Bed-trick and forced marriages. Shakespeare’s distortion of romantic comedy motifs in Measure for Measure
Although Measure for Measure ends with marriages and thus looks like a comedy, its ending leaves the audience unsettled. The Problem Plays in general, and Measure for Measure in particular, contrast with Shakespeare’s earlier, “romantic” comedies although one finds in it some of their features and p...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte"
2013-01-01
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| Series: | Sillages Critiques |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/2584 |
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| author | Frédérique Fouassier |
| author_facet | Frédérique Fouassier |
| author_sort | Frédérique Fouassier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although Measure for Measure ends with marriages and thus looks like a comedy, its ending leaves the audience unsettled. The Problem Plays in general, and Measure for Measure in particular, contrast with Shakespeare’s earlier, “romantic” comedies although one finds in it some of their features and patterns. But these motifs are treated in an ironical way and seen through a distorting mirror. The marriage bed to which couples withdraw at the end of romantic comedies here takes the shape of the morally puzzling bed-trick, and marriage itself, which is conventionally the emblem of fulfilment and embodies a promise of happiness and harmony, is marked with negative connotations. One of the most blatant consequences of the distortion of romantic comedy motifs in Measure for Measure is the disempowerment of female characters: at the conclusion of the play, they are violently levelled out, at the lowest possible level: they all become Kate Keepdowns. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d42dbc8494e741fdafd60ac3b165b898 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1272-3819 1969-6302 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Centre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte" |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sillages Critiques |
| spelling | doaj-art-d42dbc8494e741fdafd60ac3b165b8982025-01-30T13:46:38ZengCentre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte"Sillages Critiques1272-38191969-63022013-01-011510.4000/sillagescritiques.2584Bed-trick and forced marriages. Shakespeare’s distortion of romantic comedy motifs in Measure for MeasureFrédérique FouassierAlthough Measure for Measure ends with marriages and thus looks like a comedy, its ending leaves the audience unsettled. The Problem Plays in general, and Measure for Measure in particular, contrast with Shakespeare’s earlier, “romantic” comedies although one finds in it some of their features and patterns. But these motifs are treated in an ironical way and seen through a distorting mirror. The marriage bed to which couples withdraw at the end of romantic comedies here takes the shape of the morally puzzling bed-trick, and marriage itself, which is conventionally the emblem of fulfilment and embodies a promise of happiness and harmony, is marked with negative connotations. One of the most blatant consequences of the distortion of romantic comedy motifs in Measure for Measure is the disempowerment of female characters: at the conclusion of the play, they are violently levelled out, at the lowest possible level: they all become Kate Keepdowns.https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/2584ShakespearecomedyMeasure for Measurewomenmarriagebed-trick |
| spellingShingle | Frédérique Fouassier Bed-trick and forced marriages. Shakespeare’s distortion of romantic comedy motifs in Measure for Measure Sillages Critiques Shakespeare comedy Measure for Measure women marriage bed-trick |
| title | Bed-trick and forced marriages. Shakespeare’s distortion of romantic comedy motifs in Measure for Measure |
| title_full | Bed-trick and forced marriages. Shakespeare’s distortion of romantic comedy motifs in Measure for Measure |
| title_fullStr | Bed-trick and forced marriages. Shakespeare’s distortion of romantic comedy motifs in Measure for Measure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bed-trick and forced marriages. Shakespeare’s distortion of romantic comedy motifs in Measure for Measure |
| title_short | Bed-trick and forced marriages. Shakespeare’s distortion of romantic comedy motifs in Measure for Measure |
| title_sort | bed trick and forced marriages shakespeare s distortion of romantic comedy motifs in measure for measure |
| topic | Shakespeare comedy Measure for Measure women marriage bed-trick |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/2584 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT frederiquefouassier bedtrickandforcedmarriagesshakespearesdistortionofromanticcomedymotifsinmeasureformeasure |