The Dramatic Function of Women in Shakespearian Comedy

The Dramatic Function of Women in Shakespearian Comedy

The roles of women in Shakespeare’s comedies tend to focus around love and relationships unlike the roles of men, which tend to revolve around power and ego. The roles of women specifically in Shakespeare’s comedies As You Like It, Twelfth Night, All’s Well That Ends Well, and Measure for Measure are few however; they are essential to establishing the play’s story line. Firstly, the leading ladies’ must create a conflict through the idealization of themselves and their respective male counterparts, which is used as the initial conflict that the play is based upon. Secondly, the women must endure some sort of transformation in order for the plot to continue. Thirdly, the women must use manipulation as the means of solving conflict or seeking some sort of revenge. By examining the dramatic function of women in the above four Shakespearian comedies one will observe that the roles of women are of vital importance to t...