Shakespeare has created many beautiful and exemplary women characters. Some are to be pitied like Ophelia, Desdemona etc; some to be emulated like Rosalind, Portia etc; and appreciated like Beatrice.
Of all his women characters, there seem to be only three women, who can be called bad; Lady Macbeth, Goneril and Regan. The first is of course from the great tragedy ‘Macbeth,’ and the other two from another great tragedy ‘King Lear.’(I think it is because of the presence of two such in the same play, it is called the most tragic of all)
This seems to be not a coincidence. If one such had found a place in any of the romantic comedies, that would have also turned into another great tragedy. Villainy and cruelty seem to be much more tolerable in men rather than in women (even today). I remember Macbeth saying that Lady Macbeth has man’s qualities. A visit to a penitentiary for women should give one a real insight into the cruelties possible by women.
The woman, from ab ovo, had been the cause for man’s downfall. From Eve to these, we find the same thing happening. Rarely do we find women,
“too full o' the milk of human kindness.”
Women have come a long way form those we find in such classical writings—good, bad, innocent or tactful. Today we have many like Portia, Rosalind or Beatrice among us.
There seems to be another peculiarity too in shakespeare’s plays. No heroine seems to have a (live)mother.
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