Authors usually focus on themes that affect society. The main ideas in most novels depict society, they re themes that expose what is happening in society. Some of the most common themes in many ancient and modern novels seclude the idea of love, sexuality, gender, marriage, and culture, among many other themes. In the novels studied in the course, the theme of gender was evident in almost all the novels. The battle of sexes is a common theme that nearly pops out in drams regardless of the publication time or where they are written. Woyzeck by Geroge Buchner, The Tempest by William Shakespeare and Shibaraku (1697) by Ichikawa Danjūrō I, contain instances of gender inequality or the fight for gender quality.
Woyzeck is a Bourgeois tragedy whose theme of gender and sexuality is seen when Woyzeck seems to lack sexual desire. However, he claims to have admired Marie. Marie is sexually unsatisfied, thus accepts Drum-Major, who is chauvinistic. Drum-Major looks down upon women, which is why he exhibits chauvinistic attitudes towards Marie (Zwart, 2013). Drum-major is only interested in having sex with women. He uses words like ‘spawn’ and ‘breed’ refereeing to Marie. Drum-Major also calls Marie a ‘hot-bitch,’ thus showing how women are disregarded in that community where men use them as sex objects.
In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, only one woman is seen on stage. This woman is called Miranda, who is sometimes viewed as a Bumpkin because she is her virgin (Shakespeare, 1968). She is therefore assaulted for her virginity and sometimes honored for the same. Lack of women on stage in the novel can many questions, and women’s place in that society can be explicitly described. In essence, women do not play many roles in The Tempest, women are not staged, and society seems to exclude women from various societal events. Te tempest provides enough evidence about the position women hold in society; however, their absence on stage is not enough to make conclusions.
Conversely, men are portrayed differently in the novel. Fop men like Prospero, a white male patriarch, pushes himself to oppose Sycorax, the only woman. This novel thus shows how women are not regarded in society.
In the novel Shibaraku (1697) by Ichikawa Danjūrō I, men play significant roles. The entire novel portrays men as dominant and unshakable in the society while women are portrayed as humble and beg for their voices heard. The novel starts where the evil aristocrat has taken several imperial royals as prisoners. Lady Teruha begs and persuades Takehira not to execute the prisoners. Whereas a woman is portrayed as humble and a mere beggar, men, on the other hand, is sturdy, and they fight on the Hanamichi; men are, therefore, the novel portrayed as cruel, unruly, and those that exhibit Zankoku no bi. In essence, there is a difference between the roles that men play in this novel in comparison with the men (Saltzman-Li, 2002).
To sum up, gender roles and gender issues are often reflected in various novels. Gender is a social issue, and it is therefore expected to be addressed in the novels. Woyzeck by Geroge Buchner, The Tempest by William Shakespeare and Shibaraku by Ichikawa Danjūrō I, contain instances of gender issues or sexuality issues. However, gender issues in these novels are not explicit or very clearly presented; sometimes, it needs in-depth and logical analysis to understand the gender issues in those novels.