Abstract
This thesis examines the notion of retribution against outspoken females within William Shakespeare's plays. Each subsequent chapter will examine a single work-King Lear, Macbeth, and Much Ado About Nothing-in detail, firstly analyzing the behaviors of each nontraditional female, and secondly describing the manner in which Shakespeare punishes her unruly behavior. Also examined is the notion of "punishment", which has far more severe consequences in the tragedies than in the comedies.
The female characters examined are the sisters Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia in King Lear; the Weird Sisters, Lady Macbeth, and Lady Macduff in Macbeth; and Beatrice and Hero in Much Ado About Nothing.
The female characters discussed in this thesis are complex women who demonstrate a level of wit, emotion, intelligence, and dimension not usually attributed to an Elizabethan woman. However, because these characters demonstrate behaviors that were not socially acceptable to the patriarchal society of Elizabethan England, the women are effectively silenced for their transgressions against social norms. Ultimately, specific unruly female characters are punished by taming through marriage or, more tragically, by death, and the male-dominated social order is restored before each play 's conclusion.