COMMON THEME OF MANIPULATION IN

COMMON THEME OF MANIPULATION IN SHAKESPEARE’S CHARACTERS: OLIVIA, HERO, ROSALIND AND PORTIA

The aim of this paper is to explain the common theme of manipulation in four of Shakespeare’s comedies and through four different characters: Olivia from Twelfth Night, Hero from Much Ado About Nothing, Rosalind from As you Like It and Portia in The Merchant of Venice. First of all, in order to be more accurate in our definition of “manipulation” we will provide a brief definition of it: it is “the action or an act of managing or directing a person, etc., especially in a skilful manner; the exercise of subtle, underhand, or devious influence or control over a person” (OED). Through this paper we will refer to manipulation in this sense, that is, the ability to exercise an influence over a person: his/her will, actions, behaviour, etc, trying to dominate that person. Since in this case they are all women, we will focus on social aspects, such as the oppression by the patriarchal society, and also the use of disguise, very common in these four plays. In each of the characters we will examine both sides of manipulation: how they manipulate (Portia and Rosalind are quite strong characters), and how they are manipulated by others (Olivia and Hero are much more malleable).

We will start with the character of Olivia. Olivia is the female protagonist of Twelfth Night. She is a single woman whose brother has recently died. She wears a dark veil and she has vowed to be in mourning for seven years, and therefore she cannot marry anyone until then. It is important to bear in mind that “the role of women in the 16^th century was very much a case of being seen and not heard. Women were regarded as possessions, initially by their fathers and eventually to their husbands” (Wells). In the case of Olivia, her father and brother are dead, but even so she has to follow the tradition of mourning and for a very long time indeed. In a way, she is still oppressed by them and has to behave according to her social status. Therefore, at the beginning of the play she cannot decide for herself and has to comply with the demands of that patriarchal society.

This lack of authoritarian characters around her makes her an interesting ‘prey’ to be manipulated. Firstly, her uncle, Sir Toby Belch, lives at her house, and has brought with him a foolish but rich friend to court her: Sir Andrew Aguecheek. During the whole play Sir Toby tries to convince her that this man is a good match, but she rejects him continually. Besides, Olivia has to put up with the drunkenness and loud belching of her uncle, because he is a member of her family and therefore she cannot turn him out of the house. Since Olivia’s father and brother are dead “Feste becomes her surrogate father. The clown has served in the functions of the fool, but he also educates her and makes her streetwise. In a way, he is her tutor and introduces her into the logical thinking and reasoning, the way to express herself fluently” (Forés). In this case this domination is a positive one, because Feste is trying to instruct her in useful abilities. Another character who tries to manipulate Olivia is her steward, Malvolio. He, a strict Puritan, “disparages the fool and wonders how his mistress can take delight in such a rascal. Malvolio shows that he has no sense of humour; he constantly tries to keep the entire household in an atmosphere of gravity and oppression.” (Cliffsnotes). Even so, Olivia appreciates Feste’s wit and logic. The steward also shows his desire to manipulate her when he thinks that she has fallen in love with him (Act 2, Scene 5), and he is extremely happy because that would be a possibility for him to prosper and to gain control over other people.

Undoubtedly, the most influential character for Olivia is Viola. She, disguised as Cesario, has to woo Olivia for Duke Orsino although she (Viola) is in love with him. But it turns out that Olivia falls in love with her (believing that he is a man, of course) in Act 1, Scene 5: Even so quickly can one catch the plague? / Methinks I feel this youth’s perfection / With an invisible and subtle stealth / To creep in at mine eyes. Well, let it be. And then she manages to send a ring to Viola as a token. Viola tries to accomplish her mission, but she realises that Olivia is in love with her in Act 3, Scene 2: O time, thou must untangle this, not I / It is too hard a knot for me t’untie. The fact that Olivia at the beginning was so dismissive of romantic love and now she is so excited is surprising. If the character is deeply analysed, we can observe that “she is a self-indulgent individual who enjoys melodrama and self-involvement more than anything” (Gardner and Brian). With the arrival of Viola (Cesario) “she is infatuated. Passion has conquered dignity and order at least in Olivia’s heart” (Gardner and Brian). She even confesses her love towards him and arranges a hurried wedding. At this point we cannot be sure of who manipulates whom: Viola is constantly manipulating Olivia through her words and her actions, but when Olivia gets some control, the poor Viola becomes a pawn in her hands: she is virtually dragged to marriage. Luckily, the one who marriages Olivia is Sebastian, Viola’s twin brother.

Concerning marriage, it is important to bear in mind that “during the Renaissance, marriages for love were not as frequent as they are nowadays, since it was the father who decided who a woman had to marry with and most often fathers looked for a great deal” (Benet). Nevertheless, in this play, since Olivia’s father and brother are dead, she is free to marry the man she loves, and this is proof that at least here this parental manipulation is lost. But even so Olivia, an intelligent woman, makes sure she knows about Cesario’s wealth and rank in Act I, Scene IV: What is your parentage? Cesario: Above my fortunes, yet my state is well. / I am a gentleman. Finally, her mourning seems more a self-indulgent mood, because once she meets Cesario, she forgets completely about it.

To end with this character, we will say that Olivia is manipulated by people around her, even though there are no parental figures in her life. They all seem interested in organising her situation, especially when concerning marriage, but in the end she succeeds in marrying the man she loves. Therefore, the manipulation here is relatively small, because she ultimately makes her own decisions.

Now we are going to continue with Hero’s character in Much Ado About Nothing. Hero is the daughter of Leonato, a wealthy gentleman. From the very beginning she is described as the perfect lady of Elizabethan times: she is beautiful, mild, chaste and submissive. “Women were expected to marry, and once they had done so, they had to become obedient housewives and mothers. In fact, it was thought that the main aim of women was to bear as many children as possible” (Thomas). “Women were indoctrinated in ‘the cult of true womanhood’, which taught them to become perfect wives and mothers. Their role at home was extremely important, since they were the educators of the future citizens of the nation” (Manuel). So it is clear that Hero’s future will be to get married with a husband his father likes, and to have children. Therefore she will be manipulated first by her father, and afterwards by her husband.

At the beginning of the play, Hero and Claudio fall in love at first sight, or at least that is what it seems. Claudio then immediately asks Don Pedro if she is wealthy (Act 1, Scene 1): hath Leonato any son, my lord? And Don Pedro answers: No child but Hero. She’s his only heir. After that Don Pedro proposes to woo Hero for Claudio: I will assume thy part in some disguise / And tell fair Hero I am Claudio / and in her bosom I’ll unclasp my heart […] Then after to her father I will break / And the conclusion is, she shall be thine. But “this is not a marriage out of love, but for economic reasons, which was usual in Elizabethan times” (Forés). In Act 2, Scene 1, once Don Pedro has arranged the marriage, Leonato says: his grace hath made the match. This means that since Claudio has not as much money as Hero, “the prince has matched the amount of money Hero has, so it is now a marriage amongst equals” (Forés). This shows that Hero is the subject of an economic deal, and she is manipulated to the extreme. Luckily for her, she is in love with Claudio, but if she had not been that rich maybe Claudio would not have been so interested in her.

When Don John sets the plot to make trouble for Claudio, Hero is the victim of the scheme. If Don John can demonstrate that Hero is a loose woman, Don Pedro will reject Claudio, as he himself was rejected some time ago. Hero is totally defenceless and has to endure the shame of being publicly accused of something she has not done. The plot turns out to be successful, and they ‘find’ Hero making love with another man the day before the wedding ceremony, so Claudio decides not to marry her.

During Shakespeare’s times, for a woman to lose her honour was nearly a tragedy. “A woman’s honour was based upon her virginity and chaste behaviour. For a woman to lose her honour by having sexual relations before marriage that she would lose all social standing, a disaster from which she could never recover” (Gardner and Brian). This is another source of oppression for women, a way to be manipulated, because even their sexuality was extremely controlled. Whereas for men the situation was completely different: they could go to bed with many women and nothing happened. “For men honour depended on male friendship alliances and was more military in nature. Unlike a woman, a man could defend his honour, and that of his family, by fighting a battle or a duel” (Gardner and Brian).

Hero, being the epitome of the Elizabethan woman, cannot commit such a ‘sin’. In Act 4, Scene 1 we witness the climax of the play: Claudio accuses Hero publicly of being a loose woman and she cannot convince him otherwise. Even her own father rejects her and wishes her death, thus backing up Claudio and Don Pedro. They use a degrading vocabulary to refer to her, for example, for them she is a rotten orange. During her defamation, Hero cannot defend herself and in the end she faints due to the overwhelming shame. Hero’s weak personality is reflected, but also the power of the men that surround her. Only Beatrice, Benedick and Friar Francis believe in her innocence. Once Don Pedro, Don John and Claudio are gone, they set up a plot to fake Hero’s death in order to punish Claudio. Besides, during that time Hero will be able to regain her lost honour, otherwise they could spend the rest of her life in a nunnery. At this point of the play, the manipulation that she has to endure from so many characters is more than considerable.

In Act 5, Scene 1, Don John’s plot comes to light and Claudio realises that Hero had been innocent. Then Leonato claims that he has a niece very similar to Hero and proposes a marriage. Claudio willingly accepts. Once they are in the church, Hero’s identity is revealed and she forgives Claudio immediately. It is surprising that she doesn’t feel anger or bears any grudge towards him. She behaves accordingly to a woman of her class and as a loving and forgiving woman.

To end up with Hero, we can say that she is manipulated throughout the play and used as a mere pawn in the hands of the men around her. The only occasion in which we can see Hero playing a more active role is when in Act 3, Scene 1, she sets out the scheme to deceive Beatrice, so that she believes than Benedick is in love with her. In this case we could say that she manipulates her cousin and the course of events. Apart from that, Hero is a rather passive and flat character if we compare her with her cousin Beatrice. On the other hand, she is important if we consider the tactics of manipulation used on her.

The next character we are going to talk about is Rosalind, the female protagonist of As You Like It. We can say that she is much stronger than Hero and she manipulates more than is manipulated throughout the play. As it goes on, Rosalind shows us her strong personality and her ability to influence the people around her.

At the beginning of the play we know that Rosalind’s father, Duke Senior, has fled to the forest of Ardenne because Duke Frederick has usurped the throne. It seems that Duke Senior loves Rosalind, because he lets her stay, but then in Act 1, Scene 3 he commands her to leave the royal court. He claims that she is a traitor, and when she asks him the reason for that, he answers that Thou art thy father’s daughter; there’s enough. Even though Rosalind’s father is not present, the simple fact of being his daughter obliges her to escape, otherwise she would be killed: Within these ten days if that thou be’st be found […] thou diest for it. Therefore the fist one that manipulates her is her uncle.

Rosalind exercises much influence over her cousin Celia. They are very close friends and “the profound intimacy of their relationship seems at times more intense than that of ordinary friends. Indeed, Celia’s words in Act 1, Scenes 2 and 3 echo the protestations of lovers” (Gardner and Brian). But we must take into account that in Shakespeare’s plays there are always a wide range of intimacies and sexual possibilities, and homoeroticism is widely found. Throughout the play Rosalind and Celia are always together: Rosalind is the one who takes the lead and Celia follows her.

In Act 1, Scene 3, they decide to disguise themselves: Rosalind as a man, Ganymede, and Celia as another woman, Aliena, so that they won’t be recognized in the forest of Ardenne (where they intend to go). Through disguise, Rosalind manages to manipulate a wide number of people around her. Shakespeare uses the disguise “to alter the identity of an individual, to heighten irony, develop theme and enhance subtle comic innuendo” (Kiryakakis). Everybody in the play, male and female, seems to love Ganymede and all of them are delighted with him. Here the oppression of patriarchal society is not as intense as in the case of Hero, being female intelligence and wits weapons for manipulation.

In Act 3, Scene 2, Rosalind knows that Orlando has been writing love poems about her in the forest, and they both meet (Rosalind dressed as Ganymede). Orlando claims that he is love-shaked and needs a cure for his ‘sickness’. Then Rosalind says that she can cure him by making the idea of love unappealing to him. The means will be to play the role of a fickle lover and proposes: I would cure you if you but call me Rosalind / and come every day to my cot, and woo me. Through this procedure, Rosalind manipulates Orlando, subverting the limitations that society imposes on her as a woman. Through her disguise she instructs the man she loves in being a more attentive lover, and she could not have done this being a woman. With her male disguise she can act more freely.

In Act 3 Scene 4, we witness Rosalind’s influence over another character, Phoebe. When Silvius claims that Phoebe doesn’t love her, Rosalind decides to take part in the argument. As Phoebe sees that the handsome Ganymede treats her as she treats Silvius, she inevitably falls in love with her. From now onwards, Rosalind will try to unite the couple and in the end, when she turns out to be a woman, she will succeed.

In Act 4, Scenes 1 and 2, Rosalind teaches Orlando a lesson , and she does it by giving a more realistic image of love, not the kind of love that is depicted in literature. She supports Touchstone’s early vision in Act 3, Scene 3 that the truest poetry is the most / feigning, and lovers are given to poetry; and what / they swear in poetry may be said, as lovers, they do feign. Besides, Rosalind’s famous vision is that Men are April when they woo, December when they wed. This teaching lesson is very important since through it Rosalind demythologises the romantic love and emphasises a more ‘earthly’ love. And here her manipulation over Orlando can be seen perfectly.

In Act 4, Scene 3, the play takes a new direction: Rosalind begins to get tired of the game she is playing. Even though her disguise allows her to do things that she could only dream of being a woman: to leave court, express sexual desire, initiate a romantic courtship with the man she loves… it also has its limitations: she cannot have a real physical relationship with Orlando, because, after all, he thinks she is a man. So the only way to have him is revealing her true identity. If she is a woman again, even though she will have to endure the oppression of the patriarchal society, she will be able to marry Orlando and be happy with him. Finally, Rosalind has to prioritize, and in the long run she is willing to resume her place in society.

In the last scene of the play (Act 5, Scene 4) we witness the establishing of a new order. The couples are going to get married and Rosalind promises to make all this matter even: she arranges Silvius and Phoebe’s wedding, so that they end up getting married. And she also makes sure that her father is willing to accept her own marriage with Orlando. It is clear the Rosalind manages to manipulate as much as she can while she is still a man.

To sum up, we could say that Rosalind is a character that manipulates much more than Olivia and Hero. She is intelligent, thoughtful and witty, and through the use of disguise she can act freely and achieve what she desires. The play shows how being a man can provide freedom and capacity to manipulate others. But in the end Rosalind resumes her position in society, thereby accepting her identity as a woman.

The last character we are going to analyze is Portia from The Merchant of Venice. As we are going to explain now, she is the strongest and most resourceful character if we compare her with Olivia, Hero and Rosalind.

At the beginning of the play, we can consider that Portia is manipulated by her father’s testament. He has died, and even though he is not there to impose his will, in the testament he leaves clear directives that her daughter must follow. Portia is beautiful and also very rich, and that makes her a good match. “Portia possesses a fortune on which much of the plot turns, and is the sole representative of the landed aristocracy whose values and privileges the play may be inscribing” (Ricer). In Act 1, Scene 2, she declares that she is weary of the world because as her father’s testament stipulates, she cannot choose a husband: So is the will of a living daughter curbed / by the will of a dead father. It is not hard / that I cannot choose one nor refuse none? She is oppressed by that patriarchal society, but “Portia has internalized this tradition” (Ricer): If I live to be as old as Sibylla, I will die as chaste as Diana, unless I be obtained by the manner of my father’s will.

From the very beginning, it seems that Bassanio is in love with Portia, but it is also clear that her money matters to him very much. “The play allows the interpretation that Bassanio is also interested in Portia’s money” (Tronch). He owes Antonio a substantial sum of money but now he needs more in order to marry Portia. Furthermore, it is important to bear in mind that “marriages had to do with money in Elizabethan times” (Forés). Apart from her wealth, Portia is also described as the perfect Renaissance lady with these characteristics (Act 1, Scene 1): In Belmont is a lady richly left, / And she is fair, fairer than that word / of wondrous virtues […] Nor is she wide world ignorant of her worth. Other characteristics were required in a woman: submissive, chaste and affectionate. Portia possesses all these characteristics along with intelligence, richness and beauty; those are the reasons why Bassanio is so interested in her.

When Bassanio arrives at Belmont in order to woo Portia, she begins to play a more active role (Act 3, Scene 2). She didn’t seem interested in her previous suitors, but with Bassanio she becomes more resourceful because she loves him. She begs him to stay for a while before he chooses a casket, and she even finds loopholes in the will she had not previously noticed. She is from this moment on trying to manipulate Bassanio. In the end he chooses the right casket, and thereby they can get married. But a messenger appears together with Jessica and Lorenzo and informs them that Antonio is in danger. So they decide to go to Venice, all of them except Portia and Nerissa.

From that scene onwards, is when Portia’s manipulation starts. Like Rosalind, through the use of disguise she tries to manipulate not only a handful of people but the whole audience in a tribunal. She impersonates Balthasar, a learned young lawyer sent by Doctor Bellario. Using her wits, intelligence and imagination, she succeeds in making the law work for her. When Antonio’s death seems inevitable, Portia applies the law rigidly, so rigidly that she defeats Shylock. She argues that the contract entitles him to a pound of flesh, but it doesn’t allow him to spill a single drop of blood. Nobody in the courtroom had come to that conclusion. And it is important to bear in mind that she is allowed to play this role of a lawyer because she is disguised as a man. “After having received an education, women could not apply all those things they had learnt in a professional way, as they could not work as lawyers, doctors or politics, but as domestic servants” (Thomas). The situation of women was very much restricted, as we have commented through this paper, and Portia (like Rosalind) takes benefit from her opportunity of being a man for a while. “At the beginning of the play Portia is subordinated to the patriarchal society: her father, Bassanio… but Shakespeare gives her the opportunity to act as someone more intelligent than men, someone who solves problems. In the end she wins” (Tronch).

The last step of manipulation would be that of the ring. Portia had given Bassanio a ring that he could never part with if he really loved her. But then Portia, disguised as Balthasar, asks him to have the ring as a gift for her work. Bassanio doubts but he finally gives it to her. When they are back in Belmont, Portia stops the prank before it goes too far, but she berates him for his callousness and she even insinuates that she has been with another man. Through this ruse Portia shows that she is a great manipulator and is much more intelligent than people around her. Through disguise she is capable of taking charge of Antonio’s freeing and she assumes total control over her personal situation, manipulating Bassanio just as she pleases. And a very important thing is that she is a person of high moral seriousness, who uses manipulation for a good cause. “She possesses the intelligence to use and manipulate words, the beauty to woo men, and the soul that stands above many others” (Free essays).

Through this paper we have seen how these different characters behave in each of the four plays. The weakest woman is undoubtedly Hero, because she is not capable of taking control over her situation. Then we have Olivia, who is also oppressed, but manages to get the man she wants and, in a way, makes her way to achieve her purpose. Rosalind is a stronger character, who manipulates more characters around her. Through the use of disguise she can fool people and teach Orlando how to woo a woman properly. And finally, the strongest character is undoubtedly Portia. Even though she is subjugated to her father’s will, she manages to marry the man she loves and she is even capable of saving Antonio’s life in the trial through her wit and intelligence. As we have seen, the topic of manipulation is present in all plays and it can be seen from a personal view or from a more social view. Here we have tried to observe both. But in general women in the Elizabethan society were in a situation of inferiority and they had to be very intelligent if they wanted to fight that oppression, and manipulation was a good method to fight back.

· Benet Santos, Rubén. The Role of Women in Elizabethan Society. Facultat de Filologia. (Universitat de València). March 2007.

Academic year 2006/2007

siltovi@alumni.uv.es