How were women treated in Shakespeares play King Lear?
Answer Hi Evgeniy, I’m not quite sure what you mean by how the women were “treated” in KING LEAR. If you mean how they were treated by the other characters in the play, there is no one answer. Shakespeare tends not to write “caracatures.” He writes characters that are very real and multi-layered. So the different women in the play are treated by the other characters according to how they act and how they feel about each other. If you are asking how Shakespeare portrayed women in KING LEAR, he portrayed them as real people, not sterotypes. Nor did he portray them as protected, unintelligent, weak or helpless. The women in KING LEAR are strong, vital, intelligent and determined. They know what they want and aren’t afraid to go after it. Goneril and Reagan are not “nice” women, but they are “real” women. Cordelia is a good woman, but she is no wimpy, fragile flower either. She stands up to her father, and stands up for what she believes in even when the results are devastating. All three
