Autonomia feminina na obra “O Mercador de Veneza” : a desconsideração do feminino no contexto da obra

Abstract

The current work is an historical and sociological analysis of the female condition. For that, the play The Merchant of Venice, written by William Shakespeare will be used as a base, focusing in the character Pórcia. The main goal is to demonstrate the various factors that contribute to the female lack of self-sufficiency, like the evolution of patriarchal society, structured to segregate women, and demonstrate de law’s role in assure gender equality. For that, will be developed an qualitative research, using the qualitative inductive method, based on the great works of feminist theory, like the Second Sex, written by Simone de Beauvoir. Over time, there were significant improvements conquered by the women's rights movement, like the right to vote, salary equality and the right to education. All of them contribute to bigger feminine independency, and managed to reduce the inequality of gender. The papers mentioned through the work demonstrate the simple way that woman’s rights were relativized, just like in the play mentioned. Especially, biological differences, like strength, restrictions in times of gestation and lactation, the hormonal changes caused by the menstrual cycle were used to pray the female inferiority. Those arguments lasted in history of society, and were fixed as social structure of patriarchalism. Through the time, society changed the thought of gender and brought it as a valid issue to discuss. The work demonstrates Portia’s condition in the work The merchant of Venice, to demonstrate the female restrictions, historical and socially. The conclusion to get from the present work is that many advances were acquired in terms of gender equality, there is so much more to fight for.