Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
First Advisor
Benson, Pamela J.
Document Type
Thesis
School
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Department
English
Date of Original Version
5-2007
Abstract
Examines the function of the trope of the couterfeit death for two Shakespearean heroines, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Hero in Much Ado about Nothing. Using the plays, antecedents, analogues, and cultural materials, argues that the feigned death functions as a strategy for coping with the limitations and strictures of the heroines' cultural environment; it helps them achieve their particular goals, in both cases a desired marriage. Thus, the heroines become active players in the plots, exercising a measure of agency by counterfeiting death, rather than passive victims of the patriarchal culture.
Recommended Citation
Bowman, Julie, "'Many Feign As They Are Dead": The Counterfeit Death in Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado about Nothing" (2007). Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview. 14.
https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/etd/14
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
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