"I will not peace": Language, power, and the Duchess of York in Richard II
The action of Shakespeare's Richard II centres on the overthrow of a king and the installation of a usurper in his place. Male characters dominate the play in terms of numbers and stage time. It is an indication, paradoxically, of both the subordination of women in this political and military...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universiti Malaya
2017-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Modern Languages |
| Online Access: | http://jml.um.edu.my/index.php/JML/article/view/3663 |
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| author | Veronica Lowe |
| author_facet | Veronica Lowe |
| author_sort | Veronica Lowe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The action of Shakespeare's Richard II centres on the overthrow of a
king and the installation of a usurper in his place. Male characters
dominate the play in terms of numbers and stage time. It is an indication,
paradoxically, of both the subordination of women in this political and
military world as well as their refusal to be completely passive that all
three major female characters are seen in roles of supplication before
men.
This paper considers the relation of power and language when one
of these women, the Duchess of York, tries to persuade men to do her
bidding. It examines the linguistic strategies she employs to gain
ascendancy over them as well as those they use to assert their
superiority. In addition to looking at how power is exerted through
language, it also considers how power is reflected in language.
The relevant parts of Act 5 Scene 2 and Act 5 Scene 3 of Richard II
are analysed using adaptations of concepts from conversation analysis,
Brown & Levinson's (1987) theory of politeness, and Culpeper's (1996)
model of impoliteness.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cb423e95f98c43bebd4d30a1b9d84e50 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1675-526X 2462-1986 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-07-01 |
| publisher | Universiti Malaya |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Modern Languages |
| spelling | doaj-art-cb423e95f98c43bebd4d30a1b9d84e502025-08-20T02:04:48ZengUniversiti MalayaJournal of Modern Languages1675-526X2462-19862017-07-01191"I will not peace": Language, power, and the Duchess of York in Richard IIVeronica Lowe0University of Malaya, Malaysia The action of Shakespeare's Richard II centres on the overthrow of a king and the installation of a usurper in his place. Male characters dominate the play in terms of numbers and stage time. It is an indication, paradoxically, of both the subordination of women in this political and military world as well as their refusal to be completely passive that all three major female characters are seen in roles of supplication before men. This paper considers the relation of power and language when one of these women, the Duchess of York, tries to persuade men to do her bidding. It examines the linguistic strategies she employs to gain ascendancy over them as well as those they use to assert their superiority. In addition to looking at how power is exerted through language, it also considers how power is reflected in language. The relevant parts of Act 5 Scene 2 and Act 5 Scene 3 of Richard II are analysed using adaptations of concepts from conversation analysis, Brown & Levinson's (1987) theory of politeness, and Culpeper's (1996) model of impoliteness. http://jml.um.edu.my/index.php/JML/article/view/3663 |
| spellingShingle | Veronica Lowe "I will not peace": Language, power, and the Duchess of York in Richard II Journal of Modern Languages |
| title | "I will not peace": Language, power, and the Duchess of York in Richard II |
| title_full | "I will not peace": Language, power, and the Duchess of York in Richard II |
| title_fullStr | "I will not peace": Language, power, and the Duchess of York in Richard II |
| title_full_unstemmed | "I will not peace": Language, power, and the Duchess of York in Richard II |
| title_short | "I will not peace": Language, power, and the Duchess of York in Richard II |
| title_sort | i will not peace language power and the duchess of york in richard ii |
| url | http://jml.um.edu.my/index.php/JML/article/view/3663 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT veronicalowe iwillnotpeacelanguagepowerandtheduchessofyorkinrichardii |