Post No. 13,792
Date uploaded in London – 18 October 2024
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Except Manu, Whole World treated Women with Contempt! – Part 2
We saw how Manu praised women sky high in the Manu Smrti in the first part. Like Manu, one hundred percent support is seen in Tamil poet Bharatiya’rs poems. In between Rig Veda and modern times, Kamban, Kalidasan and others supported and opposed them on certain grounds. Tamil Veda author Valluvar praised them as housewives and criticised them as courtesans or prostitutes. Only Bharatiyar stands above all in praising women.
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There are more quotations from Shakespeare :
“Make the doors upon a woman’s wit, and it will out at the casement; shut that, and ’twill out at the key-hole; stop that, ’twill fly with the smoke out at the chimney” is a line from As You Like It by William Shakespeare. It appears in Act 4, Scene 1.
Meaning
ROSALIND
If she wasn’t wise, she wouldn’t have the wits to act so badly. The wiser the woman, the more wayward she is. Lock the doors on a woman’s wit, and it will fly out the window. Shut the windows, and it will escape through the keyhole. Stop up the keyhole, and it will fly out the chimney with the smoke.
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—But, mistress, know yourself. Down on your knees
And thank heaven, fasting, for a good man’s love
,For I must tell you friendly in your ear,
Sell when you can; you are not for all markets.
Cry the man mercy, love him, take his offer.65
Foul is most foul, being foul to be a scoffer.—
So take her to thee, shepherd. Fare you well.
– As You Like It
[To PHOEBE] But mistress, know yourself. Get down on your knees and thank heaven for giving you a good man’s love. I must tell you as a friend that you should sell while you can, for you won’t have buyers for long. Ask for this man’s mercy, love him, and take his offer. Ugliness is at its worst when it is scornful of others.
****
I know a wench of excellent discourse,
Pretty and witty, wild and yet, too, gentle.
There will we dine. This woman that I mean,
My wife—but, I protest, without desert—
Hath oftentimes upbraided me withal;
To her will we to dinner. [to ANGELO] Get you home
And fetch the chain; by this I know ’tis made.
Meaning
I know a girl who’s a great conversationalist, pretty and witty, wild and gentle at the same time. We’ll dine with her. My wife has often complained to me about this woman when I didn’t deserve it. Now we’ll go to her place for dinner.
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The following passage is from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra IV.15.
CLEOPATRA
No more, but e’en a woman, and commanded
By such poor passion as the maid that milks
And does the meanest chares. It were for me
To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods;
To tell them that this world did equal theirs
Till they had stol’n our jewel. All’s but naught;
Patience is scottish, and impatience does
Become a dog that’s mad: then is it sin
To rush into the secret house of death,
Ere death dare come to us? How do you, women?
What, what! good cheer! Why, how now, Charmian!
My noble girls! Ah, women, women, look,
Our lamp is spent, it’s out! Good sirs, take heart:
We’ll bury him; and then, what’s brave, what’s noble,
Let’s do it after the high Roman fashion,
And make death proud to take us. Come, away:
This case of that huge spirit now is cold:
Ah, women, women! come; we have no friend
But resolution, and the briefest end.
death proud to take us. Come, away: This case of that huge spirit now is cold: Ah, women, women! come; we have no friend But resolution, and the briefest end.
Meaning
CLEOPATRA
I am no longer a queen but just an ordinary woman. I am overpowered by the same unworthy emotions as any milkmaid who performs the humblest chores. It would be more fitting for me to hurl my scepter at the gods who have injured me and tell them that this earthly world was as good as their divine world until they stole away the greatest man. Everything is worthless. It is idiotic to be patient and endure things calmly, and to become impatient is quickly to become like a mad dog. In that case, is it really sinful to rush towards death before death comes to us naturally? How are you, my women? What, what, be cheerful! Why, how are you doing there, Charmian? My noble girls! Ah, women, women! Look, our lamp has run out of oil, it’s gone out. Good women, take heart. We’ll bury him, and then, whatever is brave or noble, we’ll do it in the noble Roman style, and die so nobly that death will be proud to take us. Come, away. The body that contained that great spirit is now cold. Ah, women, women! Come. The only thing that can help us is determination, and the quickest possible death.
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YORK
Thou art as opposite to every good,
As the Antipodes are unto us,
Or as the South to the Septentrion.
O tiger’s heart, wrapped in a woman’s hide,
How couldst thou drain the life-blood of the child,
To bid the father wipe his eyes withal,
And yet be seen to bear a woman’s face?
Women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible;
Thou stern, obdurate, flinty, rough, remorseless.
–Henry IV
Meaning
Oh, you have a tiger’s heart wrapped in a woman’s skin! How could you drain the blood of a child and make the father wipe his eyes with it, and still appear to have a woman’s face? Women are soft, mild, compassionate and yielding. You are stern, stubborn, hard, violent and without remorse. You ask me to be angry? Well, now your wish will come true. Do you want me to cry? Well, now you’ll get what you want.
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Portia
I would have had thee there and here again
Ere I can tell thee what thou shouldst do there.
[Aside] O constancy, be strong upon my side;
Set a huge mountain ‘tween my heart and tongue!
I have a man’s mind, but a woman’s might.
How hard it is for women to keep counsel!
[To Lucius] Art thou here yet?
Meaning
PORTIA
I want you there and back again before I can even tell you what you should do there.
[To herself] Oh, willpower, support me so that I do not say what I know in my heart! I have a man’s mind, but only a woman’s strength. How hard it is for women to keep secrets!
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“A woman, naturally born to fears” is a line from King John by William Shakespeare. It appears in Act III, scene 1, and is part of a line that continues, “A widow, husbandless, subject to fears”.
Thou shalt be punish’d for thus frighting me,
For I am sick and capable of fears,
Oppress’d with wrongs and therefore full of fears,
A widow, husbandless, subject to fears,
A woman, naturally born to fears;
—King John
Meaning
You will be punished for frightening me in this way, because I am sick and easy to scare and I’m a woman, naturally afraid.
****
Down from the waist they are centaurs,
Though women all above.
But to the girdle do the gods inherit.
Beneath is all the fiends’; there’s hell, there’s
darkness,
There’s the sulphurous pit— burning, scalding,
Stench, consumption! Fie, fie, fie, pah, pah!
Give me an ounce of civet, good apothecary,
To sweeten my imagination.
There’s money for thee.
—King Lear
From the waist down women are lecherous centaurs, though they’re chaste up above. God only gets the woman down to her belt—below that belongs to the devil. That part is hell, darkness, the lake of fire—burning, scalding, stench, sickness! Shame, shame, shame, ah, ah! Give me a strong perfume to sweeten my imagination, good pharmacist. There’s some money for you.
To be continued……………………….
–subham–
Except Manu, Whole World , Women , Contempt! – Part 2, Shakespeare’s, Quotes, on Women, Woman, Bharatiyar
Tamil and Vedas 