Shakespeare and members of the Elizabethan era would be shocked by the freedoms women experience today. The docility of Elizabethan women is almost a forgotten lifestyle. What we see in Shakespeare's works is a vision of the female character as perceived by Elizabethan culture. Shakespeare's female characters reflect the image of women in the Elizabethan era; they were supposed to be virtuous and obedient, and those who were not were portrayed as undesirable and even evil. When considering Shakespeare's female characters, one must remember that the plays were written in a time when women were considered weak-minded creatures and likely to make poor choices if given freedom. Shakespeare, for the most part, divided his female characters into two categories. One was the docile, obedient, virtuous woman, in some cases the heroine, who embodied everything that was desirable in a woman. The other was the independent, dominant and evil counterpart. It is difficult to understand exactly how society in general, and men in particular, viewed women. To us, some of their beliefs seem almost ridiculous. Orsino, for example, "recalls Elizabethan folk beliefs when he speaks of Olivia's liver, brain and heart which were thought to be the seats of passion, judgment and feeling respectively, and the three centers of power within the body" (Bates 5). Of course, an Elizabethan belief was that women lacked character, particularly in the case of love. Some believed that “women's love [was] very variable and not lasting” (Bates 13). Shakespeare alludes to this belief in Twelfth Night when “Viola also laments that Olivia fell in love with Cesario so easily; compare women's hearts to... middle of paper... emonac. Petruchio creates the dream in KateIII. Self-victimized minor charactersA. Manipulation backfires1. Unhappiness2. Shakespeare/Glaser quote, “No man puts…”B. Success does not mean triumph1. Beat your rivals2. Unexpected results3. Bevington, the fall of IagoC. Female salary1. Used women2. Emilia used against Desdemona (Shakespeare III.iii.321-345)3. Emilia takes revenge (Shakespeare V.ii.176-204, 232-236)4. Bianca refuses submission (Shakespeare V.ii.129-133)5. The stupidity of AudreyIV. ConclusionA. Minor characters are important in comediesB. Iago, Lucentio and Touchstone motivate othersC. Iago, Lucentio and Touchstone create destinies