where the feminine model \u85 is silent acquiescence1 he produced a remarkable number of strong, intelligent and witty heroines particularly (though not exclusively) in the comedies. Some of these women rail against the constraints placed upon them by their society. Katharina, for example, spends most of the The Taming of the Shrew fighting against them, while at the climax of Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice cries out O God, that I were a man! (IV ii 3074). However, if Katharina and Beatrice are restricted by society, they are also afforded certain protections. A number of Shakespeares other heroines do not have this luxury. Viola in Twelfth Night, Helena in Alls Well That Ends Well and Cressida in Troilus and Cressida all lack male protectors, either through death, absence or abrogation of paternal responsibilities. All three of these women are intelligent, courageous and perceptive, and prove up to the task of fending for themselves. However, the worlds they occupy are very different, and this has a significant impact on their survival strategies. In particular, the choices they make are driven by the extent to which their societies allow them to have an innate sense of self-worth. Viola comes towards the end of a procession of cross-dressing Shakespearean heroines. Her disguise as a page is also prefigured in the works generally accepted to be Shakespeares plot sources for Twelfth Night: the 1531 Sienese comedy GlInganni, as well as two or three other Italian plays calle