The Woman’s Prize

John Fletcher (1579-1625)

16-18 世纪，英国的现代化转型的关键时期

Theme: anti-patriarchal 反男权社会?

男权社会下女性为自由所作的斗争？

男权社会下不同女性 Maria 和 Livia 的不同反抗形式？

家庭暴力？

“伊甸园原罪”，女性为自我救赎而忍耐？

圣经中男女两性的关系

“男尊女卑”的两性观念

包办婚姻

《女人的奖赏》对父权社会中两性关系的挑战

1. 父权社会下的两性关系
1.1. 宗教规定和社会习俗
• 耶和华神说，那人独居不好，我要为他造一个配偶帮助他。（创世纪：
2:18 ）
• 耶和华神使他沉睡，他就睡了。于是取下他的一条肋骨，又把肉合起来 。
耶和华神就用那人身上所取的肋骨，造成一个女人，领她到那人跟前。那人说，
这是我骨中的骨，肉中的肉，可以称她为女人，因为她是从男人身上取出来的。
（创世纪：2:21-23 ）
• 又对女人说，我必多多加增你怀胎的苦楚，你生产儿女必多受苦楚。你
必恋慕你丈夫，你丈夫必管辖你。（创世纪：3:16 ）
• 你们作妻子的，当顺服自己的丈夫，如同顺服主。
• 因为丈夫是妻子的头，如同基督是教会的头。他又是教会全体的救主。
教会怎样顺服基督，妻子也要怎样凡事顺服丈夫。（新约 以弗所书：5：23-
24）
• 你们作儿女的，要在主里听从父母，这是理所当然的。要孝敬父母，使
你得福，在世长寿。这是第一条带应许的诫命。 （新约 以弗所书：6：1-2）
• 你们作妻子的，要顺服自己的丈夫。这样，若有不信从道理的丈夫，他
们虽然不听道，也可以因妻子的品行被感化过来。这正是因看见你们有贞洁的品
行，和敬畏的心。你们不要以外面的辫头发，戴金饰，穿美衣，为妆饰，只要以
里面存着长久温柔安静的心为妆饰。这在神面前是极宝贵的。因为古时仰赖神的
圣洁妇人，正是以此为妆饰，顺服自己的丈夫。 （新约 彼得前书：3：1-5）
• 年幼女子顺从父亲，已婚女子顺从丈夫 （民数记：30：6-11）
• 人若娶妻以后，见她有什么不合理的事，不喜悦她，就可以写休书交在
她手中，打发她离开夫家。 （申命记：24：1）
• 才德的妇人，是丈夫的冠冕。贻羞的妇人，如同朽烂在她丈夫的骨中。
（箴言书：12：4）

• 婚姻家庭法：绝对夫权，一夫一妻，永不离异 《欧洲中世纪生活》汉斯
——维尔纳·格茨，王亚平译，东方出版社 2002，p37
•
1.2. 男性的统治地位和女性的服从

 男性的统治地位与残暴
过分强烈的统治欲望会导致男性使用暴力手段使女性屈服，从而满足男性
的控制欲和统治尊严。

BIANCA: All the several wrongs Done by imperious husbands to their wives These
thousand years and upwards, strengthen thee! Thou hast a brave cause. (Act 1,
Scene 2 )

PETRUCHIO: For, look you, gentlemen, say that I grant her, Out of my free and
liberal love, a pardon, Which you and all men else know, she deserves not,
(Teneatis, amici) can all the world leave laughing? (Petruchio 在妥协 Maria 的契
约时还表现得高高在上) (Act 2, Scene 5 )

SOPHOCLES: It may be then, Her modesty required a little violence: Some

women love to struggle. (男性的残暴) (Act 3, Scene 2)

 女性的地位低下

LIVIA: In what part of the world got she this spirit? Yet pray, Maria, look before
you, truly! Besides the disobedience of a wife, (Which you will find a heavy
imputation, Which yet I cannot think your own) it shews So distant from your
sweetness – (Act 1, Scene 2 )
 MARIA: A weaker subject Would shame the end I aim at. Disobedience? You talk
too tamely: by the faith I have In mine own noble will, that childish woman That
lives a prisoner to her husband’s pleasure, Has lost her making, and becomes a
beast, Created for his use, not fellowship! (Act 1, Scene 2 )

PETRONIUS: Not a-bed yet? Body o’ me, we’ll up And rifle her! Here’s a coil
with a maidenhead! ’Tis not entailed, is it? (Act 1, Scene 3 )

PETRUCHIO: Lock’d out a-doors, and on my wedding-night? Nay, an I suffer

this, I may go graze. Come, gentlemen, I’ll batter. Are these virtues? (Act 1,
Scene 3 )

PETRONIUS: Use no more words, but come down instantly; I charge thee, by the
duty of a child! (子女需顺从父母) (Act 1, Scene 3 )

MARIA: Stay there! That duty, that you charge me by, (If you consider truly what
you say,) Is now another man’s; you gave’t away I’ th’ church, if you
remember, to my husband; So all you can exact now, is no more But only a due
reverence to your person, Which thus I pay: Your blessing, and I am gone To bed
for this night. (父为子纲，夫为妻纲) (Act 1, Scene 3 )

PETRONIUS: Still, and still she shall be, Till she be starved out: You shall see such
justice, That women shall be glad after this tempest, To tie their husbands’
shoes, and walk their horses. (Act 2, Scene 1 )

PETRONIUS: They’ll sooner Draw upon walls as we do. Let ’em, let ’em!
We’ll ship ’em out in cuck-stools; there they’ll sail As brave Columbus did,
till they discover The happy islands of obedience. (Act 2, Scene 1 )

 Petruchio 的残暴

TRANIO: ’Tis too true: Certain, Methinks her father has dealt harshly with her,
Exceeding harshly, and not like a father, To match her to this dragon: I protest I
pity the poor gentlewoman. (Act 1, Scene 1 )
 TRANIO: So do I too; And so far, that if God had made me woman, And his wife
that must be –
MOROSO: What would you do, sir?
TRANIO: I would learn to eat coals with an angry cat, And spit fire at him; I
would, to prevent him, Do all the ramping roaring tricks, a whore Being drunk,
and tumbling ripe, would tremble at: There is no safety else, nor moral wisdom,
To be a wife, and his. (Act 1, Scene 1 )

TRANIO: His very frown, if she but say her prayers Louder than men talk treason,
makes him tinder; The motion of a dial, when he’s testy, Is the same trouble to
him as a water-work; She must do nothing of herself, not eat, Drink, say, ‘Sir,
how do you?’ make her ready, unready, Unless he bid her. (Act 1, Scene 1 )

SOPHOCLES: He will bury her, Ten pounds to twenty shillings, within these three
weeks. (Act 1, Scene 1 )

LIVIA: Never hope it: ’Tis as easy with a sieve to scoop the ocean, as To tame
Petruchio. (Act 1, Scene 2 )

 Petronius 对女儿 Livia 婚姻的包办

MOROSO: Nay, believe me: But when her father pleases, I am ready, And all my
friends shall know it. (Act 1, Scene 1 )

LIVIA: None, so far. For let it be admitted, we have time, And all things now in
other expectation, My father’s bent against us; what but ruin, Can such a bye-
way bring us? (Act 1, Scene 2 )

PETRONIUS: Go to! pray forget it: I have bespoke a priest, and within these two
hours I’ll have you married; will that please you? (Petronius 和 Moroso 独自
决定婚事) (Act 2, Scene 1 )

PETRONIUS: She’s mine now, as I please to settle her. At my command, and

where I please to plant her: Only she would take a kind farewell of you, And give
you back a wand’ring vow or two, You left in pawn; and two or three slight
oaths She lent you too, she looks for. (Petronius 对女儿婚事的掌控) (Act 5,
Scene 1 )
2. 《女人的奖赏》对父权社会挑战的体现
2.1. 夫妇关系：Marry 拒绝服从丈夫

 Mary 的自我意识与斗争

MARIA: I am perfect. Like Curtius, to redeem my country, have I leap’d Into this
gulph of marriage; and I’ll do it. Farewell, all poorer thoughts, but spite and
anger, Till I have wrought a miracle! – Now, cousin, I am no more the gentle,
tame Maria: Mistake me not; I have a new soul in me, Made of a north-wind,
nothing but tempest; And, like a tempest, shall it make all ruins, Till I have run my
will out! (Act 1, Scene 2 )

MARIA: Yes, wench, and so must you be, Or none of our acquaintance, (mark me,
Livia,) Or indeed fit for our sex. ’Tis bed-time: Pardon me, yellow Hymen, that I
mean Thine offerings to protract, or to keep fasting My valiant bridegroom! ( 拒
绝与丈夫发生性行为) (Act 1, Scene 2 )

MARIA: To bed? No, Livia; there are comets hang Prodigious over that yet;
there’s a fellow Must yet, before I know that heat – (ne’er start, wench,) Be
made a man, for yet he is a monster; Here must his head be, Livia. (Act 1, Scene
2)

MARIA: Stay! – Lucina, hear me! Never unlock the treasure of my womb, For
human fruit to make it capable; Nor never with thy secret hand make brief A
mother’s labour to me; if I do Give way unto my married husband’s will, Or be a
wife in anything but hopes, Till I have made him easy as a child, And tame as
fear! He shall not win a smile, Or a pleased look, from this austerity, Though it
would pull another jointure from him, And make him ev’ry day another man. And
when I kiss him, till I have my will, May I be barren of delights, and know Only
what pleasures are in dreams and guesses! (拒绝生育) (Act 1, Scene 2 )

MARIA: Now thou comest near the nature of a woman: Hang these tame-
hearted eyasses, that no sooner See the lure out, and hear their husband’s
holla, But cry like kites upon ’em: The free haggard (Which is that woman that
hath wing, and knows it, Spirit and plume) will make an hundred checks, To shew
her freedom, sail in every air, And look out every pleasure, not regarding Lure
nor quarry till her pitch command What she desires; making her founder’d
keeper Be glad to fling out trains, and golden ones, To take her down again. ( 鹰
与训鹰者的比喻) (Act 1, Scene 2 )

MARIA: Or could he Cast his wives new again, like bells, to make ’em Sound to
his will; or had the fearful name Of the first breaker of wild women; yet, Yet
would I undertake this man, thus single; And, spite of all the freedom he has
reach’d to, Turn him and bend him as I list, and mould him Into a babe again,
that aged women, Wanting both teeth and spleen, may master him. (Act 1,
Scene 2 )

MARIA: Yes, indeed, dear father; And till he seal to what I shall set down, For
anything I know, for ever. (制定契约) (Act 1, Scene 3)

MARIA: Yet, as I take it, sir, I owe no more Than you owe back again. (要求夫妻
双方职责平等) (Act 1, Scene 3)

MARIA: Meet at the low parlour-door; there lies a close way; What fond
obedience you have living in you, Or duty to a man, before you enter Fling it
away; ’twill but defile our offerings. (拒绝服从男性) (Act 2, Scene 2)

PETRUCHIO: She had it, And so much that I sweat for’t, so I did; But to no end; I
wash’d an Ethiop. She swore my force might weary her, but win her I never
could, nor should, till she consented; And I might take her body prisoner, But for
her mind or appetite – (Act 3, Scene 2)

MARIA: What if I pluck it down, And build a square upon it, with two courts Still
rising from the entrance?
PETRUCHIO: And i’ th’ midst A college for young scolds.
MARIA: And to the southward Take in a garden of some twenty acres, And cast it
of the Italian fashion, hanging?
PETRUCHIO: An you could cast yourself so too – Pray, lady, Will not this cost
much money?
MARIA: Some five thousand; Say six. I’ll have it battled too – (Maria 颠覆了圣
经中贤妻的形象，即应看守丈夫的财产) (Act 3, Scene 2)

MARIA: That bare word Shall cost you many a pound more. Build upon’t! Tell
me of due obedience? What’s a husband? What are we married for? to carry
sumpters? Are we not one piece with you, and as worthy Our own intentions as
you yours? (Act 3, Scene 2)
MARIA Take two small drops of water, equal weigh’d, Tell me which is the
 heaviest, and which ought First to descend in duty? (用水滴的比喻来说明丈
夫与妻子之间的责任关系) (Act 3, Scene 2)

2.2. 父子关系：Livia 欺骗父亲抵抗包办婚姻

 Livia 的独立和反抗

LIVIA: ... No, Rowland, no man shall make use of me; My beauty was born free,
and free I’ll give it To him that loves, not buys me. You yet doubt me? (Act 1,
Scene 2 )

LIVIA: Now, if I can but get in handsomely, Father, I shall deceive you; and this
night, For all your private plotting, I’ll no wedlock: I have shifted sail, and find
my sister’s safety A sure retirement. Pray to Heaven that Rowland Do not
believe too far what I said to him! For yon old foxcase forced me; that’s my
fear. Stay, let me see! this quarter fierce Petruchio Keeps with his myrmidons: I
must be sudden; If he seize on me, I can look for nothing But martial-law; to this
place have I ’scaped him. Above there! (Livia 密谋反抗父亲) (Act 2, Scene 2
)

 女性的集体反抗

JAQUES: Arm, arm! out with your weapons! For all the women in the
kingdom’s on ye; They swarm like wasps, and nothing can destroy ’em, But
stopping of their hive, and smothering of ’em. (Act 2, Scene 5 )

JAQUES: To laugh at all she does, or, when she rails, To have a drum beaten o’
the top o’ th’ house, To give the neighbours warning of her larum, As I do
when my wife rebels (仆人 Jaques 的妻子也与他抗争，但是他默许不应？)
(Act 4, Scene 5 )

3. 总结

 和解
MARIA: Sir, for your house, and, if you please to trust me With that you leave
behind – PETRUCHIO Bring down the money! MARIA As I am able, and to my
 poor fortunes I’ll govern as a widow. I shall long To hear of your well-doing, and
your profit; And when I hear not from you once a quarter,I’ll wish you in the
Indies, or Cataya, Those are the climes must make you. (Maria 履行一个妻子应
尽的责任？) (Act 4, Scene 5 )

Good morning, everyone! Today I want to talk about John Fletcher’ s The Woman’s
Prize, an adapted drama from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. My subtitle is
“Challenges to the male-female relationship in the patriarchal society”. First, I will
give a brief introduction for you to know the play. The play dates from 1611, the early
17th century. It’s set in London. And the major characters are Petruchio, the tamer in
Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, and Maria, his new wife. Rowland and Livia,
a couple in love. Petronius, father to Maria and Livia. Finally Moroso, a pursuer to
Livia. The major plot of the drama is women’ s struggle with men for equality and
freedom.

My presentation today includes three parts, the first one is the male-female
relationship in the patriarchal society, the second part is challenges to the male-
female relationship, and the final part is my conclusion.

According to Anthony Fletcher, professor of history at the university of Essex,

patriarchy is an outstandingly significant feature of English society between 1500 and
1800 ( Gender,Sex And Subordination In England 1500-1800: Introduction,
pⅩⅤ， Anthony Fletcher). In patriarchal societies, The idea that “men are superior to
women” is influential.

The origin of patriarchal ideology highly possibly came from Christianity that has
exerted much influence on British society. In the Genesis of the Bible, God first
created man and later created woman out of the man’s ribs. From this point, it could
be seen that man’s place is somewhat superior to woman because he was the first
and she was the second.

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and
he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib,
which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought
her unto the man. And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh
of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
from the Genesis: 2:21-23

Besides this, Women’ s inferiority is enhanced due to the original sin as Eve
persuaded Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, which results in the downfall of human
beings and men’ s rule over women.

“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy
conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be]
 to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”
from the Genesis: 3:16

There are still many chapters in the Bible that stress women’ s inferiority and
obedience, such as in Ephesians, Paul said:

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the
husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and
he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ,
so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in every thing.”
from the Ephesians: 5:22-24

So the religion has really played a vital part in the forming of the concept that “Man
is superior to woman”. We can have a glimpse of this idea in the drama.

Man’s dominance is well displayed on Petruchio and Petronius, representatives of

husband and father in the patriarchal society respectively. When Maria refused to
spend the wedding night with Petruchio and locked herself in the room, her father
charged her to go out, as a father, he was the commander in the family and the
children should obey him. While Maria’s response showed both a father’s and a
husband’s rule over a woman, because her duty is transferred between these two
men in her life. Petronius’ s dominant place of a father also reveals itself in the
marriage of his little daughter Livia, as he arranged Livia’s marriage at his own
disposal.

And in Petruchio, this dominance is more obvious. His desire to control woman
sometimes leads to domestic violence tendency. His friend Tranio’s comments on
him show us his tyranny. He seemed to believe that man’s authority cannot be
defied, so even when he had to accept Maria’s treaty, he still thought that it was a
pardon that he granted her.

Contrary to man’s dominance, women are supposed to be obedient and obey their
male masters. As Bianca said for thousands of years imperious husbands had done
wrongs to their wives and these women had to suffer from it. This expectation of
woman to be tamed was so strong that they would suffer from imputation if they
were disobedient, just as what Livia told Maria.

In the play, women united together and fought for equality, which throws a challenge
to the patriarchal society. We can see this from the husband-wife relationship
between Petruchio and Maria and father-daughter relationship between Petronius
and his daughters.

Most parts of the play are concerned with the conflict between Maria and Petruchio.
Reluctant to accept the fate that she would be at the mercy of her tyrannical
husband Petruchio, Maria took preemptive measures and tried to tame her husband.
She first refused to perform the wifely duty to sleep with Petruchio, and swore not to
bear child for him. Then she used money extravagantly to build houses, deceived
people about Petruchio’s feigned illness, and etc. All her doings were done on the
basis that she wanted to change Petruchio into a better husband, and she longed for
an equal duty and position in marriage which she stressed many times, the metaphor
of two drops of water is much appealing. Her acts on the one hand, put Petruchio at
a passive position in their marriage, and on the other, it subverted the image of a
virtuous wife in the patriarchal society who was supposed to bear children, keep
house and serve her husband 《 ( 圣经》中“贤妻”形象的女性主义解读, 马月兰. 河
北师范大学学报／哲学社会科学版：第３７卷／第５期，2014 年 9 月).

Together with Maria and Bianca, Livia pretended to be sick and fooled both her
father Petronius and Moroso to sign a paper, by which Livia escaped the marriage
with Moroso and married with her love Rowland.

Maria and Livia acted against their father for their own ends, and this is somewhat
against the Bible’s demands on children:

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father
and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be
well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”
from the Ephesians: 6:1-3

The title The Woman’s Prize has implied that women in the play did win themselves
success, with Maria reconciling with Petruchio and Livia marrying Rowland, which
shows a tendency that the absolute authority of male can no longer stand
undefeated as women begin to demand for the equality between husband and wife,
male and female. Although I acknowledge that this play has shown some challenges
to the male-female relationship in the patriarchal society, I do not hold that it is by
rebellion and disobedience that women can build a friendly relationship with men. In
the Bible, man’s authority is clearly stated from which the patriarchal society drew its
source to establish man’s power and control over woman, while what is usually
ignored is that woman’s right is also stressed in the holy book.

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave
himself for it;” from the Ephesians: 5:25

“So ought man to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife
loveth himself.” from the Ephesians: 5:28

“Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as
himself; and the wife [see] that she reverence [her] husband.”
from the Ephesians: 5:33
 “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving
honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together
of the grace of life; that your payers be not hindered. Finally, [be ye] all of one
mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be]
courteous:”
from the PeterⅠ: 3:7-8

And Maria’s finally reconciliation with Petruchio is due to their relinquishing control
over each other. Just as Fletcher wrote in the epilogue, man should not reign his wife
as tyranny and woman should not insult and triumph her husband. It is through
equality and mutual love that man and woman can keep a happy marriage and build
a friendly relationship.