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"Say what you can, my false o'erweighs your true"
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Talarico, Christine Elizabeth. "Say what you can, my false o'erweighs your true". Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3ZG6QJR

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Title"Say what you can, my false o'erweighs your true"
NameTalarico, Christine Elizabeth (author); Akhimie, Patricia (chair); Sohrawardy, Ameer (internal member); Rutgers University; Graduate School - Newark
Date Created2014
Other Date2014-05 (degree)
SubjectEnglish, Sex crimes in literature, Confession in literature, Shakespeare, William,--1564-1616--Characters--Women, Shakespeare, William,--1564-1616--Criticism and interpretation
Extentii, 99 p.
DescriptionThis thesis examines the treatment of women accused of sexual crimes in four plays by William Shakespeare, including Othello, Much Ado about Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, and Measure for Measure. Though Desdemona, Hero, Katharina, and Isabella are not tried in a courtroom, they are put through trial processes, including accusations, interrogations, and confessions. This study draws from several fields, incorporating historical, literary, gender, criminological, and sociological scholarship, ultimately investigating how the treatment of the accused women in the plays may reflect or criticize contemporary social norms. Applying modern legal terminology to these early modern plays allows for a thorough examination of the biases against accused female characters and of the protections they are denied. The experience of watching these “trials” onstage reinforced the crucial role of the early modern playgoing community in interpreting and judging character. The verdicts that audiences reached, as they negotiated women’s innocence and guilt within these plays, exposed the flaws of existing legal practices and called into question early modern notions of the “ideal” woman.
NoteM.A.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
NoteIncludes vita
Noteby Christine Elizabeth Talarico
Genretheses, ETD graduate
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3ZG6QJR
Languageeng
CollectionGraduate School - Newark Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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