Image of Women between Tang Xianzu’s The Peony Pavilion and Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice

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1、汤显祖的牡丹亭和莎士比亚的威尼斯商人中女性形象的比较研究A Comparative Study of the Image of Women between Tang Xianzus The Peony Pavilion and Shakespeares The Merchant of VeniceAbstract: Both Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare were the greatest dramatists in the same age. Tang Xianzu was called “Chinas Shakespeare”. Du Liniang in The

2、 Peony pavilion was one of the most successful, typical and impressed woman in Tang Xianzus works, so is Portia in The Merchant of Venice in Shakespeares works. They were both beautiful, clever and brave enough to seek the true love; they also had to come to terms with the social system at that time

3、. There were many differences between their character features, experiences of life, love opinions, etc. Such as Portia didnt obey her fathers rules blindly, but Du Liniang did it; Portia had met many men in her early life, but Du Liniang only met two men before she met her lover, one was her father

4、, the other was her teacher; Du Liniang had did nothing for her love but Portia did her best to protect her love. Anyhow, they were the new women in their age. The womens self-awareness of them helped them found their true love and acquired their happiness.Key words: comparative study; the image of

5、women; Du Liniang; Portia 摘要：汤显祖和莎士比亚是同一时期著名的剧作家。汤显祖更被称为“中国的莎士比亚”。 牡丹亭中的杜丽娘是汤显祖塑造的最成功，最典型，最令人印象深刻的女性形象之一；威尼斯商人中的鲍西娅在莎士比亚塑造的女性形象中有同等地位。她们美丽聪慧，敢于追求真爱，都同样被当时的社会制度所束缚。但同时她们在性格特点，生活经历，爱情观等方面却有所不同，比如说杜丽娘盲目地遵从父亲的命令，鲍西娅没有；杜丽娘在碰到她的爱人之前，只见过她的父亲和老师两位男性，但是鲍西娅在碰到她的爱人之前就已经认识了很多异性；鲍西娅用尽全力的保护她的爱情，杜丽娘却只是听天由命，等等。但是不管

6、如何，她们都同样是她们那个年代的女性先驱。女性自我意识的觉醒让她们寻到了自己的真爱，获得了幸福。关键词：比较研究；女性形象；杜丽娘；鲍西娅ContentsI. Introduction.1A. Introduction to Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare.1 1. The introduction to their living age12. The introduction to Tang Xianzu13. The introduction to Shakespeare2B. The background of The Peony Pavilion and The

7、 Merchant of Venice.3 1. The background of The Peony Pavilion.3 2. The background of The Merchant of Venice.3C. The main characters in the two works.41. The main characters in The Peony Pavilion4 2. The main characters in The Merchant of Venice.5II. Character Analysis .5A. The analysis of Du Liniang

8、.6B. The analysis of Portia.6III. Comparative Study between Du Liniang and Portia.8A. From their character features.8B. From their experiences of life.8C. From their lovers.9D. From their love opinions.10. Conclusion.10Works Cited.11I. IntroductionA. Introduction to Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare1. The

9、 introduction to their living ageIt is a literary miracle that Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare, peaks of the world drama, emerged in China and England simultaneously in the late sixteenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth century. Tang Xianzu was called “Chinas Shakespeare”. “The two

10、man had no communication, but they both died in 1616” (Li 327). The age when Shakespeare lived was a period of political and religious stability on the one hand and economic prosperity on the other.（Wang Zhuoliang 169）The period when Tang Xianzu lived was a prosperous period in Ming Dynasty. “This p

11、eriod was a time when drama was very popular both in China and in Europe” (Liu). They both lived in an age when old feudal social and economic order was being destroyed and a new capitalist society was being born. At that time, democratic liberation campaign in the field of thoughts was springing up

12、. Under such circumstances, Shakespeare and Tang Xianzus dramatic aesthetic thoughts came into being. After the dark Middle Ages of Europe, Shakespeare was greatly influenced by Christian doctrines. Tang Xianzu who lived in the later part of Ming Dynasty was influenced by the doctrine of Confucius a

13、nd Mencius and also affected by Buddhism and Taoism.Tang Xianzus China and Shakespears England witnessed the emergence of individualism and humanism. The lives of the two masters were quite different. Tang Xianzu made an attempt to actualize his political dream in the officialdom but ended up frustr

14、ated. Shakespeare, creating plays and dramatizing his dreams on the stage in London, enjoyed a great success in his Theatrical world. Comparatively, Tang Xianzu was not compatible with his social context, creating his plays as an outlet for his despair and indignation. But Shakespeare was in tune wi

15、th the times, writing dramas as his profession.2. The introduction to Tang XianzuTang Xianzu, alias Yireng, one of the 100 International Cultural Celebrities nominated by UNESCO, was a great writer and dramatist with a legendary life and the quality of a profound thinker at the end of Chinas Ming Dy

16、nasty. He styled himself Ruoshi, Hairuo, Qingyuan Taoist and Hermit of the Jade Tea Studio. Born in an intellectual family in Linchuan on September 24, 1550, he was known for his intelligence in his childhood. At the age of 12, he made his poems known; when he reached 14, he passed the imperial exam

17、ination at the county level; while he was 21, he passed the imperial examination at the provincial level; not until he was 34 did he pass the imperial examination on the national level. He served in Nanjing successively as adviser of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, secretary of the Office of Tuiti

18、on, and administrative aide in the Sacrifice Bureau in the Ministry of Rites. In 1591, he was demoted to the position of a clerk in Xuwen Country, Guangdong Province. In the next year he was transferred to be the magistrate of Suichang County, Zhejiang Province, where he formed some direct contact w

19、ith the common people and took some enlightened measures. After five years in office, he returned to his hometown, gradually gave up the idea of an official career and devoted himself to writing. On July 29, 1616, he died in the Tea Studio in Linchuan. Tang Xianzu has left behind him 2200 odd poems,

20、 essays and verse essays, with his chief achievement in drama. His masterpiece The Peony pavilion (also entitled The Return of the Soul), The Handan Dream, The Nanke Dream and The Purple Hairpin are known as the “four dreams of the Jade Tea Studio”.3. The introduction to ShakespeareWilliam Shakespea

21、re, a great poet and dramatist of the English Renaissance period, was surely one of the greatest writers the western world has ever produced. William Shakespeare was born on the 23rd of April, 1564, in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of seven, Shakespeare was sent to the local grammar sc

22、hool where he studied for six years; besides reading and writing he was taught Latin and Greek. When Shakespeare was fourteen, his father fell into debt, and the boy probably left school and became a country schoolmaster to help support his family. In 1582 Shakespeare married a farmers daughter Anne

23、 Hathaway. Shakespeare arrived in London in the year 1586 or 1587. At that time the drama was rapidly gaining popularity among the people. Shakespeares activities as a dramatist, poet, actor and proprietor, lasted till the 1612 when he retired from the stage and returned to Stratford. Shakespeare di

24、ed on 23rd of April, 1616. During the twenty-two years of his literary wok he produced 37 plays, two narrative poems and 154 sonnets. The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado about Nothing, A Midsummer-Nights Dream and Twelfth Night are known as the “Four Great Comedies”. Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macb

25、eth were known as the “Four Tragedies”. B. The background of the Peony Pavilion and the Merchant of Venice1. The background of The Peony Pavilion Tang Xianzu wrote this work after he gave up the idea of an official career. Tang Xianzu was influenced by the doctrine of Confucius and Mencius and also

26、affected by Buddhism and Taoism. This story happened in the early days of the Southern Song Dynasty, at the time of Confusion school of idealist philosophy of the Song and Ming Dynasties worldly. At that time, woman had no position and the world was a male-oriented one. Gender differences in patriar

27、chy society were beneficial for males. In the eyes of a male, females whole value lied in her sexual function. So a womans chastity was the most important factor in her life. Du Liniang was the daughter of Du Bao who was a magistrate of Naan. Du Bao was a typical man in feudal society. Because of th

28、is father, in days when “the oriole is fond to sing at such a lovely time of spring”, Du Liniang stayed in her chamber, “now drawing a picture of the swing. Then weaving the lovebirds on the wing” and often “takes a nap during the day”, but love of beauty was her natural design. And when her father

29、found her took a nap during the day, Du Bao was very angry and blamed Du Liniangs mother. As Du Liniangs parents hoped that she will be learned and known the rites when some day she was married, they employed the pedagogue Chen Zuiliang as her tutor. Du Liniang lived there for there years but she ha

30、d not know that there had a beautiful garden, this time for all her life , she only met two men, one was her father, one was her teacher. At that time, had a lot of girls life like Du Liniangs life.2. The background of The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice belongs to the early period of Shak

31、espeares work. In the beginning, Shakespeare was a frantic humanist, and he put mans natural gifts in a conspicuous place. He was sure that love can triumph over everything and wisdom is all. The birth of Portia is an example. She was one of Shakespeares ideal women. This time was a time of great so

32、cial changes. The Protestant Reform took place and established Protestantism as the state religion; the Renaissance movement spread into England, and humanism and humanist education became popular. Yet the actuality of womens role remained unchanged despite these great changes. The Protestant Reform

33、ation may have encouraged womens emancipation, but then in reality withdrawn much of that encouragement. The women of the period of the Renaissance were totally uneducated. Of course, those women were not allowed to study at the universities, or even at the local grammar schools. However, quite a nu

34、mber of the women of nobility were given private education for various reasons. According to historical data, many women of the middle-class did read. Girls did not attend grammar schools but did attend-“petty”-schools, along with boys. On the other hand, bourgeois women apparently were not often sk

35、illed in reading. High-ranking women may receive humanist education, which was, however, mostly regarded as an ornament. In that period, the advancement about females was still bogged down; womens marriage was still on the basis of the money and interests. Parents had rights to decide childrens marr

36、iage, so before Portias father was dying. Her father makes full use of gold, silver and lead box to select marriage for Portia, and she must choose her husband by her fathers rules. Portias intelligence and wealth can do nothing to prevent her final obedience to the patriarchy. During the Renaissanc

37、e, women of the court and of the nobility had often shared in the intellectual and artistic ferment of the times. There were in England as well as on the continent women of brilliant intellect and wide and profound learning. What was even more remarkable was that there was a common feeling among men

38、 of higher status that intellectual accomplishments were both proper and even desirable in a woman.C. The main character of the two works1. The main character of The Peony Pavilion In the early days of Southern Song Dynasty, the magistrate Du Bao of Nanan had a pampered single daughter Du Liniang. D

39、u Liniangs naughty maid Chunxiang persuaded her to have a stroll in the back garden. The stroll in the garden in the bright spring day rouses Du Liniangs aspiration for love. She felt so fresh and so happy that she could hardly control herself, singing and dreaming of a young man named Liu Mengmei w

40、hile going to bed again at mid-night. She was brave enough to make love with the young man in the Peony Pavilion during her amorous dreaming, and she had never found such comfort and excitement before visiting the garden. She wished to dream of the same dream again but failed. Thus all day long she

41、found herself uneasy and unhappy and uncomfortable in her own chamber. She was getting weaker and weaker in health. She predicted that the young man would try to seek for her before she died to the world so that she tried to paint a picture of herself as a hint to be left to the human world. Nearly

42、three years later, accidentally the young man also dreamed a strange dream that a beautiful girl had fallen in love with him at first sight in the garden with the Peony Pavilion. On his way to the capital city for taking part in an imperial examination, he stopped at the garden, by chance finding ou

43、t a girls portrait in a box under a plum tree near a lake. He thought that it was an exact portrait of the girl he had dreamed of. Hence he hung her picture in the nun temple built by the girls father near the pavilion. “He dreams a dream that Du Liniang says that she can be relived. On another day,

44、 he opens the grave and revives Du Liniang” (Wang Rongpei 57). Then they leave for the capital Linan. Du Liniang asked Liu Mengmei to acquire her fathers agreement. At that time, Du Bao has been moved to Huaian and tells his wife and Chunxiang to go to Linan. On their way to Linan, they meet with th

45、e received Du Linang. On hearing about the news of her father, Du Liniang told her lover to learn more about her father when Liu Mengmei was waiting for the imperial examination. After the enclosure has been relived, Du Bao was about to return to Linan when he met his son-in-law and thinks that he w

46、as a liar. Liu Mengmei was brought to Linan and was being interrogated when report came that he has been selected as Number-one Scholar. Du Liniang explained everything in the court and the couple was happily reunited by imperial decree.2. The main character of The Merchant of VeniceAn impoverished

47、young Venetian, Bassanio asked his friend, Antonio, for a loan so that he could win Portia as his wife. Portia was a rich and beautiful heiress of Belmont. When Bassanio and Portia met, they fell in love at the first sight, but before she could surrender herself, Bassanio had past the test of the ca

48、skets ordained by he dead father. “The test is to choose among gold, silver and lead casket the right one that contains her portrait. Portias joy is as great as that of Bassanio when he has chosen correctly. But their rejoicing is interrupted by the arrival of a letter from Antonio” (Zhang 90). “Ant

49、onio is penniless and will have to pay the pound of flesh. Because Shylock agrees to lend the money, claimed that if the money is not repaid in time, he will forfeit a pound of flesh. The case is brought before the court” (Shen 30). Portia dressed as a lawyer and use her wise saved Antonio. “Portia

50、asked Bassanio to give the ring which she gave Bassanio and declared he must never part with it, for if he did it would signify the end of their love as a reward. Bassanio agreed” (Wu 91). When they both arrived home, Portia accused Bassanio of unfaithfulness. But at last she forgave him. II. Charac

51、ter Analysis A. The analysis of Du LiniangDu Liniang was one of the most typical women in ancient literature history. She sought the true love and complete opposed the feudal ethics. She was at the first line of the women who rebelled against the feudal ethics in ancient literature history. So a lot

52、 of people give their opinions of her character, her courage, her love etc.In Tang Xianzus inscription to the The Peony pavilion, he writes, “To be as Du Liniang is truly to have known love. Love is of source unknown, yet it grows ever deeper. The living may die of it by its power and it make the de

53、ad live again. Love is not love at its fullest if one who lives is unwilling to die for it; or if it cannot restore to life the one who has so died” (Wang Rongpei 57).“Du Liniang is one of the most loving female characters in ancient Chinese drama. Besides her lingering and persistent loveshe is cha

54、racterized by her aspiration for free individual development” (Wang 54).“Du Linings consciousness had many limitations to a certain extent. Although she died for love, she did not find that the feudal system still fettered her, such as Du Bao and the class represented by him” (Chen Duo 271).“Du Lini

55、ang was the woman who sought free marriage and asked for emancipating of individuality” (Chen Shouzhu 250).“Du Liniangs behavior represents the democracy thought” (Chen 280). “The image of Du Liniang was much closed to women reader. Du Liniang is truly to known love” (Xie 21). Du Liniang was a brave

56、 woman when she was in dream, or we can say her self-awareness was good. Before she died, she could seek her true love, especial when she was dying, she also not forgotten her love, and she did her best to meet her dreams lover. But when she had the second life, she lost her courage, she had no feat

57、ure again, and she just like most women lived in her society to ask her lover to acquire her fathers agreement.B. The analysis of PortiaPortia is not an easy character to deal with in The Merchant of Venice. She is an odd mixture of various traits. “Portia was a heroine of great beauty, wit and loya

58、lty” (Shen 30).“Portia, a woman entering the male-oriental world, used her knowledge, wisdom and eloquence to save Antonio and won the respects of men. We can say Portia use her knowledge, wisdom and eloquence to vanquish Bassanio, vanquish duke and vanquish the whole Venice” (Zhang Chong 96).“Porti

59、a was the new woman affected by the renaissance. She did not solve the problem in negative way. She not only chose a man she loved, but also chose a man who loved her. Portia realized the love can make people gave up their all” (Wu 136).“A lot of women of new images appeared in Shakespeares works. T

60、hey are distinguished, beautiful, wisdom and kind. They are the loyal partner and have the courage to seek the true love. Such as Portia in The Merchant of Venice” (Chen 59).“Portia in The Merchant of Venice was a decent, kind and passionate woman. She also had the wisdom and determined character. S

61、he was very beautiful, erudite, lively and elegant. Portia was the new and perfect woman of humanism thought.” (Shun 246).“Beautiful and lovely, erudite and capable, Portia was the new woman of humanism thought. Her wisdom and ability surpassed most men in Venice” (Xiao 119).From above analysis we c

62、an say that Portia was a great woman. Before Portias father was dying, her father made full use of gold, silver and lead box to select marriage for Portia, because in her period, Parents had rights to decide childrens marriage. Portia jadedly sighs: “O me, the worlds choose! I may neither choose who

63、m I would nor refuse whom I dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead fatherthat I cannot choose one, nor refuse none?”(Liniang 198) But she didnt obey his fathers rules blindly between the obedience and choice. She implicitly drove away her suitors an aristocrat and

64、the rich, only leaves the chance to Bassanio, neither an aristocrat nor a rich young person. Finally, smart Portia hints at Bassanio with lyrics to select the lead box, and then they live together happily. At that time, women were not permitted to have the freedom of marriage; choosing husband through the three boxes was Portias awareness of pursuit of true love and happy life. Her behavior was a bold challenge and ruthless ridicule to the man- dominated society. And in Ac