《冬天的故事》中辯才、私通、與陽剛身分 - 政大學術集成

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(1)國立政治大學英國語文學系碩士班碩士論文. 指導教授 : 姜翠芬先生 Adviser: Tsui-Fen Jiang. 《冬天的故事》中辯才、私通、與陽剛身份 Rhetorics, Cuckoldry, and Masculinity in The Winter’s Tale. 研究生 : 李珮寧撰 Name: Pei-ning Lee 中華民國 105 年 12 月 December, 2016.

(2) Rhetorics, Cuckoldry, and Masculinity in The Winter’s Tale. A Master Thesis Presented to. 政治大. Department of English. National Chengchi University. 學. ‧ 國. 立. ‧. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts. by Pei-Ning Lee December, 2016.

(3) Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents for their love and support throughout my life. They have always provided me with continuous encouragement. Thank you both for giving me strength and allowing me to realize my potential. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the unconditional love from. 政治大 I must express my very profound gratitude to my advisor, Professor Jiang. She 立. my beloved family. Thank you.. has always encouraged me throughout my years of study and through the process of. ‧ 國. 學. researching and writing this thesis. Professor Jiang dedicates her life not only to. ‧. research and teaching, but to sincere care for her students. I believe many students. sit. y. Nat. have received genuine regard and constructive advice from her. I have always thought. io. guidance.. er. of her as my mentor; I feel blessed to meet her and do my research under her. al. n. v i n C hthe committee members I would also like to thank of my defense, Professor Yihengchi U. Dau Wu and Hui-hua Wang, for their careful reading of my thesis. I am indebted to their insightful suggestions and encouraging remarks. My MA thesis and academic research owe much to the teachers of the. Department of English. I benefit a lot from the classes of Professor Li-Ming Yang and Professor Eva Chen. In addition, Professor Chen-chi Liu’s interesting and inspiring courses brought me closer to literature and sparkled my interest in literary studies. Furthermore, I am very much indebted to Professor Tom Sellari. I have developed the ability of close reading and logical thinking in his class “Shakespeare and Shakespearean Criticism.” My interest in analyzing The Winter’s Tale was inspired by iii.

(4) Professor Sellari’s instructive lecture. He kindly gave me guidance on my final paper, which I later developed into my master thesis. Last but not least, I express my sincere gratitude to those who have helped me along the way, including my friends and classmates. NCCU has been my almar mater for more than seven years; I am grateful to it for all the resources it has provided me with, and for all the people I have met in this wonderful place.. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. iv. i n U. v.

(5) Table of Contents. Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………...iii Chinese Abstract …………………………………………………………………vii English Abstract …………………………………………………………………viii Chapter 1 Introduction …………………………………………………………….1 1.1 Critical Background ………………………………………………….1 1.2 Cuckoldry and Adultery in the Renaissance …………………………6 1.3 Shakespeare’s Other Plays That Deal with Defamation Regarding. 政治大. Adultery ……………………………………………………………..10. 立. Chapter 2 Rhetorical Contest, Wounded Masculinity, Jealousy ………………….19. ‧ 國. 學. 2.1 Verbal Performance as a Confirmation of Masculine Authority……..19 2.2 Delayed Acceptance to Marriage Proposal …………………….……29. ‧. 2.3 Willful Perception of the Ambiguity of Language ….….….….……..33. y. Nat. io. sit. Chapter 3 Cuckoldry Anxiety, Public Trial, Masculinity Restored ……………….39. n. al. er. 3.1 Obsession with the Imagined Horn of Cuckoldry……………………39. i n U. v. 3.2 The Function of the Public Trial ……………………………………..50. Ch. engchi. Chapter 4 Silenced Masculine Authority, Rising Young Generation, Tactful Acquiescence ……………………………………………………………63 4.1 Silenced Masculine Authority ………………………………………...64 4.2 Rising Young Generation ……………………………………………..67 4.3 Tactful Acquiescence …………………………………………………71 Chapter 5 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………....85 Works Cited ………………………………………………………………………...91. v.

(6) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. vi. i n U. v.

(7) 國立政治大學英國語文學系碩士班碩士論文題要論文名稱: 《冬天的故事》中辯才、私通、與陽剛身份指導教授:姜翠芬教授研究生:李珮寧. 論文題要內容:. 政治大出了英國文藝復興時期，陽剛身分建構本身的問題性。在誘勸波西米亞國王延立. 此論文檢視莎士比亞《冬天的故事》中里昂提斯的妒忌，辯證其顯示. ‧ 國. 學. 長拜訪的結果中，里昂提斯敗給了他的妻子赫美溫妮，他雄辯技巧上的弱勢也讓他的男性尊嚴受損；而赫美溫妮當初對於里昂提斯求婚的延遲回覆，以及本. ‧. 劇中的語言的模糊性引發了他的猜忌，進而帶來了陽剛身分的崩解。除了辯才外，此論文也探討私通的焦慮，其為英國近代早期陽剛身分建構下所暗藏的隱. y. Nat. sit. 憂。這樣的焦慮引發他不理性的行為以及對妻子貞潔的誤判。為了重建他的聲. er. io. 望，里昂提斯擅用審判來保留駕馭妻子的絕對權力，並恢復他受損的名聲。儘. al. n. v i n Ch 甦後，里昂提斯機智卻又令人感到不安的沉默，反映出他始終無法接受私通焦 engchi U. 管本劇稍後轉向以年輕一代為主軸，似乎象徵著新的轉變，然而在赫美溫妮復. 慮所帶來的汙名。此論文以辯才與私通來檢視莎士比亞《冬天的故事》中的陽. 剛特質，並以歷史與文化的文獻來佐證。期許能夠闡明英國文藝復興時期所困擾男性的陽剛焦慮，並且辯證主角里昂提斯的妒忌並不是無從解釋的情緒爆發，而是文藝復興陽剛身分建構下不可避免的集體產物。. 關鍵詞: 莎士比亞、《冬天的故事》、私通、妒忌、辯才、榮譽、陽剛身份. vii.

(8) Abstract This thesis argues that Leontes’ jealousy manifests the problematic construction of masculine identity in Renaissance England. Leontes’ rhetorical inferiority to Hermione in the persuasion work resulted in his injured masculinity, which is exacerbated by the ambiguity of language in the play and Leontes’ sour memories of Hermione’s late acceptance to his marriage proposal, all of which sparkle Leontes’ jealousy and stimulate the collapse of his masculinity. Aside from rhetorics, this thesis. 政治大 the construction of masculinity立 in early modern England. This anxiety leads to his. also examines the anxiety of cuckoldry, a pre-existent, latent apprehension inherent in. ‧ 國. 學. unreasonable behavior and misjudgment. In order to rebuild his reputation, Leontes appropriates the public trial to retain absolute dominance over his wife and restore his stained honor. While the shift of the play’s focus to the younger generation signals a. ‧. revision, Leontes’ tactful yet disturbing silence after Hermione’s resurrection reflects. y. Nat. his resurfaced masculinity in the context of marriage and his inability to come to. io. sit. terms with the stigma of cuckoldry anxiety. Leontes’ jealousy is triggered by his lack. er. of rhetorical skills essential to male confidence, a lack which is brutally magnified by. al. n. v i n C h his fear of rumorUand cuckoldry prevalent in precipitated and irrevocably executed by engchi his wife’s impeccable eloquence; his following accusation of Hermione’s adultery is. his time. This thesis aims to shed light on the issue of Renaissance masculine anxiety. and prove that Leontes’ jealousy is not just an unexplainable outburst of emotion, but rather an inevitably collective product of the construction of Renaissance masculine identity.. Keywords: Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale, cuckoldry, jealousy, rhetorics, honor, masculinity. viii.

(9) Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Critical Background Academics have long branded Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale a problem play. First performed in 1611, five years before the Bard’s death, The Winter’s Tale appears, on the surface, to be two plays. This view arises from the gap between the. 政治大. intense psychological drama of the first three acts and the comedic nature of the last. 立. two. Although the play has been intermittently successful, with revival in. ‧ 國. 學. productions in various forms and adaptations, the text itself has suffered negative review from several critics. Many nineteenth-century scholars found the play. ‧. implausible, faulting Leontes’ irrational rage and jealousy and the unaccounted. y. Nat. sit. sixteen-year gap in the plot. Specifically, some have found Leontes’ language. n. al. er. io. unsuccessful, and attribute it to carelessness or lack of finish on Shakespeare’s part.. i n U. v. For instance, Dover Wilson in his introduction to The New Cambridge Shakespeare. Ch. engchi. ascribes Leontes’ tangled and incoherent speech to the playwright’s logical breakdown as a result of the flood of ideas coming into his mind that he was “unable to create a logical or syntactical framework quick enough to carry them” (xxv-xxvi). Twentieth-century critics such as H. B. Charlton consider that there is no clearer evidence of the weakening of Shakespeare’s dramatic genius than in the romance. Furthermore, he points out that The Winter’s Tale is filled with figures, especially Leontes, who are “markedly lacking in the positive identity of personality which would stamp them as recognizably and consistently human” (269).. 1.

(10) Nevertheless, there seems to be a growing appreciation of the quality and power of this play. Today, scholars agree that the characteristics of the play typify the final period of Shakespeare’s writing. Instead of maintaining that The Winter’s Tale represents a decline in Shakespeare’s skill, many critics have reexamined the opinion that Shakespeare’s final plays are morose and disjointed. Some critics now argue that Shakespeare was at his most innovative during his final period, creating new forms and perfecting themes that had shadowed him throughout his career. For instance, critic Russ McDonald states that the language and syntax of the play is “complicated,. 政治大 this tempo reflects the meaning within the plot, and that the plot and linguistic style 立. elliptical, and irregular” (315). However, instead of viewing it as a flaw, he notes that. are tightly intertwined. The critic argues that the interrelation of plot and style is a. ‧ 國. 學. distinctive characteristic of Shakespeare’s final works and that both are built on his. ‧. lifelong study of human nature.. sit. y. Nat. Character-based study of The Winter’s Tale has primarily focused on Leontes.. io. er. The King initiates the action in the play by his seemingly sudden outburst of jealousy, and this change in character has prompted much critical debate about the plausibility. al. n. v i n C hthat Leontes’ jealousy—apparently of the play’s action. It has been argued arising engchi U. from Hermione’s successful persuasion of her husband’s childhood friend, Polixenes, to extend his visit in Sicilia—erupts suddenly and without provocation. Although this view is not uncommon among critics and audiences alike, some scholars believe that Leontes’ jealousy can be traced to factors present at the beginning of the play. John P. Cutts (1968) contends that Leontes suffers from a “boy eternal” complex, evident from the very start of the play, which causes him to relate to those close to him—including his wife, his son, and his friend—in terms of the past, and that this complex accounts for Leontes’ apparently sudden onset of maddening jealousy (54). 2.

(11) He argues that when Polixenes consents to Hermione’s coaxing instead of his own, Leontes feels an unbearable sense of displacement as well as inadequacy. Another critic who attempts to find clues to Leontes’s state of mind prior to his outburst in the beginning of the play is Roger J. Trienens. He contends that the character is beset with feelings of distrust from the very beginning of the play, and that his invitation to Polixenes to extend his visit is “the device of jealousy seeking proof” (326). Richard H. Abrams also examines the origin of Leontes’s jealousy. Abrams notes that “[u]nder the spell of jealousy, Leontes is changed. His good angel, reason, abandons him, and. 政治大 is often considered erratic and unreliable; however, this is representative of his 立. the tempter, imagination, does his thinking for him”(155). Indeed, Leontes’ language. situation. As J. H. P. Pafford notes, “character must speak in character” (xxxiv).. ‧ 國. 學. Leontes in The Winter’s Tale is a man infected with jealousy, unable to find reason. ‧. but rail uncontrollably, and his disjointed syntax reflects his chaotic state of mind.. y. Nat. Aside from the analysis of character, style and structure, modern critics have. er. io. sit. adopted new feminist theories to inform their analysis of The Winter’s Tale. Specifically, they are interested in questions about the nature and function of Leontes’. al. n. v i n fury and the significance of C the statue scene at the U h e n g c h i conclusion of the play in which Hermione is transformed from a statue to a woman again. Critics such as David. McCandless, Lynn Enterline, M. Lindsay Kaplan, and Katherine Eggert believe that the answers can be found in the interrelation between the patriarchal society and emerging fears of the power of women. McCandless describes the prevailing beliefs of the time in which women were feared for their sexual power and ability to corrupt man (72). Another critic, Enterline, states that Hermione’s and Paulina’s strong rhetorical skills pose a threat to the authority of Leontes, and that the King turns his “rhetorical anxiety” into a sexual one by interpreting his wife’s superior rhetorical 3.

(12) skill narrowly as the consequence of her erotic power (18). In their 1994 article, Kaplan and Eggert discuss women’s voice and power within the historical context of women’s legal rights during the Elizabethan period. They maintain that The Winter’s Tale was a means of reevaluating the power of Queen Elizabeth within a patriarchal society in which women were denied voice and authority (89). In addition, a number of recent critics have linked the themes of adultery in The Winter’s Tale to Jacobean patriarchal concerns about the voracious sexual appetites and dubious fidelity of women. Kirstie Gulick Rosenfield maintains that the text. 政治大 associations as “accusations designed to contain the threat of the transgressing woman” 立 identifies female vocality and sexuality with the witch and then reveals these. (95). Cristina León Alfar in her book Fantasies of Female Evil discusses Leontes as. ‧ 國. 學. the embodiment of the tyranny of patriarchal absolute rule and the commoditization of. ‧. women. Furthermore, she points out that Hermione and Paulina represent “fantasies. sit. y. Nat. of female evil” who threaten the very underpinnings of the patriarchal order through. io. er. their perceived adultery and rebellion (122). Alfar concludes that Shakespeare rejected “monarchical and conjugal tyranny” through the transformation of the play. al. n. v i n C toh a romance that points from a potentially destructive tragedy to an optimistic future engchi U of reconciliation (235). Peter Erickson, on the other hand, argues in Patriarchal. Structures in Shakespeare’s Drama against too optimistic a view of Shakespeare’s to expose male roles and values to critique. Although he notes in The Winter’s Tale a movement from a harsh and violent patriarchal order to a benevolent patriarchy capable of including and valuing women (148), he makes a distinction between the concern with benign patriarchy and “the attainment of fully independent female characters,” stressing that Shakespeare’s concern remains centrally with patriarchy (12-13). 4.

(13) While previous critical discussions of the play have brought different and enlightening perspectives, certain aspects of the play remain unexplored. Commentators have put forth a number of theories to explain Leontes’ irrational and intensely malevolent jealousy—the agent which precipitates the dramatic conflict in The Winter’s Tale. However, the aspect of discourse analysis is rarely examined, specifically on the power of rhetorical eloquence and rumor in relation to male honor and confidence during the Renaissance era. The onset of jealousy and the following events in the play act as microcosm of the crisis of Renaissance masculine identity.. 政治大 should be considered vehicles carrying ideas and themes and so acting as pointers to 立 As L. C. Knights notes, rather than being regarded wholly as individuals, characters. indicate the direction of interest that a play compels (68). Instead of applying specific. ‧ 國. 學. mainstream literary theories such as feminism or new historicism to the overall. ‧. examination of The Winter’s Tale, my approach focuses on close textual analysis,. y. Nat. with a specific focus on the social and cultural contexts the play was written in.. er. io. sit. Leontes’ jealousy reflects the problematic construction of masculine identity in the Renaissance; it is triggered by his lack of rhetorical skills essential to male confidence,. al. n. v i n C h by his wife’s impeccable a lack which is brutally magnified eloquence, and his engchi U. following accusation of Hermione’s adultery is precipitated and irrevocably executed by his fear of rumor and cuckoldry prevalent in his time. This thesis thus aims to analyze the discourse of jealousy latent in Renaissance masculine identity by examining different aspects on male and female speeches in The Winter’s Tale. Furthermore, it will also examine the power of rumor regarding female chastity and male honor.. 5.

(14) 1.2 Cuckoldry and Adultery in the Renaissance My interest in analyzing the nature of cuckoldry and adultery in this play owes much to the previously mentioned Roger Trienens’ 1953 article “The Inception of Leontes’ Jealousy in The Winter’s Tale.” Unlike most critics who account for Polixenes’ agreement at the solicitation of Leontes’ wife as the beginning of Leontes’ insane jealousy, Trienens instead views it as “as the occasion rather than the cause” (321). Indeed, many scholars try to account for Leontes’ sudden outburst of jealousy. 政治大 Goddard, for example, in The Meaning of Shakespeare, illustrates Leontes’ jealousy 立 and many of them have attributed it to a weakness inherent in his nature. Harold C.. as sprouting from his “emotional instability” (264). Coleridge, in comparing Leontes. ‧ 國. 學. with Othello, describes the Sicilian King as a degraded person with faults such as “a. ‧. disposition to degrade the object of the passion by sensual fancies and images” (9).. sit. y. Nat. Nevertheless, Leontes’ jealousy seems to defy such one-sided interpretation; instead, I. io. er. view it as the result of a combination of social and cultural factors specific to Renaissance England. It is the intricate relations between the social aspects and the. al. n. v i n C hme to delve into the nature of Leontes’ jealousy that prompt study of such issues as engchi U cuckoldry and adultery in the Renaissance.. The issues of adultery and cuckoldry have not gone unnoticed by writers in the Renaissance and early modern England. On the contrary, such issues dominate large numbers of works in various domains, including politics, religion, and literature, whether as a main plot or side story. Such abundance stems from the specific cultural and social context of the Renaissance. Indeed, the emergence of constellations of events—ranging from sex scandals to legal debates to flurries of satirical events—demonstrates an increasing concern with adultery and cuckoldry in this era. 6.

(15) However, there is a disproportion regarding the attention paid to adultery and cuckoldry respectively. Although cuckoldry is a common topic in literary satire and comic theatre, scholarly attention has focused more on the issue of female adultery than on the notion of cuckoldry. As Sara F. Matthews-Grieco points out, the seriousness with which female adultery was viewed in the Renaissance and early modern England was “the more visible face of a coin on which male honor and the social stigma of cuckoldry constituted the dark and complex reverse” (1). Cuckoldry is the darker reverse because men were not immune from the shame of adultery.. 政治大 shameful crime, whereas the same behavior committed by men has little influence on 立 Under the sexual double standard, the breach of female chastity is considered a most. their social status and honor. However, this sexual double standard does not make. ‧ 國. 學. men invincible. They are actually prone to become susceptible to their wives’. ‧. transgressed behavior. What accompanies the scandal regarding adultery, whether it is. sit. y. Nat. verified or not, is the fear of cuckoldry. In other words, if the wife violates fidelity or. io. er. is rumored to do such a thing, the husband has to suffer from possible stained honor. At the center of the discussion of cuckoldry is the dishonor it can bring to. al. n. v i n C hwas a political issue men’s masculinity. Masculinity in early modern England. engchi U. Phrases such as ‘courage-masculine’ or ‘manly virtue’ took on a special meaning. The qualities it evokes include courage, physical strength, prowess in battle, manly honour, and defiance of fortune (Wells 2). However, this thesis deals with a different yet significant element constituent in Renaissance manhood—male honor associated with female chastity. In Jacobean England, a wife’s sexual infidelity was the most shameful and emasculating loss of male control that can be imagined, and it reflects the cultural fears about what would happen if the structure of marriage was turned upside down. The husband of an adulteress was considered a “cuckold” and often 7.

(16) depicted with horns growing out of his head. The mere suggestion that a woman was having sexual relations with a man other than her husband could greatly damage not only her reputation but the husband’s as well. Specifically, female honor and social respectability were tied in so closely that death was often preferable to the loss of a woman’s chastity. The study of masculinity in this thesis with regard to The Winter’s Tale owes much to the works of Mark Breitenberg and Elizabeth Foyster. In Anxious Masculinity in Early Modern England (1996), Breitenberg aims to expose the. 政治大 culture. In the pioneering study in her book Manhood in Early Modern England 立. contradictions and anomalies of the construction of masculine subject in patriarchal. (1999), Elizabeth Foyster offers perceptive insight into the analysis of the gender. ‧ 國. 學. identities of men and women in early modern England in relation to each other.. ‧. Foyster’s principal aim is to explore the workings of patriarchal marriage in. y. Nat. seventeenth-century England, showing the importance of the dominance over women. er. io. sit. in the formation of men’s identity. Getting married confirmed a man’s entry into patriarchal society, conferring new social roles and responsibilities. At the same time,. al. n. v i n Cfor however, it was also a testing-ground as men’s honor depended greatly h emanhood, ngchi U. on not just rational self-control but also the sexual control of women. As a result, men who failed to live up to this ideal would easily fall victim to mockery and suffer stained honor. Foyster in her book provides fictional evidence of a jealous man, sources including Shakespeare’s plays and other Early Modern English work. For instance, she points out in John Ford’s 1633 work The Broken Heart that male fear about wife’s fidelity arises out of a “self-unworthiness” (179). Furthermore, in her discussion of William Wycherley’s The Country Wife, published in 1675, she notes that “a cuckold 8.

(17) and a jealous husband can be subject to the same degree of public dishonor” (183). Consulting various source materials in the field of literature and law, Foyster demonstrates the derision and abuse directed against cuckolded husbands, showing that although a man’s honour might be damaged by a variety of non-sexual behavior (such as dishonesty, theft and drunkenness), cuckold was “the worst name a man could acquire” (194). OED defines jealousy as zeal or vehemence of feeling against some person or thing; it is a kind of anger, wrath, or indignation. Further definition of the concept regarding its romantic aspect is that jealousy is the state of mind arising. 政治大 jealousy is repeatedly referred to as “zealous love” in Gabriel Harvey’s Letter-book, 立 from the suspicion, apprehension, or knowledge of rivalry. In Renaissance England,. written between 1573-1580 (95-96). Moreover, in Anatomy of Melancholy (1621),. ‧ 國. 學. Robert Burton cites Jerome Cardan’s definition of jealousy as “a zeal for love, and a. ‧. kinde of envy least any man should beguile us” (28-29). While jealousy is not. sit. y. Nat. necessarily associated with female infidelity, in the case of marriage, however,. io. er. jealousy implies the fear of being supplanted in the affection, or distrust of the fidelity, of a beloved person. Since being jealous implies rivalry with another man, men are. al. n. v i n C h of jealousy. ForUinstance, Foyster points out Sir extremely sensitive to accusations engchi. Francis Willoughby’s anger in replying to his wife’s letter in 1585, which he thought was full of implication of jealousy. On negotiating coming back to live with her husband after separation of ten years, Lady Willoughby’s letter reads: that I should take heed and beware how I come to you again, for you had determined and vowed that if ever you took me again, you would keep me shorter than 'ere I was kept, that you [would] lock and pin me up in a chamber, and that I should not go so much as into the garden to take the air, without your leave and license. (553) 9.

(18) Sir Francis Willoughby angrily replied to this letter, arguing that her letter contained much “that may minister occasion of offence” (185). As Foyster notes, the label of jealous husband was clearly damaging to male reputation. More intriguing is the question of how adultery and related issues affected a man’s self-esteem. One of the most interesting sections of Foyster’s book compares literary representations of jealousy with the diarist Samuel Pepys’s account of his jealous feelings about his wife’s relations with her dancing-master Pembleton. In his diaries, he wrote that his jealousy made him “ready to chide at everything,” and he. 政治大 Even after the dancing lessons were over, the memories of Pembleton still haunted 立. also described it as “a devilish jealousy [which] makes a very hell in my mind” (186).. him. Only after he was informed of the news of Pembleton’s new marriage did things. ‧ 國. 學. start to improve. It is interesting that Pepys found Pembleton’s marriage reassuring.. ‧. Pembleton’s married status meant that “he shared the concern of all husbands to gain. sit. y. Nat. honor by keeping his own wife under control” (188).The issue of how cuckolds. io. er. perceived themselves remains an interesting point of analysis not only in this specific work but in The Winter’s Tale as well. Furthermore, though men appeared to have. al. n. v i n greater opportunities than women toCregain lost sexual reputation, h e n g c h i U the stigma of. cuckoldry seems to have been difficult to remove. The best a man could do was to act swiftly and decisively to prove that he would not stand the shame of cuckoldry, neither would he be a “wittol” – a willing participant in his wife’s adultery (Foyster 187).. 1.3 Shakespeare’s Other Plays That Deal With Defamation Regarding Adultery The Winter’s Tale is not the only play by Shakespeare that deals with false and malicious imputation of adultery. Many of Shakespeare’s male characters are 10.

(19) constantly haunted by the spectre of cuckoldry, whether it be in an entertaining or agonizing way; however, few actually have to deal with unfaithful wives. Other Shakespearean plays that explore the fear of loss of honor related to supposed female infidelity include Much Ado about Nothing, Othello, and Cymbeline, respectively a comedy, tragedy, and romance like The Winter’s Tale itself. As Xenia Georgopoulou observes while examining the cases of (actual or supposed) female adultery in Shakespeare’s plays, where there are real adulteresses, infidelity is not presented as a major problem (1). Instead, when female adultery constitutes the main issue of the. 政治大 has been researched by some scholars in book chapters and journal articles. The issue 立. play, the woman accused proves to be innocent. Indeed, the phenomenon of cuckoldry. of cuckoldry being the focal point of study on The Winter’s Tale, it is thus important. ‧ 國. 學. to first draw attention to similar issues explored in other Shakespeare’s plays, with. ‧. particular emphasis on the contributing factors to jealousy in each case. The following. sit. y. Nat. of this part introduces some critical review of these Shakespearean plays relevant to. io. er. the focus of my thesis.. Much Ado about Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies. With. al. n. v i n C hbetween Benedick U the witty jokes and merry wars and Beatrice, audiences tend to engchi identify more with the couple in the play, although scholars point out that. Shakespeare intended it as the play’s subplot rather than the primary plot. “The first thing to notice about Much Ado about Nothing is that the subplot overwhelms and overshadows the main plot,” claims W. H. Auden (113). However, according to Paul and Miriam Mueschke, Much Ado about Nothing centers on Hero and Claudio rather than on the more likeable Beatrice and Benedick because the troubled lovers more clearly illuminate the play’s major theme: honor (58). Significantly, Much Ado about Nothing is centered on the motifs of male honor and public shaming. The aborted 11.

(20) wedding ceremony, in which Claudio rejects Hero, accusing her of infidelity and violated chastity and publicly shaming her in front of her father, is the climax of the play. The loss of honor for a woman due to unchaste behavior meant that she would lose all social standing, a disaster from which she could never recover. Another area of critical interest that is in accord with the thesis’ focus on cuckoldry is the characterization of Claudio. P. D. Collington points out in his doctoral thesis the intimate association of Claudio’s specific status as soldier with his jealousy. The changing social roles, together with the force of specific social context,. 政治大 Janice Hays describes Claudio as a man who leaves “the traditionally male sphere of 立. such as misogyny and emphasis on honour, work together to produce explosive result.. war, honors, and triumph” to enter the more feminine world of Messina (79).. ‧ 國. 學. Gradually, Claudio is transformed from a courageous soldier into a cautious suitor. ‧. into a jealous spouse into a social pariah. It is notable that under the influence of. y. Nat. Benedict’s quibbles on female infidelity, Claudio himself has also internalized this. er. io. sit. idea of misogyny. In the end of Act I, scene i, Claudio asks: “Is she not a modest young lady?” (I. i. 153). In response to this, Benedict answers with quibbles: “In faith,. al. n. v i n C hwear his cap with U hath not the world one man but he will suspicion?” (I. i. 183-84). engchi. And before long, Claudio is paranoid with thoughts of conspiracy and adultery and begins spouting cuckold jokes back at his friend: “thou wouldst be horn-mad” (I. i.. 249-50). This lurking anxiety arises again for Claudio when his soldierly obsession with reputation and honor is ignited by Don Jon’s malicious trick and subsequent slander. The trick succeeds because it impugns the soldiers’ honor and validates the conventional wisdom about women’s proclivity to deception, confirming “what they already suspect” (Berger 307). As Anne Carroll Parten notes, with no battlefield to serve as a proving ground of male honor, misogyny “tends to replace valor as the trait 12.

(21) that distinguishes masculinity from femininity” (204-05). Unlike Much Ado About Nothing in which the fear of cuckoldry eventually dissolves in a merry ending, anxiety of cuckoldry takes on a tragic course in Othello. Particularly, Othello’s treatment of Desdemona is at the center of many critical studies exploring jealousy. As James Calderwood insists, Desdemona is victimized by “a proprietary husband claiming absolute title to his wife’s body” (270). Valerie Wayne takes another approach to the topic of gender roles in “Historical Difference: Misogyny in Othello”; she argues that misogyny in Othello, for which Iago serves as. 政治大 (162). Wayne is not the only person to draw attention to the interwoven relations 立. the primary mouthpiece, represents just one of the prevailing views of the Renaissance. between men’s jealousy and cultural factors. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s. ‧ 國. 學. understanding of Iago as a character impelled purely by evil—“motiveless. ‧. malignancy” in his phrase—leads Mark Breitenberg to read Iago not as without. y. Nat. motive but rather as “articulating and activating the cultural anxieties that produce. er. io. sit. jealousy as a condition of romantic love, indeed, of male subjectivity itself” (176). According to Breitenberg, as the play’s initial emphasis with Othello’s racial. al. n. v i n C h jealousy, Othello difference gives way to his blinding comes to embody the everyman engchi U of masculine sexual anxiety (183).. The issue of misogyny and sexual anxiety thus leads to the problem of cuckoldry central to this thesis’ concern. Othello is not the only male character in the play that is concerned with his wife’s fidelity. Iago first presents this cuckoldry anxiety in the first Act of the play, and his agony mixed with hatred is straightforward and evil-ridden: I hate the Moor And it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets 13.

(22) He’s done my office. I know not if’t be true, But I, for mere suspicion in that kind Will do as if for surety. (I. iii. 385-59) To Iago, Emilia’s kiss confirms his suspicion that she has cuckolded him with other soldiers. Iago states succinctly the essence of what Russ McDonald refers to as “imaginary” cuckoldry: “[in] the introspective soliloquy . . . the imaginary cuckold sounds the depths of his misery or contemplates the most brutal forms of revenge” (55). Aside from the suspicion of Emilia with Othello, Iago also confesses that he. 政治大 As for Othello, his marriage is also shaken by imputation of jealousies. His 立. “fear[s] Cassio with [his] night-cap too” (II. i. 305).. anxieties in love are exacerbated by the fact that he is as old as his new bride’s father. ‧ 國. 學. (Vaughan 76; Kirsch 724). Moreover, it is made worse by pressures exerted by “a. ‧. civilian culture that encourages the misogynous suspicion of women, and by a. y. Nat. military code that raises honour to a cult-like state” (Collington 193). The swiftness. er. io. sit. with which Othello leaps to Iago’s conclusions indicates that the suspicion has been lurking in Othello’s mind; “they are all there”—as Leslie Fiedler puts it— “in his. al. n. v i n C h where Iago himself head, picked up in the same army camps has learned them” (158). engchi U According to Gayle Greene, Othello’s response to Iago’s insinuations is a. “righteously vindicated recognition” that “the forked plague” is “destiny unshunnable” (III. iii. 275-6), a certainty possible only because woman has been suspect from the start (53). To Othello, Iago seems so wise: “O, thou art wise, ‘tis certain’ (IV. i. 74)— because he confirms things Othello has known all along. Othello reveals his anxiety that Desdemona has made him appear a “figure … of scorn” (IV. ii. 54) which follows from his concern with reputation: “false to me?” (III. iii. 333), “Cuckold me!” (IV. i. 200). At Iago’s implication, Othello should attempt to regain honor by 14.

(23) suffering as a cuckold, and avenge himself by murdering his wife. Iago introduces Othello to “the sophist-cuckold’s traditional and ingenious strategy of self-consolation" (Parten 336); namely, that being cuckolded is a socially accepted, indeed honorable form of suffering. Before he commits suicide, Othello chants his military feat right next to the body of Desdemona in an attempt to leave a better impression of him as a warrior instead of a misjudging husband who murdered his own wife out of jealousy. Indeed, the final speech in which he evokes his heroic past is an attempt of self-justification. Instead of lamenting over the loss of Desdemona,. 政治大 Aside from comedies and tragedies, the issue of cuckoldry also plays an 立. Othello cares about his own reputation instead of his wife’s.. important role in Shakespeare’s late romances. Often grouped along with The. ‧ 國. 學. Winter’s Tale in the category of late romances, Cymbeline also incorporates the theme. ‧. of false belief and cuckoldry anxiety. Unlike Much Ado about Nothing, however,. y. Nat. cuckoldry is a serious business in Cymbeline, as suggested by the high stakes of. er. io. sit. Iachimo’s wager. Posthumus is deeply in love with Imogen but is nevertheless willing to think the worst of her when she is accused of infidelity. When Iachimo claims to. al. n. v i n have slept with the princess,C Pothumous at first refuses h e n g c h i U to believe him. But Iachimo. revealed his “evidence” one piece at a time—the description of Imogen’s chamber in details, her bracelet as a token of love from Posthumous, and most importantly, the detail of the tiny mole on Imogen’s breast—Posthumus is convinced. He turns over the ring that he wagered, and storms out, cursing the treachery of women: “We are all bastards” (II. v. 2). He cries and asserts that all of a man’s sins come from the “woman’s part” in him (II. v. 20). In contrast to Philario’s role as the voice of reason and defender of Imogen, Posthumous himself proves oddly eager to think the worst of her. Even before Iachimo’s mention of the mole, Posthumus is ready to declare “he 15.

(24) hath enjoyed her. / The cognizance of her incontinency / Is this” (II. iv. 122-128). Posthumus displays a remarkable lack of faith for a man so certain of his wife’s fidelity that he made a wager on it, which signifies not confidence but a deep sexual anxiety. Indeed, Posthumous appears to be a problematic character in the play. His behavior in the play is often unpleasant, as he does little to live up to the high praise he enjoys. He falls into a peculiar and unexpectedly violent jealousy of his wife when Iachimo tricks him, but he also makes a willing victim. This character suffers further. 政治大 Imogen for her supposed infidelity. Although Shakespeare allows Posthumous 立. negative review by the audience because of his decision to order his servant to kill. contrition later in the play, his guilt for the wrong-doing still fails to qualify him as an. ‧ 國. 學. ideal husband for Imogen. Critic Valerie Wayne focuses on the commoditization and. ‧. objectification of Imogen in Cymbeline. She notes that the wager between Posthumus. y. Nat. and Iachimo on Imogen’s chastity “permits them to exercise the privilege of their. er. io. sit. gender by debasing women into sexual signs of questionable worth” (5). Another critic Collington points out that, unlike Claudio and Othello, Posthumous has another. al. n. v i n status in addition to being a soldier;C that is, Posthumous isU h e n g c h i an orphan and is adopted as an illegitimate son by the royal family. This anxiety stems from internal weakness. triggered by external stimuli: inferiority complex of class difference” (172-73). His orphanage drives him to the concept of misogyny. He repeatedly makes such statements as the following: Could I find out The woman’s part in me--for there’s no motion That tends to vice in man, but I affirm It is the woman’s: flattering, hers; deceiving, hers; 16.

(25) Lust, and rank thoughts, hers, hers... (II. v. 19-24). Torn apart by the perception that women are unfaithful, Posthumous is ridiculously ready to fall for the trick and curse his wife. His status depends upon his legitimacy and the chastity of his wife. Once the fidelity of Imogen is questioned, cuckoldry anxiety works its way as a major dramatic catalyst in Cymbeline. There are reasons why among other Shakespearean plays with focus on cuckoldry that I have particular interest in The Winter’s Tale. Although all of these plays center on the similar issue of male insecurity about female infidelity, certain. 政治大 protagonists in Much Ado, Othello, and Cymbeline who fall prey to slanderous 立. features make The Winter’s Tale distinct from other plays. First, unlike the male. tongues and treachery of others (Claudio to Don John, Othello to Iago, Posthumus to. ‧ 國. 學. Iachimo), Leontes is the very person who plants the poisonous idea into his own eyes. ‧. and ears. Without the scheme of a villain, how can the seed of jealousy sprout in his. sit. y. Nat. mind? Certainly Leontes’ jealousy is not without a cause. In addition, the playwright. io. er. devises different endings for the male protagonists of these plays. While Claudio’s punishment is short and he is quick to accept another woman, Leontes suffers and. al. n. v i n C hWhereas Othello U remains single for sixteen years. punishes himself and attempts to engchi remerge as a hero instead of a murderer by recounting his heroic war stories and. committing suicide, Leontes stays alive to suffer the consequence of his own wrong doing. Furthermore, all of the above three plays deal with male characters with military status. Leontes, unlike Claudio, Othello, and Posthumous, does not live in a misogynous culture that values the camaraderie of soldiers over marriage. He does not share Othello’s anxiety of race and age issues, nor does he have to fret over identity problem as Posthumous has to. He is of royal descent and his marriage with his wife has already lasted over ten years. Nonetheless, the anxiety over cuckoldry still finds its way into the King’s head. 17.

(26) In my thesis, I argue that speech is an important factor that sparkles Leontes’ radical change. The study of the rhetorical skills of gendered speech has remained the focal point of my second chapter. The king’s rhetorical inferiority to Hermione in the persuasion work resulted in his injured masculinity, which is exacerbated by the design of slippery language and Leontes’ sour memories of Hermione’s late acceptance to his marriage proposal. Next, not only does Leontes suspect his wife, he also denounces her supposed wrong doing publicly and later puts on a show of public trial. Fear of loss of honor and its relation to the trial will be the center of my third. 政治大 death of Hermione, Leontes’ masculine authority is notably silenced; while the shift 立. chapter. The fourth chapter examines the last two acts of The Winter’s Tale. With the. of the play’s focus to the younger generation and sensual touch between Leontes and. ‧ 國. 學. Hermione seem to bring hope to the misunderstanding that leads to tragic results,. ‧. Leontes’ tactful yet disturbing acquiescence after Hermione’s resurrection indicates. y. Nat. his inability to come to terms with the stigma of cuckoldry anxiety. This thesis. er. io. sit. proposes to analyze The Winter’s Tale from the perspectives of rhetorics and the issue of cuckoldry in cooperation with historical and cultural materials. It aims to shed light. al. n. v i n C hanxiety and prove that on the issue of Renaissance masculine Leontes’ jealousy is not engchi U just an unexplainable outburst of emotion, but rather an inevitably collective product of the construction of Renaissance masculine identity.. 18.

(27) Chapter 2 Rhetorical Contest, Wounded Masculinity, Jealousy. A play focusing on the “myriad forms of human narration,” (Morse 297) The Winter’s Tale interrogates the disparity of gendered speech when the two protagonists are involved in a persuasion effort that sparkles the following tragedy. Certainly, with. 政治大 Tale can be performed in 立many different ways; however, one could legitimately suggest subtle difference in the tone of speech and body gesture, the opening of The Winter’s. ‧ 國. 學. that Leontes’ jealousy does not take flight until after Hermione succeeds in convincing Polixenes to stay. The difference in verbal ability between Leontes and Hermione, and. ‧. the effect of such discrepancy on Leontes are too brutally obvious to be ignored. In light. sit. y. Nat. of what directly triggers the change in Leontes’ attitude and tone of speech, language. al. er. io. thus demands further study and is the focal point in Chapter Two. This chapter focuses. v. n. on the multi-faceted perspectives of speech in The Winter’s Tale regarding the. Ch. engchi. i n U. deconstruction of Leontes’ masculine dominance. Leontes’ rhetorical inferiority to Hermione in the persuasion work resulted in his injured masculinity, which is exacerbated by the design of slippery language and Leontes’ sour memories of Hermione’s late acceptance to his marriage proposal, all of which sparkle Leontes’ jealousy and stimulate the collapse of his masculinity.. 2.1 Verbal Performance as a Confirmation of Masculine Authority Rhetorics constitutes an important part of my analysis in The Winter’s Tale. It is the art of using language effectively and persuasively, and it began in Ancient Greece 19.

(28) where students were trained to develop tactics of oratorical persuasion. According to Aristotle, rhetorics is the “faculty of observing in any given cause the available means of persuasion” (22). While rhetorical ability in Ancient Greece is not an indispensable part of masculinity, in Renaissance England, however, the society requires certain verbal abilities from men; that is, male’s rhetorical excellence is essential to his masculinity. Nevertheless, the success of Hermione’s tongue instead of Leontes’ in the persuasion of Polixenes to extend his stay sets in motion Leontes’ jealousy, and Hermione’s unconventional rhetorical eminence further threatens his. 政治大 gendered verbal abilities; rhetorical skills are common social traits of males, 立. masculine authority. In Renaissance England, there are social discrepancies in. especially men of higher social classes, whereas females are required “to be seen but. ‧ 國. 學. not heard” (Cloud). As Heinrich F. Plett points out in Rhetoric and Renaissance. ‧. Culture, in the eyes of Renaissance humanists, rhetoric is equivalent to “culture as. sit. y. Nat. such, the perennial and substantial essence of man, his greatest ontological privilege”. io. er. (14). Indeed, mastery of language is largely a male preserve in Renaissance England. As for females in the Renaissance, the topics as well as the places of speech are. al. n. v i n CGentlewoman, strictly circumscribed. In The English Brathwait discusses the h e n g c hRichard i U question of whether and where it is proper for women to speak. He points out that. young women, in order to avoid immodesty, should keep silent in the company of men or their elders (89). Thomas Wilson in The Art of Rhetoricke also declares that female silence is the highest virtue of a woman: “What becometh a woman best and first of all? Silence. What seconde? Silence. What third? Silence. What fourth? Silence” (400). And for a queen with such high virtue and decency, Hermione sticks to the rule of female speech in patriarchal society. Female speech, let alone the display of verbal acrobatics, is identified as transgression: “Silence in a woman is a moving rhetoricke, 20.

(29) winning most, when in words it wooeth least… More shall we see fall into sinne by speech then silence” (Brathwait 90). Domestic manuals cite biblical injunction as their authority, equating women’s speech with unruliness and insubordination.1 The constructed gendered disparity in verbal abilities in the sixteenth and seventeenth century is further manifested in the standard of harmonious marriage as one where “the duties of the man is, to be skillful in talke: and of the wife, to boast of silence” (Dod and Cleaver 43). Again and again, we see that for women in the Renaissance silence is praised whereas speech is discouraged. This socially constructed. 政治大 when his wife outmatches him in the persuasion result. The failure of Leontes’ tongue 立 discrepancy on verbal performance between genders begins to take its toll on Leontes. in his solicitation of Polixenes to extend his stay shakes his male confidence and. ‧ 國. 學. further causes the deconstruction of masculine dominance. In the following part, I. ‧. will propose different contextual evidence to support this argument by juxtaposing. y. Nat. Leontes’ verbal weakness with Hermione’s strong rhetorical skills.. er. io. sit. In Leontes’ fervent persuasion of Polixene’s extended stay, one can sense his affection for his childhood friend, but what strikes the audience with disturbing. al. n. v i n C hmanner. It seems that undercurrent is his overbearing Leontes cares more for the engchi U. triumph of his own hospitality than for the guest’s peace of mind. Polixenes already states his fear concerning his absence at home; however, Leontes fails or refuses to acknowledge it: LEONTES. Stay your thanks a while, And pay them when you part. POLIXENES. Sir, that’s tomorrow.. 1. St. Paul in Corinthians notes “women are to be silent in the churches. They are not permitted to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says” (1 Corinthians14:34). Another biblical account has it: “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man; but to be in silence” (1 Timothy 2.11-12). 21.

(30) I am question’d by my fears of what may chance Or breed upon our absence, that may blow No sneaping winds at home, to make us say ‘This is put forth too truly.’ Besides, I have stay’d To tire your royalty. LEONTES. We are together, brother, Than you can put us to’t. POLIXENES. No longer stay.. 政治大 POLIXENES. Very sooth, tomorrow. 立 LEONTES. One sev’night longer.. LEONTES. We’ll part the time between’s then; and in that. ‧ 國. 學. I’ll no gainsaying. (I. ii. 10-18)2. ‧. It is significant that the first line of Leontes in The Winter’s Tale is a strange mixture of. sit. y. Nat. command and hospitality. The King of Sicilia does not think it is offensive to detain a. io. er. friend who is anxious to leave. On the contrary, he is more concerned about whether his persuasion succeeds, and he seems to take offense in his friend’s unwillingness to. n. al. accept his offer.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. With Leontes’ increasingly oppressive manner, Polixenes’ tone also becomes gradually harassed and his reply more resolute: “No longer stay”; “Very sooth, tomorrow” (I. ii. 16). Nevertheless, he still maintains his manner and politely turns down Leontes’ generous offer: Press me not, beseech you, so. There is no tongue that moves, none, none i’th’world, so soon as yours could win me. (I. ii. 19-21). 2. The version of The Winter’s Tale I use in my thesis is from The Riverside Shakespeare edited by G. Blakemore Evans. 22.

(31) Polixenes’ speech officially announces the failure of Leontes’ tongue in this effort of persuasion, and he also assures him that his decision would not be altered by anyone. Unexpectedly, the audience will shortly witness that there is indeed such a tongue that “moves” and “wins” him. Polixenes’ current uncompromising attitude and his following consent, as can be manifested considering Hermione’s following way of solicitation, is not about the request itself but in what manner the request is made. And when Leontes finds out that his friend is indeed won by the tongue of his wife with relatively effortless ease, he has a hard time accepting his failure.. 政治大 successful act of persuasion invites further analysis of the anxiety regarding verbal 立 The fact that the onset of the King’s jealousy starts right after the queen’s. abilities in The Winter’s Tale. After the King of Sicilia failed to convince his. ‧ 國. 學. childhood friend to stay longer, he turns to his queen and order Hermione’s joint. ‧. collaboration in this effort of persuasion: “Tongue-tied our queen? Speak you” (I. ii.. y. Nat. 27). Indeed, up until this moment, the audience do not hear any of Hermione’s. er. io. sit. utterance. She speaks only until after Leontes bids her to: “I had thought, sir, to have held my peace until / You have drawn oaths from him not to stay” (I. ii. 28-29). Before. al. n. v i n this request, Hermione, evenC though a woman of such h e n g c h i U high status as a queen, remains. silent in the company of these two kings and their train of courtier. Hermione’s silence draws attention to the patriarchal society’s emphasis on the silence of women in the company of men, and we can clearly see that Hermione does obey this rule by keeping quiet. Consequently, the queen’s first speech only comes out when the king asks her to speak. The commanding tone in Leontes’ request is too obvious to be taken slightly. Hermione, with keen observation, is aware of Leontes’ overbearing manner and verbal weakness which lacks consideration and strategies in his request. She then, in 23.

(32) her own version of convincing Polixenes to stay, first tries to instruct Leontes on the strategies of persuasion: “You charge him too coldly. / Tell him you are sure all in Bohemia’s well; this satisfaction the by-gone day proclaim’d. / Say this to him, He’s beat from his best ward” (I. ii. 29-32). Hermione clearly has a sharp insight from observing Leontes and Polixenes’ conversation and interaction, and she understands where Polixenes’ concern lies. Furthermore, she knows well what context of a conversation and which tone should be employed to help lesson Polixenes’ anxiety about his absence both at home and in the Bohemian court. However, instead of. 政治大 To his queen’s kind-hearted and pertinent advice, Leontes only replies with abrupt 立. resuming his persuasion effort, Leontes’ only utterance is directed towards Hermione.. curtness: “Well-said. Hermione” (I. ii. 33). Since there is no sign that Leontes would. ‧ 國. 學. continue in this venture of persuasion, Hermione then has no choice but to continue. ‧. this effort under the encouragement of her husband. In her next speech, she shows. y. Nat. empathy for Polixenes by drawing on his longing to see his family: “To tell, he longs. er. io. sit. to see his son, were strong” (I. ii. 34). By first showing empathy for Polixenes’ situation, Hermione has gained herself a good start in the following solicitation.. al. n. v i n C h employs the change Furthermore, Hermione ingeniously of perspective. She engchi U. puts herself in the shoes of Polixenes’ wife and lets the Bohemian king know that a wife would not feel worried or sore by this decision; instead, she would permit and understand such a prolonged visit to a beloved friend: Yet of your royal presence I’ll adventure The borrow of a week. When at Bohemia Thou take my lord, I’ll give him my commission To let him there a month behind the gest Prefix’d for’s parting; yet, good deed, Leontes, 24.

(33) Above thee not a jar o’ th’ clock behind That lady she her lord. You’ll stay? (I. ii. 38-43) Note that Hermione’s reference of Polixenes changes from the earlier indirect “him” to the direct “you.” This shift marks that Hermione has officially taken over this persuasion work from Leontes. There is no guarantee that Leontes overhears this conversation, yet since he is still on the stage, it is possible that he hears the conversation or witnesses the interaction between Hermione and Polixenes. Standing nearby and listening to this conversation, Leontes might well by now feel the. 政治大 sense the genuine request and soft manner in her tone. And this change of perspective 立 disturbing yet undoubtedly powerful quality of Hermione’s speech. The audience can. manifests not only Hermione’s consideration for the guest but also her verbal abilities. ‧ 國. 學. to integrate it into her solicitation.. ‧. Hermione’s good command of persuasion skills and her eloquence are further. sit. y. Nat. manifested in her next speech. After her first attempt of speaking from a perspective. io. er. of a considerate queen/wife, she then gently and cleverly makes Polixenes choose between being a prisoner or a guest. The eruption of Leontes’ jealousy has its traces in. al. n. v i n C hattempt to make Polixenes Hermione’s final and successful change his mind about his engchi U decision:. Will you go yet? Force me to keep you as a prisoner, Not like a guest: so you shall pay your fees When you depart, and save your thanks. How say you? My prisoner? or my guest? By your dread ‘verily,’ One of them you shall be. (I. ii. 51-56) In contrast with Leontes’ previous short and clipped sentences of request, Hermione’s 25.

(34) playful tone and spirited raillery is clearly a sophisticated and amusing development of her husband’s plea to have his close friend share a little more time with him in Sicilia. Keenly aware of Polixenes’ desire to return to Bohemia after nearly a year abroad, Hermione successfully and ingeniously incorporates the friendly banter of being a prisoner in her request to press on him the genuine nature of the affection which seeks to claim him for a few days longer. By using the comparison and contrast between the images of a prisoner and a guest, she not only shows their hospitality and eagerness to receive such a beloved childhood friend, but also strategically leaves. 政治大 wit charms Polixenes into acquiescence. She exaggerates the lengths she would go 立. Polixenes with no choice but to choose between the two options offered. Hermione’s. until she has his consent, contrasting his present royal status with the humiliating. ‧ 國. 學. position of being a lowly criminal who would even have to pay for his board and. ‧. lodge at the court. Her demonstration of charm, style and good humour provides, in. y. Nat. fact, one good reason why it might be enjoyable for Polixenes to prolong his stay and. er. io. sit. remain in Leontes’ court a little longer.. Since we have already examined Hermione’s speech in the solicitation and. al. n. v i n finds that the reasonable factors forC her final success lie inU h e n g c h i her outstanding verbal. ability, it is thus required to also analyze Leontes’ verbal performance in his initial plea. Leontes’ earlier slightly curt, stiff speech of request has already suggested the need for a skillful, delicate approach in order to avoid embarrassing awkwardness and prompt Polixenes to accept the generous offer. Leontes’ first speech may well be spoken in a dry and abrupt manner: “Stay your thanks a while / And pay them when you part” (I. ii. 10). And when Polixenes seems to make up his mind in his departure, he further presses: “One sev’night longer” (I. ii. 15). Leontes’ following speech is spoken in a similar tone of constraint and taciturnity (Martz 125). It is Hermione who 26.

(35) realizes Polixenes’ desire to go home and successfully applies a frisky tone to mitigate his anxiety, and finally convinces him to extend his stay. Yet, the expression of the genuine nature of affection and fulfillment of a wife’s duty of a husband’s request have turned into, from Leontes’ perspective, the display of the lovers’ mockery under the guise of the courtly ritual of politely asking a guest to extend his stay. Hermione’s success manifests the extent of her eloquence, and it pains Leontes. Indeed, Hermione’s quick-witted and polished speech represents the sort of verbal adroitness and sophistication usually associated with a gentleman. Her smooth. 政治大 guest and courtier. Perhaps that is why, considering the degree of his hospitality and 立 rhetoric inevitably makes Leontes’ lack of verbal skills more evident in front of his. his desire to have his friend stay, his first reaction to the news of Polixenes’ consent to. ‧ 國. 學. an extended visit is nothing like exaltation but something that resembles sour. ‧. bitterness and even resentment:. io. er. HERMIONE. He’ll stay, my lord.. sit. y. Nat. LEONTES. Is he won yet?. LEONTES. At my request he would not. (I. ii. 86-87). al. n. v i n The forward expression and C curt sentence cannot hide h e n g c h i U his resentment. He clearly takes offense in his friend’s assent to his wife’s persuasion instead of his. This triggers his sense of insecurity and causes the collapse of masculine dominance. As mentioned earlier, in Renaissance England, there is a general fear and condemnation of female speech. Women who speak are often depicted as “ungrounded and ungodly” (Rogers 285). To speak is to possess and locate power; however, if the speaker is a female, it causes disturbance. As Catherine Belsey points out, for women to speak is to disrupt the system of differences which gives meaning to patriarchy (191). Not only does Hermione speak, she outmatches her husband in rhetorical skills. Once the line 27.

(36) dividing gender difference is breached by female speech, particularly Hermione’s eloquence, this disruption can cause Leontes’ masculine authority to disintegrate. Hermione is not the only woman in The Winter’s Tale with speech skills; Paulina’s outspokenness also disturbs Leontes’ male confidence. Paulina’s direct and strong voice poses a sharp contrast to Hermione’s speech in submitting to a husband’s request. She is fierce in her defense of Hermione’s virtue. Her unrelenting and powerful speech is even condemned by Leontes as a “witch.” Witchcraft was a typical accusation leveled against disobedient women in Renaissance England. The. 政治大 unauthorized power is prevalent in Renaissance England. Paulina, who embodies 立. demonization of women who were seen as voluble, unwomanly and possessed of an. good sense and natural feeling, is a clear contrast to the now distraught king who is. ‧ 國. 學. maddened by jealousy. During Leontes’ accusation of Hermione, Paulina never. ‧. refrains from her attempt at reasoning with the King. However, Leontes’ rejection not. y. Nat. only shows the depth of his jealousy but also his determination to reinforce male. er. io. sit. power and dismiss female speech. Again and again, he asks Paulina’s husband Antigonus why he “canst not rule her?”(II. iii. 46), and then mocks husband and wife. al. n. v i n both and calls Paulina—“A mankingCwitch!” (II. ii. 67). “Thou h e n g c h i U dotard,” he says to the. loyal nobleman Antigonus, “thou art woman-tired, unroosted / By thy Dame Partlet here”(II. iii. 74-76). As a male, Leontes sees himself as an enforcer of patriarchal discipline; above all, as a king, he holds sovereign power over the whole country.. Instead of a man who is equipped with eminent verbal ability, Leontes is presented as a king whose confidence is constantly challenged by female rhetorical excellence. When Hermione is first seen on the stage, her initial speech is to accept her husband’s request and aid him by convincing Polixenes to stay. With a genuine heart and supreme tactics in speech, she does succeed. However, her husband doesn’t see it 28.

(37) that way, neither does he rejoice in the outcome. As the head of sovereignty of a country, Leontes is not given a chance to confirm his masculine dominance. The Leontes we see from the beginning of the play is a king who, despite all his efforts, fails to convince a dear friend to accept his hospitality, which in the eyes of others has become the expression of over-surfeited conviviality. Leontes turns the instability of his own authority into imagined phantasm that inevitably, and with swift speed, takes hold of him and leads him to question the loyalty of his dear friend and beloved wife. The failure of persuasion makes evident Leontes’ verbal inferiority to Hermione’s. 政治大 reach a destructive climax in Leontes’ reminiscence of his proposal to Hermione, a 立. eloquence, which issues an alarm about his masculine authority; this alarm will soon. point which will be further analyzed in the following part of this chapter.. Delayed Acceptance to Marriage Proposal. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. 2.2. sit. y. Nat. Leontes’ repression and hostility towards female speech manifest in him a. io. er. disturbing insecurity of masculine identity. This present crisis of masculinity is related to Leontes’ bitter memories of his marriage proposal to Hermione. I argue that. al. n. v i n Hermione’s late acceptance C to his proposal sows the h e n g c h i Useed of masculine insecurity and it is triggered by his current failure in persuading Polixenes to stay. Not long after. Polixenes succumbs to Hermione’s request does the audience see the sudden onset of Leontes’ jealousy and his festering madness. As a response to Leontes’ question “Is he won yet?” Hermione replies, “He’ll stay, my lord.” And Leontes answers with the pointed remark, “At my request he would not” and then adds, “Hermione, my dearest, thou never spok’st / To better purpose” (I. ii. 87-89). This passage is significant since it is where Leontes’ jealousy starts to surface. Hermione’s whole cheerful interaction of asking Polixenes to stay is just being obedient and faithful to Leontes’ request. 29.

(38) Husband and wife should be one; however, the undercurrent of sarcasm in Leontes’ speech demonstrates that he is the one who breaks the bond of the married couple and becomes suspicious of his wife. Leontes’ concern about Hermione’s unnatural power of persuasion is evident, and his queen is now aware of his troubled anxiety. Consequently, she leads the following conversation away from such trouble and redirects it at their marriage, reminding Leontes of the bond between them. Hermione’s reply to Leontes’ bitter remark has a tone of interrogation, ‘Never?’ (I. ii. 88). He seems to be obstinate in. 政治大 urges her husband to specify the once, ‘What! Have I twice said well? When was’t 立. acknowledging, ‘Never but once’ (I. ii. 89). Hermione’s response, though teasingly,. before? I prithee tell me’ (I. ii. 90). There can be no mystery about the ‘once’ for both. ‧ 國. 學. of them. However, Hermione can sense Leontes’ reluctance to acknowledge what is. ‧. the occasion of the ‘once;’ hence, she is desperate to confirm her good faith:. sit. y. Nat. My last good deed was to entreat his stay;. io. er. What was my first? It has an elder sister, Or I mistake you. O, would her name were Grace!. n. al. i n But once before I spokeCto th’purpose—When? hengchi U. v. Nay, let me have’t; I long. (I. ii. 97-100). From Hermione’s speech, we can sense that Hermione’s tone becomes more agitated, compared with her frisky exchange earlier with Polixenes. She is confident that the answer is a proof of their firm relationship, not knowing that it actually brings the sour memoires back to Leontes and finally sets off the bomb of jealousy. In Leontes’ account, it is evident that he thinks his suspicion of Hermione has a root in the unique situation of their marriage. Although Leontes and Hermione are already a couple when the play begins, and although the scenes of their marriage 30.

(39) proposal and ceremony are not staged, from traces of Leontes’ lines, the audience can sense that Leontes’ courtship of Hermione is not an effortless one. Instead, he has gone through the vicissitude of courtship. Given Leontes’ royal status as a sovereign ruler of a country, he is supposed to be free from the ordeals of courting a woman. In contrast, it turned out that it took the king three months to finally get Hermione’s consent to his proposal: Three crabbed months has sour’d themselves to death, Ere I could make thee open thy white hand. 政治大 ‘I am yours forever.’ (I. ii. 102-04) 立. And clap thyself my love; then didst thou utter. Some editors note that three months was long for an Elizabethan courtship,3 and. ‧ 國. 學. especially concerning Leontes’ royal status. With Leontes’ choice of words such as. ‧. ‘crabbed’ and ‘sour,’ it is not difficult for readers to feel Leontes’ still sour memories. sit. y. Nat. of his courtship and even slight resentment of Hermione’s late reply. This delayed. io. er. acceptance to Leontes is equal to reluctance. The hand in marriage proposal and ceremony is of particular significance, as it signifies consent to marriage and marital. al. n. v i n power. As Sid Ray notes, theCgesture of “giving one’s h e n g c h i U hand in marriage” indicates “ a. parallel between the bride’s consent to marriage and the subject’s consent to be ruled” (24). Hermione’s gesture of giving her hand to Leontes expresses her consent to marriage, and her saying yes is a form of verbal consent, both of which Leontes holds sour memories and resentment against and tries to dismiss their existence. Despite the obvious tone of bitterness in Leontes’ reminiscence of the courtship, the final remark of his speech seems promising in reverting the previously-shown bitterness: “then didst thou utter / ‘I am yours forever’” (I. ii. 104). At this point, the. 3. See “Marriage and Courtship” by Eric Rasmussen on the website of British Library www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles 31.

(40) audience might feel slightly relieved seeing Leontes still remembers the initial vow his wife makes, which poses a great chance to save him from the lethal drift sand of suspicion. However, the ‘then’ in his response overshadows the rest of his speech since it suggests his suspicion that the wife’s vow is not as firm as it was in the past. Leontes seems to insinuate the fickleness inherent in women, as is the stereotypical trait of female in the Renaissance. Suggestion such as Hermione’s regret for her previous decision, though unspoken, is resonant in Leontes’ speech. In response to Leontes’ now overflowing suspicion, Hermione again employs her command of. 政治大 Why, lo you now, I have spoke to th’purpose twice: 立. language in an effort to reassure her husband:. Th’other for some while a friend. (I. ii. 106-08). 學. ‧ 國. The one for ever earn’d a royal husband;. ‧. Right after Hermione finishes this speech, Leontes’ jealousy explodes, and he is. y. Nat. convinced that Hermione has an affair with Polixenes. In spite of the emphasis. er. io. sit. Hermione has made on the contrast between the ‘for ever’ of marriage and the ‘some while’ of friendship, Leontes still refuses to catch the significance of it. The word. al. n. v i n Cdoubt ‘friend’ in his ear, with his increasing already loses its meaning U h e nandgjealousy, i h c and reaches his ear as an “obscene euphemism” (Sanders 20).. The main reason why the memories of Hermione’s delayed consent was so painful might be it reminded Leontes of his lack of rhetorical ability then. The bitterness regarding the proposal years ago has planted the feeling of insecurity deep in his heart, and now seeing his queen’s eloquence displayed in front of him sets off the alarm for the dynamite to explode into the outburst of jealousy that will come in no time. Courting is itself an art because wooing comes to be regarded as a “highly complex, tactical, and strategic rhetorical procedure” (Bates 11). Elizabethan 32.