An Investigation Into The Influence Of Ramistic Rhetoric On The Rhetorical Expression Of Shakespeare\u27s Comic Heroines

The purpose of this study is to examine Shakespeare\u27s use of rhetoric in his depiction of comedic heroines. I intend to argue that the form of rhetorical expression exhibited by the women in the comedies is derived from the Elizabethan convention of the boy actor. This convention, I maintain, resulted in Shakespeare\u27s dependence on certain figures of rhetoric -- all of which were outlined by Peter Ramus and depicted in The Arcadian Rhetorike (1588) of Abraham Fraunce