Father-daughter relationships in selected plays of Shakespeare

Abstract

This thesis aims to examine the relationship between fathers and daughters as portrayed in the selected plays of Shakespeare. It is observed that the plays King Lear and Othello present a complex and challenging aspect of this bond, whereas the play Hamlet portrays a traditional father-daughter relationship where Ophelia is the epitome of the “good woman” who obeys the patriarchal authority of her father and brother. The first part of my thesis will examine Elizabethan society to see the extent to which it adhered to patriarchal traditions. The second part of the study will investigate the relationship between fathers and daughters in the selected plays to see whether these women are celebrated by Elizabethan society or regarded in a negative light.