According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word bawd can be defined as, “one employed in pandering to sexual debauchery, a procurer or procuress, a ‘go-between’”, or as, “he who or that which panders to any evil sign or vicious practice”. While in current context the word is connotative of a female prostitute, it was not until the 1700s that bawd was strictly feminine and no longer applied to both sexes as it was in previous centuries. The etymology of the word bawd is uncertain; there is no outright connection to anything that denotes promiscuity or sexuality, however, there is a possibility the word is a French abbreviation. The lack of certainty of the origin of the word bawd provides the word with greater contextual malleability,
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Truewit portrays the woman as psychotic and looking to satiate her self-interests, asking when her husband will die so she can assume his wealth, and questioning if her servant loves her, delineating the woman as cold and sexually devious. Lastly, Truewit exclaims that the woman will also ask the conjuror, “which of her family would make/the best bawd, male or female?”(2.2.128-129). This use of the word reinforces that “bawd” was applicable to both males and females during the 1600s, and illuminates a female curiosity not only regarding morality and sexuality, but gossip as well. This moment is particularly satirical considering all theater roles at the time were played by boys, and the play specifically shatters gender expectations when Epicene is revealed to be a boy and not a woman. The play footnote defines bawd as “pander”, which from basic google searching means to gratify or indulge. This footnote thus denotes that to indulge in sexuality was to be a bawd, therefore aligning the gratification of sexual desires alongside deviant, immoral behavior. Once again, the context emphasizes the satirical tone which morally undermines female sexuality, thus putting “bawd” in conversation with femininity in a negative …show more content…
This text gives a direct correlation between socio-economic status and sexuality, advising, “If she a Queene, I say nothing but go preserue her. If she a Lady, she make lacke honour, and that were shameful…If a begger, she may be a Bawde,, and so a baggage…”( C v). This excerpt strengthens the connection between sexuality and status, considering how the sexual identity of a woman was determined by her societal status. Associating “bawd” and “beggar” suggests that a beggar’s sexuality revolves around their socio-economic status. Creating this hierarchical system of women based off of their sexuality ultimately implies that regardless of the status of a woman, men are superior because they are the ones dictating these sexual identities. By depicting men’s sexuality as superior, women’s sexuality as a whole is not only devalued but also labeled as aberrant. Epicene supports this message as well; the only characters which benefit in the play are males who manipulated gender expectations and imposed social hierarchies in order to do
Truewit portrays the woman as psychotic and looking to satiate her self-interests, asking when her husband will die so she can assume his wealth, and questioning if her servant loves her, delineating the woman as cold and sexually devious. Lastly, Truewit exclaims that the woman will also ask the conjuror, “which of her family would make/the best bawd, male or female?”(2.2.128-129). This use of the word reinforces that “bawd” was applicable to both males and females during the 1600s, and illuminates a female curiosity not only regarding morality and sexuality, but gossip as well. This moment is particularly satirical considering all theater roles at the time were played by boys, and the play specifically shatters gender expectations when Epicene is revealed to be a boy and not a woman. The play footnote defines bawd as “pander”, which from basic google searching means to gratify or indulge. This footnote thus denotes that to indulge in sexuality was to be a bawd, therefore aligning the gratification of sexual desires alongside deviant, immoral behavior. Once again, the context emphasizes the satirical tone which morally undermines female sexuality, thus putting “bawd” in conversation with femininity in a negative …show more content…
This text gives a direct correlation between socio-economic status and sexuality, advising, “If she a Queene, I say nothing but go preserue her. If she a Lady, she make lacke honour, and that were shameful…If a begger, she may be a Bawde,, and so a baggage…”( C v). This excerpt strengthens the connection between sexuality and status, considering how the sexual identity of a woman was determined by her societal status. Associating “bawd” and “beggar” suggests that a beggar’s sexuality revolves around their socio-economic status. Creating this hierarchical system of women based off of their sexuality ultimately implies that regardless of the status of a woman, men are superior because they are the ones dictating these sexual identities. By depicting men’s sexuality as superior, women’s sexuality as a whole is not only devalued but also labeled as aberrant. Epicene supports this message as well; the only characters which benefit in the play are males who manipulated gender expectations and imposed social hierarchies in order to do