Link texts Flashcards
Merry Wives of Windsor
There is a great deal of deception in this play. In fact, all of the characters are deceiving others at some point. The greatest deception is amongst the wives, who band together to deceive Falstaff in order to teach him a lesson.
Ann also proves herself to be a powerful female when she outwits her parents and marries the person she has chosen for herself and not the person they have each chosen for her.
Much Ado about Nothing
dwells on the way that language and communication affect our perception of reality.
The Merchant of Venice
Closely related to the theme of prejudice and intolerance is the theme of humanity—and the inhumanity of which various characters accuse one another. In insulting and abusing Shylock, the Venetians frequently denigrate him as an animal or devil.
The Taming of the Shrew
Issues related to gender are hugely important in this play, which centers around Petruchio “taming” Katherine and forcing her into the traditionally submissive role of a wife.
But, although the play contains much misogyny on-stage, it can also be seen as exposing some of the fallacies of traditional, oppressive gender roles.
Romeo and Juliet
By connecting love with pain and ultimately with suicide, Shakespeare suggests that there is an inherent sense of violence in many of the physical and emotional facets of expressing love—a chaotic and complex emotion very different from the serene, idealized sweetness it’s so often portrayed as being violent.
