Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and "Julius Caesar"

Paper Summary:

This paper states that, in these Shakespeare's plays, women are equal to men and are not excluded when it comes to love and Christianity, but they are lesser than men and are excluded when it comes to politics and power. The author explains that "The Merchant of Venice" women are portrayed as being equal to men and as having as much power as men; but, in "Julius Caesar", women are portrayed as being lesser than men and as having little power. The paper concludes that, in "The Merchant of Venice", masculine activity is limited and does not exist to isolate women; but, in "Julius Caesar", masculine activity is large and exists to exclude women.

From the Paper:

"This difference in subject and theme explains why Shakespeare offers two very different views in the two plays. These different views do not represent that Shakespeare has a view of women that is really any different in either play. Instead, it represents that Shakespeare regards women differently depending on the subject and theme to which he is applying his ideas. The differences in the play in regards to women and the sphere of masculine activity will now be described by illustrating the differences and relating them to the themes and subjects of the plays."

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