Ronya Oral Exam PDF

What is rhetoric ? In 2008 English Dictionary defined rhetoric as the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing adding immediately language to the persuasive or impressive effect but often lacking in sincerity or meaningful content. The history of rhetoric, therefore, is marked by differe...

What is rhetoric ? In 2008 English Dictionary defined rhetoric as the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing adding immediately language to the persuasive or impressive effect but often lacking in sincerity or meaningful content. The history of rhetoric, therefore, is marked by different attitudes toward the relationship between language (verbum) and things (res). These shifting perspectives have deeply influenced how rhetoric is understood and used over time.Saussure suggested that the connection between words and the things they represent is arbitrary. This shift made it harder to see language merely as a reflection of reality and opened up the possibility of using language to construct new realities. Jacques Derrida's work on deconstruction, with his famous assertion "there is no outside of the text," encapsulated this thinking. Derrida did not deny the existence of things themselves, but emphasized that we can only access them through the systems of language. Aristotle countered by saying that rhetoric is not fundamentally an art of persuasion but like dialectic of proof and demonstration. for Aristotle it is the task of rhetoric to demonstrate both sides of an argument in order to get closer to the truth What kind of education did shakespeare have and how does he stand in relation to elizabethian education ? Rhetoric was an essential part of Elizabethan education, serving as one of the primary disciplines taught in grammar schools. Students were trained in persuasive speech, classical argumentation, and stylistic embellishment, all of which are evident in Shakespeare’s plays. grammar, logic, and rhetoric, formed the foundation of intellectual training. Among the most influential texts was Erasmus’ De Copia (1512), The Elizabethan fascination with rhetoric as a tool for shaping thought and emotion is evident in the numerous rhetorical manuals published during the period.By the late 16th century, the English language had undergone a transformation, shifting from its earlier status as a "base" and "barbarous" tongue to a language capable of literary and philosophical depth. Shakespeare played an importang role in this transformation, coining new words and employing rhetorical techniques that elevated English literary expression. Performance vs performativity Judiths Buddler Idea of Performativity suggetst That IDenties such as gender social roles or power is somethinh we are born with or is fixed instead its created or performe through repeated actions behaviour and language Performativity ist Not about acting as in the Play but about how repeated actions create reality Butler argues that our understanding of the body is shaped by social discourses (language, norms, and institutions). We tend to think of the body as a biological given, but what we mean by "male" or "female" bodies is deeply influenced by cultural and social expectations Gender is Something One Does, Not Something One Is We usually think of gender as something we "are" (e.g., "I am a woman/man"). Butler challenges this, arguing that gender is a process—a set of actions that we continuously perform based on societal expectations. Performative vs. Performance * A performance (like an actor on stage) implies that there is a person behind the action. * Performativity, however, suggests that the act itself produces the illusion of a stable identity. In other words, gender is not an expression of an inner self—it creates the self. * Example: We say someone is a woman because she acts, dresses, and behaves in a way that aligns with societal expectations of "womanhood." But it’s the repeated doing of these actions that makes the category "woman" appear real and natural. What This Means in Practice * If people stopped performing traditional gender roles, the categories of "man" and "woman" would lose their meaning. Examples from Literature and Culture * Shakespeare’s Cross-Dressing Heroines (Twelfth Night, As You Like It) * Viola (from Twelfth Night) and Rosalind (from As You Like It) disguise themselves as men. * When they perform masculinity (e.g., changing their clothes, speech, and mannerisms), they are treated as men. * This suggests that gender is not an innate truth but a set of performed behaviors that others recognize and respond to. * If Viola can "become" a man just by changing how she acts, then gender is clearly something one does rather than something one is. Examples from Real Life * Drag Performance & Gender Fluidity * Drag queens and kings deliberately exaggerate gender norms, showing that gender is a performance rather than a fixed identity. * A drag queen "performs" femininity (makeup, clothing, gestures), yet outside of drag, they may not identify as a woman. * This demonstrates how gender is constructed through repeated actions rather than something one is born with. 4 THESIS Central to the act of theatre is the attempt of the actor to persuade an audience s/he is another person. At the core of theatre is the actor’s ability to convince the audience that they are someone else. This is the fundamental illusion of drama—actors use voice, movement, and expression to persuade us that they are not themselves but the characters they portray. The act of persuasion in Shakespeare’s theatreis not restricted to the act of persuading the audience that the actor is the character s/he plays. The characters themselves are perpetually engaged in acts of persuading one another. Beyond the actor persuading the audience, Shakespeare’s plays are full of characters persuading one another. Many dramatic conflicts in his works arise from characters trying to convince, manipulate, or deceive others. For example: Iago in Othello manipulates Othello into believing Desdemona is unfaithful. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth constantly try to persuade each other about their ambitions and fears. The persuader/character can also function as a kind of theatre director who manipulates a scene in order to produce a particular rhetorical effect. Some characters take control of scenes almost like theatre directors, shaping events and controlling how others perceive them. They stage moments within the play itself. For example: Hamlet directs The Mousetrap to manipulate Claudius’s reaction. Iago orchestrates the downfall of Othello by carefully setting up conversations and “scenes” to create a false narrative. The complex rhetorical act of Shakespearean theatre (actor persuading audience that character persuades character, and character acting as theatre director) is made still more complex when the character (rather than the actor) reflects on play-acting itself. Shakespeare’s plays become even more complex when characters themselves reflect on the nature of acting and performance. This blurs the line between acting and reality. Some key examples: Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy questions identity and performance. Jaques in As You Like It delivers the “All the world’s a stage” speech, seeing life itself as a performance. I chose to focus on the representation of women in Shakespeare’s plays because it offers a insight into both Elizabethan society and Shakespeare’s own perspective on gender roles. Women in his works often navigate a world dominated by men, where their power is either restricted by societal norms or subverted through wit, disguise, or ambition. Examining how female characters are portrayed—whether as rebellious, submissive, strong-willed, or tragic—reveals much about expectations of women and how these expectations were reinforced or challenged. This focus remains important today because Shakespeare’s works continue to shape literature, theater, and cultural discussions on gender. His female characters reflect themes of agency, power, and societal constraints that are still relevant in modern debates on gender equality. These same struggles persist today in debates about gender equality, workplace discrimination, and the pressure for women to conform to certain roles in society. Shakespeare’s female characters often navigate the tension between personal desires and societal expectations, with some conforming to traditional roles and others challenging them. Characters like Lady Macbeth in Macbeth and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing defy traditional expectations. Lady Macbeth is ambitious and manipulative, influencing her husband to commit regicide, while Beatrice is witty, outspoken, and challenges traditional gender roles in romantic relationships. LADY MACBETH The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements. Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood. Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between The effect and it! Come to my woman’s breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry “Hold, hold!” She rejects her prescribed role as a nurturing woman to urge her husband toward murder. Lady Macbeth expresses her ambition and determination, urging Macbeth to seize the throne by murdering King Duncan. She says, “Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here…” This reflects her rejection of traditional feminine qualities in favor of power. Relation to Society: Women were expected to be subservient; Lady Macbeth’s dominance over Macbeth contrasts this. And in terms of rhetorical figures we can see that (good notes) The raven is a traditional symbol of death, and here it is personified, given a “hoarse” voice, implying a grim and ominous omen. This metaphor introduces the theme of death and foreshadows Duncan’s murder. Anaphora come This repetition emphasizes Lady Macbeth’s desperate plea for power and transformation. Each repetition strengthens her desire to be filled with cruelty and resolve. Anithese The contrast between “unsex me” and “fill me with cruelty” highlights Lady Macbeth’s rejection of femininity. In Shakespeare’s time, women were often associated with passivity and nurturing (symbolized by “milk” and “breasts”), but Lady Macbeth wants to abandon these traits to gain the aggressive power typically attributed to men. “Thickening her blood” is a metaphor for numbing her conscience, while “stopping up access to remorse” suggests that she wants to remove any feelings of guilt or moral hesitation. This imagery underscores her desire for ruthless determination. And if we think about a ‘Feminine Way of Performance’ Her calculated hand-washing in Macbeth, contrasting with her husband’s violent gestures, exemplifies a more subtle expression of power in female characters. Female characters in Shakespeare often exhibit control through restrained and deliberate actions, which contrasts with the bold, dominant physicality of male characters. In Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice offers a sharp critique of traditional romantic expectations. In Act 1, Scene 1, she declares: “I thank God and my cold blood I am of your humor for that. I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.” Beatrice mocks the societal expectation that women should be focused on romance, preferring instead the companionship of her dog to the declarations of love from men. Her witty and independent nature stands in stark contrast to the conventional notion of women as passive objects of affection. The line is ironic, as Beatrice’s disdain for love is more a defense mechanism than a genuine rejection. While she claims to disdain romantic affection, the audience is aware that she is capable of love, as demonstrated later in the play. Beatrice’s use of the dog and crow metaphor is a subtle form of satire. The crow, often associated with death or ill omens, underscores her negative view of love, while the dog’s bark highlights her belief that romantic expressions are both unnecessary and irritating. The antithesis between the dog and a man’s love serves to dismiss romantic affection as trivial and bothersome. In contrast, characters such as Ophelia in Hamlet and Desdemona in Othello embody the vulnerability of women within patriarchal systems. Ophelia, controlled by her father and brother, ultimately succumbs to madness, while Desdemona’s innocence and loyalty are manipulated, leading to her tragic death. In Hamlet, Ophelia’s submission to the authority of her father Polonius and her brother Laertes reflects the limited agency granted to women within the context of a patriarchal society. In Act 1, Scene 3, Polonius advises her: “You do not understand yourself so clearly / As it behoves my daughter and your honour.” This line illustrates the societal expectation that women should conform to male authority, a theme that permeates Ophelia’s interactions and ultimately contributes to her mental collapse. In Othello, Desdemona remains loyal to Othello despite his abuse. In Act 4, Scene 2, she says: “I understand a fury in your words, / But not the words,” This line highlights Desdemona’s confusion and vulnerability, trapped in a destructive relationship, illustrating the tragic consequences of a woman’s loyalty in a society that seeks to control her. Desdemona’s love for Othello defies societal and racial norms, In Act 5, Scene 2: She forgives Othello even as he kills her, highlighting her tragic devotion. “Nobody; I myself. Farewell.” Female Characters and Societal Pressure to Marry In many of Shakespeare’s plays, female characters struggle with the pressure to marry according to family and societal expectations. Characters like Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream challenge these pressures, even risking their lives, in order to follow their own desires and marry for love. Juliet in Romeo and Juliet In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet defies her family’s wishes when she falls in love with Romeo, the son of their enemy. In Act 1, Scene 5, she says: “My only love sprung from my only hate! / Too early seen unknown, and known too late!” Here, Juliet realizes that her love for Romeo is complicated because they come from families that hate each other. This shows the conflict between what she feels (her love for Romeo) and what society expects (that she should marry within her own family’s alliances). Juliet’s love is an act of rebellion against her family, and this tension highlights the pressure women face to marry according to their family’s wishes. Romeo and Juliet 2.1 JULIET O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; […] 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; Juliet questions whether names truly define identity, arguing that Romeo would be the same person regardless of being a Montague. This aligns with 20th-century linguistic theory, particularly Saussure’s idea that the connection between words and meanings is arbitrary. However, the passage challenges this notion, asking whether a rose would still “smell as sweet” if it were called something else—suggesting that language shapes our perception of reality. Shakespeare scholar Stephen Greenblatt argues that words are not entirely arbitrary, as Romeo and Juliet’s love is deeply tied to language. If words had no power, their love might be free, but because names carry social weight, their love is ultimately doomed by the very act of naming. The passage concludes that human beings, as Aristotle described, are linguistic animals—inescapably bound by language even when they seek to transcend it. Romeo and Juliet, despite their desire to escape the constraints of names, are ultimately trapped by them. Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hermia refuses to marry the man her father, Egeus, has chosen for her, Demetrius. Instead, she insists on marrying Lysander, the man she loves. In Act 1, Scene 1, she says: “I would my father looked but with my eyes.” Hermia is challenging her father’s authority, choosing to marry the man she loves despite the consequences. Her defiance is serious—her father threatens to have her killed or sent to a convent if she doesn’t obey him. Hermia’s decision shows how strong she is in making her own choice, even when society and her family push her in a different direction. Disguise and Subversion: Cross-dressing heroines like Rosalind in As You Like It and Viola in Twelfth Night exploit male attire to navigate a male-dominated world, gaining agency while highlighting the fluidity of gender roles. Rosalind in As You Like It: Act 3, Scene 2: Rosalind, disguised as Ganymede, playfully teaches Orlando about love while secretly testing his feelings for her. “Love is merely a madness.” Viola in Twelfth Night: Act 1, Scene 4: Viola, disguised as Cesario, gains access to Duke Orsino’s court, earning his trust and navigating a world closed to women. “I’ll do my best / To woo your lady.” In Shakespeare’s works, cross-dressing female protagonists like Rosalind in As You Like It and Viola in Twelfth Night use male attire as a means to navigate a male- dominated society. Their disguises provide them with the opportunity to gain agency and challenge the restrictions placed on them by gender norms. These characters demonstrate the fluidity of gender roles, as their male personas grant them freedoms that would otherwise be inaccessible, while simultaneously exposing the performative nature of gender itself. Rosalind in As You Like It In As You Like It, Rosalind, disguised as the young man Ganymede, exploits her male attire to engage in playful and strategic interactions with Orlando. In Act 3, Scene 2, she remarks: “Love is merely a madness.” This statement reflects Rosalind’s understanding of love as a transformative and irrational force. By assuming a male identity, she is able to manipulate the situation— testing Orlando’s feelings for her while maintaining the freedom to direct the conversation. The disguise allows Rosalind to step outside the traditional constraints of her gender, giving her the power to control her interactions and challenge the gender expectations of her time. Her ability to shift between masculine and feminine personas emphasizes the performative aspect of gender and highlights the flexibility within gender roles. Her role as Ganymede allows her to teach Orlando how to love, subverting traditional gender roles by becoming both mentor and lover. This highlights how gender itself can be performed and is not inherently tied to biology. Viola in Twelfth Night Similarly, in Twelfth Night, Viola adopts the disguise of Cesario in order to gain access to Duke Orsino’s court, a space that would otherwise be closed to women. In Act 1, Scene 4, she says: “I’ll do my best / To woo your lady.” Viola’s male disguise allows her to move within the male-dominated world of the court, earning the trust of the Duke and gaining a position of influence. The disguise enables her to manipulate social dynamics and navigate a world restricted to women, showcasing the ways in which gender roles can be subverted through the performance of another identity. Viola’s disguise also positions her as a more active participant in the romantic developments of the play, as she uses her male persona to woo Olivia on behalf of the Duke, all while hiding her true identity. In Act 2, Scene 2, Viola reflects on the complexities of her disguise, especially as Olivia falls in love with her male persona: “Disguise, I see, thou art a wickedness / Wherein the pregnant enemy does much.” Here, Viola acknowledges the unintended consequences of her deception. While the disguise grants her freedom and agency, it also leads to confusion and complications, especially when Olivia falls in love with her male form, unaware of her true identity. This moment reveals the limitations and moral ambiguities of using disguise to navigate societal expectations, while also emphasizing the fluidity and constructed nature of gender identities. Shakespeare’s portrayal of women is complex and multifaceted, capturing both individual depth and societal roles. His female characters embody a range of responses to societal expectations, from compliance to rebellion, making them timeless figures who continue to resonate in discussions of gender and power. These examples illustrate how Shakespeare’s women navigate their worlds, whether by defying, conforming to, or reshaping societal expectations. Each character adds depth to Shakespeare’s commentary on gender and power.