Women of Will: The Remarkable Evolution of Shakespeare's Female Characters [Paperback]

Women of Willis a fierce and funny exploration of Shakespeare’s understanding of the feminine. Tina Packer, one of our foremost Shakespeare experts, shows that Shakespeare began, in his early comedies, by writing women as shrews to be tamed or as sweet little things with no independence of thought. The women of the history plays are much more interesting, beginning with Joan of Arc. Then, with the extraordinary Juliet, there is a dramatic shift: suddenly Shakespeare’s women have depth, motivation, and understanding of life more than equal to that of the men. As Shakespeare ceases to write women as predictable caricatures and starts writing them from the inside, his women become as dimensional, spirited, spiritual, active, and sexual as any of his male characters. Wondering if Shakespeare had fallen in love (Packer considers with whom, and what she may have been like), the author observes that from Juliet on, Shakespeare’s characters demonstrate that when women and men are equal in status and passion, they can—and do—change the world.

“Fascinating. . . . Detailed . . . [Packer's] experience in the theater gives her book a hands-on dimension. . . . Her knowledgeable tracing of connections among the plays and parallels among characters is never less than compelling.” —New York Times

“Packer recognizes in Shakespeare’s full dramatic trajectory a great artist gaining an ever fuller understanding of both genders’ human identity . . . Important and fascinating.” —Booklist(Starred Review)

“Astute. . . . At once humanistic and grounded in the historical context.” —Christian Science Monitor

“Visceral and intellectual . . . A sparkling, insightful exploration of Shakespeare’s words and world.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“Fierce and witty.” —Broadway World
 
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