Shakespeare, Fathers and Daughters

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how William Shakespeare's plays "Othello", "King Lear" and "The Tempest" all have critical elements of familial conflict. It looks at how in "Othello" and "The Tempest", the daughters' relationships with their fathers are initially perceived as reliant and dependent; however, each daughter eventually detaches from her father to form a new attachment with another man. It discusses how "King Lear" is different from the other two because it involves multiple daughters who are not stereotypical Shakespearean era females; that is, each daughter is independent of their father from the inception of the play.

From the Paper:

"The second scene of Shakespeare's The Tempest showcases the dependence of Miranda upon her father, Prospero. Miranda calls him "my dearest father" (1.2.1) and several variants of "sir" (1.2.42, 55, 78, 88, 106, 175). In this first exchange between the two, the audience begins to understand the depth of Miranda's devotion to her father. Prospero tells the story of how he and Miranda were driven from Milan twelve years prior to the start of the play. Since then, they have lived on a deserted island and Prospero has been Miranda's only company. Her dependence is out of necessity - she had no one else to utilize as a companion during her time on the island; her closeness with her father seems completely natural. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Shakespeare, William. "The Tempest." The Complete Pelican Shakespeare. New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 730-763.
• Shakespeare, William. "King Lear: A Conflated Text." The Complete Pelican Shakespeare. New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 1573-1615.
• Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice". The Complete Pelican Shakespeare. New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 1392-1444.

More papers on Shakespeare, Fathers and Daughters:

• Comparison Essay # 91246 : "Shakespeare's Fathers and Daughters"
• Book Review # 147519 : "Fathers, Daughters and "The Merchant of Venice"
• Analytical Essay # 59836 : "Daughters Will Love Like You Do"

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