In William Shakespeare’s play, The Winter’s Tale, we see that Paulina has agency, which was looked down upon during the Elizabethan era. Because of the agency that Paulina possesses, she is able to speak out against Leontes. I will explore the many moments throughout the play in which Paulina uses her agency in order to defend and help Hermione. Despite Leontes’ constant demand for her to stop talking, Paulina continues, which makes it seem as if she is questioning Leontes’ rule and, therefore his authority. I will discuss how Paulina’s agency often leads to the misconception of being labeled as a shrew or as too masculine for a woman. However, it is because of both Paulina’s courage to stand up to Leontes, while everyone else is unable to do so, and her determination to make Leontes remorseful, that Paulina becomes looked at as a woman with power. Through this paper, I will show that even in Shakespeare’s time, women, indeed, had agency.
About the presenterYara Edrees
I am twenty-one years old and I live in Brooklyn, New York. I will be graduating with an English Writing Bachelors in May 2015 from The College Of Staten Island. After graduating, I plan to take a year off from school before continuing on to get a Masters in literature and then a PhD in women’s studies or women’s literature, in order to hopefully become a professor. I have presented papers at the 2015 PCA National Conference, as well as my college’s undergraduate conference in April 2015.