Women were overrepresented as “mad” or “hysterical” in society, but what of the men? Men were never deemed as such because that was just “men being men”. However, some British literature texts beg to differ, for example, most of the men who were extremely misogynistic start to develop a loss in their mental stability. A critical analysis of the characters Leontes from “The Winter’s Tale” and Ferdinand “The Duchess of Malfi” can attest to this male mental illness. Leontes and Ferdinand go through stages in which their misogyny manifest into madness. The first stage was demanding a specific role from women when seen in public, such as a being submissive, docile and promiscuous. The second stage was their control over the women’s womb and how
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The demands of female identity cause a disarrange in his mind, which leads him into the second stage of misogynistic madness. According to Erickson, article “Patriarchal Structures in The Winter’s Tale.” she claims that Hermione’s visible pregnancy activates a maternal image that seems in and of itself to provoke male insecurity (819). However, I disagree with this notion because Hermione female pregnancy provokes the male mentally because when Leontes strips Hermione of her maternal duties he enters the second stage of misogynistic madness. For example, he rejoices at the fact that Hermione had nothing to do with breastfeeding their first born Mamillius because he believes that she will tarnish the child and the child social standing because of her …show more content…
The five stages outline obvious reasons why Ferdinand falls prey to his irrational passion. Ferdinand begins to enter the first stage when he stereotypes his sister’s as docile and chaste. When Ferdinand starts to have suspicious about his sister whereabouts he is more distraught that she might not be as innocent or chaste as he thought “Virtue, where art thou hid? What hideous thing/ Is it that doth eclipse thee?” (3. II. 81-82). Furthermore, Ferdinand assumes that his sister is promiscuous by nature because she is a woman and woman are known to be sexual creatures, he even goes as far to call her a “lusty widow” (1.I.10). The perceived perception he has of her is one of the reason why he does not want her to marry anyone, thus his perception will be ruined and causes in effect in his mentally. As Ferdinand suspicions starts to manifest so does his mental movement into the second stage. In Frank Whigham article, “Sexual and Social Mobility in the Duchess of Malfi.", he states “Upon her husband 's death, she entered a new realm of freedom from male dominance” (6). However, she is not free because when Ferdinand employs Bosola as his intelligencer starts the beginning of his scheming into her male ridden world. Ferdinand suspect that the Duchess is with child: “Read there, - a sister dammed: she’s lose i’ hilts: Grown a notorious strumpet” (2.IV.30), his
The demands of female identity cause a disarrange in his mind, which leads him into the second stage of misogynistic madness. According to Erickson, article “Patriarchal Structures in The Winter’s Tale.” she claims that Hermione’s visible pregnancy activates a maternal image that seems in and of itself to provoke male insecurity (819). However, I disagree with this notion because Hermione female pregnancy provokes the male mentally because when Leontes strips Hermione of her maternal duties he enters the second stage of misogynistic madness. For example, he rejoices at the fact that Hermione had nothing to do with breastfeeding their first born Mamillius because he believes that she will tarnish the child and the child social standing because of her …show more content…
The five stages outline obvious reasons why Ferdinand falls prey to his irrational passion. Ferdinand begins to enter the first stage when he stereotypes his sister’s as docile and chaste. When Ferdinand starts to have suspicious about his sister whereabouts he is more distraught that she might not be as innocent or chaste as he thought “Virtue, where art thou hid? What hideous thing/ Is it that doth eclipse thee?” (3. II. 81-82). Furthermore, Ferdinand assumes that his sister is promiscuous by nature because she is a woman and woman are known to be sexual creatures, he even goes as far to call her a “lusty widow” (1.I.10). The perceived perception he has of her is one of the reason why he does not want her to marry anyone, thus his perception will be ruined and causes in effect in his mentally. As Ferdinand suspicions starts to manifest so does his mental movement into the second stage. In Frank Whigham article, “Sexual and Social Mobility in the Duchess of Malfi.", he states “Upon her husband 's death, she entered a new realm of freedom from male dominance” (6). However, she is not free because when Ferdinand employs Bosola as his intelligencer starts the beginning of his scheming into her male ridden world. Ferdinand suspect that the Duchess is with child: “Read there, - a sister dammed: she’s lose i’ hilts: Grown a notorious strumpet” (2.IV.30), his