Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Comparative Literature, grade: 1, 3, LMU Munich (Institut für Englische Philologie), course: Shakespeare's Tragedies, 15 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: "Ja, diese Cleopatra ist ein Weib, in der holdseligsten und
vermaledeitesten Bedeutung des Wortes." (Heine 1978: 57)
This statement - having been published in 1838 - lacks both the
scientific objectivity and the political correctness that we today
consider crucial for any literary criticism. Yet while already
containing the important aspects: the dichotomy "holdselig" vs.
"vermaledeit", it stresses the importance of the female protagonist and
considers her a prototype of "the female". Many critics followed the
German poet and important critic of the time (who was far from
limiting his criticism to literature) in all three points.
The aim of this paper is to discuss feminist approaches to the play -
most prominently the one of Coppélia Kahn - and to point out ways in
which post-structuralist theories could complement these approaches.
I will base my argumentation on the Arden edition of Antony and
Cleopatra, mostly because the annotations allow for a comparison of
the text to Shakespeare's source, Plutarch. The changes, the varying
importance given to events, passages and dramatic intention - these
all turn out to be extremely helpful.