Gender
English Lit: AQA GCSE Much Ado About Nothing, topic 9.2.2
Quotations About Gender
Shakespeare predominantly wrote during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a famously strong female in a patriarchal society, much like Beatrice.
“Shrew’d of tongue”
- Messina is clearly dominated by men.
- Antonio tells Beatrice she will never find a husband if she doesn’t calm her headstrong, independent nature.
"Tame her wild art"
- Accepting Benedick’s love for her, Beatrice states she will “tame her wild heart”.
Beatrice
- “Would it not grieve a woman to be overmaster’d by a piece o valiant dust?”
- As the niece of both Leonato and Antonio, Beatrice does not have to comply with the same expectations as her cousin, Hero.
- She is able to be outspoken, to question the expectations of her own gender.
Test yourself on Gender
Who describes Beatrice as being “shrew’d of tongue”?
What's the missing word?
Beatrice says she will "____ her wild art"