And what strength I have's mine own...

Trying to find one motif, one anything that pertained to these three works was difficult. Not because there weren’t options, there were too many, pride, revenge, water, fire, food, gods, mythology, children, the list could go on and on. I wanted a motif that was at the core of each one, even the sonnet. I wanted it to be eloquent…

Well I got the “at the core of each one” thing down, but it is not eloquent, and since I am a child of the 90’s I can only say this one way.

In my opinion, Shakespeare’s final motif is: Girl POWER! (The exclamation point at the end of “girl power” is necessary and I would not delete it if one of the Spice Girls came to my house and asked my personally.)

Girl power, or the power of a woman to make everyone else in the work look a little weak or silly by comparison, is a motif in all Shakespeare’s work, but I think he really nailed it down toward the end. I guess that Shakespeare really admired women (some days…)

Obviously, the period he wrote in was entirely male dominated. The incredibly strong, realistic and flattering female characters he devised were played by men. A Queen held the throne of England and the real women outside the walls of The Globe were still treated dismally compared to Shakespeare’s women.

Sonnet 154.

Let’s start with the sonnet, shall we? First of all, it should be said, that sonnets 153 and 154 are weird. They are not written to a specific character and for most of the poem, they recount a myth, as opposed to illustrate some incite about love, breeding, beauty, etc. Of course, when it comes down to it, it is a love poem. A love poem that involves a chick that rips off Cupid.

First off all, theft, no matter how sleepy the opponent, squarely puts you into the girl power category. So, one point, Diana’s nymph. Second of all, she stole a weapon from the son of Venus, two points. Now, this myth is not the romantic point of the sonnet. Shakespeare is trying to say that although, “love’s fire heats water“, no amount of water (or any other substance) is going to cure the love he feels for the person he wrote the sonnet for. Good ole’ Will uses ancient girl power to beget modern (for him) girl power. The nymph stole the arrows, you stole my heart, the arrows can heat the water, the water can’t cool my love…Slap a couplet on it and call it a girl power sonnet.

The Tragedy of Coriolanus.

Now, in both Sonnet 154 and The Tempest, the main source of girl power comes from the romantic lead/ingénue. There aren’t many women is Coriolanus, and all of them are eclipsed by the mother of Coriolanus, Volumnia. I am going to liken sports to war for this next simile, I know it is in poor taste, bare with me. If Roman warfare is like sports, then Volumnia is a hockey mom (one that would make Palin proud). She pushed her son into war, and made damn sure he stayed there, controlling him with her pride and the pride of their family name. She says on more than one occasion that she would rather see her son die for Rome, than do a plethora of other, less noble things. In Act 1, Scene 3, she says to her daughter-in-law, “If my son were my husband, I should freelier rejoice in that absence wherein he won honor than in the embracement of his bed where he would show most love.”

Obviously, Volumnia is a tough mamma. However, her attitude toward her son’s honor is not what gives her the girl power. It is her complete control over him, in fact, if you recall from the summary, Coriolanus stops his attack on Rome. Why? Because his mother told him to and threatened to disown him if he didn’t. Not because she was displeased, she was proud her son was attacking the city that exiled him. However, she loves her country despite what they did to her son, she lives in Rome--there was a definite conflict of interest. No matter her reasons, Coriolanus stops his assault at her request and is killed because of his decision. The following is what Coriolanus say to his mother, wife and son after he decides to leave Rome in peace, “Ladies, you deserve To have a temple built you. All the swords In Italy, and her confederate arms, Could not have made this peace.”

Volumnia’s attachment to her son saved Rome. Volumnia saved Rome by controlling a man who loved her. Girl power.

The Tempest.

Girl power in The Tempest is a little downplayed, but it is there nonetheless. I say this because, sometimes, Miranda can give off a Disney princess vibe, but we must try to remember the facts. Fact, Prospero is an incredibly learned, powerful duke and magician. Fact, he can control a myriad of forces on the island and is not to be meddled with. Fact, he has tutored Miranda in everything he knows for the past twelve years ( “Here in this island we arrived, and here Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit Than other princesses can that have more time For vainer hours and tutors not so careful.”) Fact, he loves Miranda more than anything in the world. So who holds the power? Miranda. This theory is never tested, because like most romantic leads, Miranda is dutiful and courteous to her elders. However, there can be no doubt the Prospero would do anything for his only daughter and heir. Thus, she who holds the heart of the powerful father, has the power, which is the complete opposite of the parental dynamic in Coriolanus (the parent who holds the power controls the person who can actually wield it).

Not to mention, that when Ferdinand falls in love with Miranda, he is completely smitten and continues to reiterate things like “(I) Do love, prize, honor you.” and “I thus humble ever.” Lines like this can only lead the audience to believe that their marriage will be one of equals…or she will always have the upper hand.

Miranda also makes it clear that she will work for her love and act as an equal. In Act 3, Scene 1, she offers to carry the burden of Ferdinand’s logs so that he might rest ( “If you’ll sit down, I’ll bear your logs the while. Pray, give me that. I’ll carry it to the pile.”)

Each of the women in these works, manipulate a man’s power, or learn from a man’s power to create their own special form of girl power. They do or offer to do what a man can not. Or they deceive and manipulate a man in ways he knows not. The fact that the strength on these woman can still be perceived by an eighteen-year-old girl living in 2009 is a testament to how strong they are, and will continue to be. Perhaps they are not motifs within the works that they come from, they are characters if they can be called anything, but they are a common motif throughout all of Shakespeare’s works, especially his last.