Roaring Girl and Gender Constructs

     In terms of my research project for the final semester, I plan on focusing on the monstrosity of cross dressing and what that entailed during the Renaissance period. For this week's post, I am focusing on how The Roaring Girl bends and subverts gender constructs. In terms of the play's name sake, Mary Firth or Moll Cutpurse as she is more fondly known, the play produces a different Mary than what history itself may suggest. I believe the authors did that on purpose to show the evolution of strict gender constructs as they moved out of the Renaissance period and into a new reign.

     Mary Firth in the play is known as Moll Cutpurse. She is at first presented as crude, mad, and unfit for any sort of socializing with decent company. While the play doesn't deal with aristocracy as so many other plays have, this play introduces the idea and involvement of the middle class. In this middle class, the city and its involvement are presented in an every day, every man context. These plays were not created for the sole purpose of entertainment for the higher class, but for the middle class as well. This play highlights their franchise and lives. In terms of Moll Cutpurse, this play highlights her virtue in spite of her historical reputation. Moll Cutpurse is presented as an outrage to society because she appears in men's clothing. However, I believe she does this to redefine the gender constructs placed on women at the time. She doesn't take on a fake persona as we may have seen in some of Shakespeare's plays such as Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night. She allows herself to be exactly who she is and say exactly what she wants, the only difference is her clothing. If she remained in female attire and spoken her peace, she may have simply be seen as an outspoken women. Here I believe she is challenging the idea that women have to be delicate, domestic creatures when she puts on men's clothing and voices her beliefs in the public square.

     Another interesting way to view Moll is in terms of the other Mary in the play, Mary Fitzallard. Mary Fitzallard is another women deemed unfit for marriage, but this is determined by her financial worth. Moll is unfit because she dresses and acts like a man. All of what Moll does is a personal choice on how she presents herself. Mary is defined by her family, specifically what her father can offer in her marriage negotiations. By having the two women coinciding in the play, it presents the two options women had: stay in a domestic situation and be defined by your father and husband; or remove yourself from what society deems is acceptable and execute your life the way you seem fit. Mary Fitzallard comes to her love in another form of domestic disguise. It appears that she disguises herself because she is ashamed to take to him on her own accord because of what Sebastian's father or the public may think. Moll is just the opposite. She presents herself in outlandish outfits mixed with male and female articles and allows society to infer what they will. While both women are brave in their own respects, they cannot be categorized in the same female gender construct. Mary represents the Renaissance female whereas Moll may hint at the revolutionary female that is soon to emerge.

     This play, much like Witch of Edmonton, attempted to suppress women who were not to society's perfect mold. However, I believe that Moll succeeded in breaking the social and gender fetters placed on her and gained the freedom of agency away from domestic responsibilities. I believe that Moll acts as a foreshadowing to the stronger female figures that will arise from the crowds, both in the theater and in society.