The Women Historians : History Deconstructed and Retold in Henry IV, Part 1

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

It is generally agreed among critics that the women in Shakespeare’s later history plays are limited to the domestic sphere, thus forming a stark contrast to the women in his first tetralogy who actively engage in the male domain of politics and warfare. However, this paper proposes that the women’s limited roles should never be read as limited characterization, or less significance. By close analysis of the three female characters who briefly appear in Henry IV, Part1, one of the most popular Shakespearean history plays, this paper examines how the personal-political Lady Percy, the warrior-bard Lady Mortimer and the master-mistress Hostess not only deconstruct the traditionally male-dominant historiography by playfully questioning masculine values, but also retell history from an alternative perspective which does not discriminate gender, ethnicity and class. On the other hand, this paper claims that the biggest threat to masculinity in Henry IV, Part 1 is not the three women who display a sense of independence, but in fact the effeminate males such as Falstaff and Prince Hal. Hotspur’s double murder by Prince Hal and later Falstaff signifies that masculinity goes through an endless process of deconstruction and redefinition by none other than men themselves. In conclusion, this paper aims to show how both the male and female characters in Henry IV, Part 1 play an equally significant role in deconstructing written history and the masculine values it embodies, as well as how Shakespeare uses these characters to retell history as an emotionally appealing narrative about humanity which encompasses both the personal and the political, the individual and the universal.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• I. Lady Percy, the Untamed Shrew
• II. Lady Mortimer, the Warrior-Bard
• III. The Hostess, Master of the House
• IV. The Woman Historians of Henry IV, Part 1
• Works Cited
• Abstract