In this essay I'm going to argue that the development of the female character became more dynamic over a period of 40 years. Aspects where this can be witness is now integral their story was to the plot, the degree of agency they expressed, and the roundness of their character.
In Cabiria, made in 1914, much of the plot revolves around Fulvius and his slave Maciste instead of Cabiria, who is the main character. In the 1925 silent epic Ben-Hur, Esther's involvement in the plot was mainly in order to restore Judah's riches and was overall less important, while the roles of his mother and sister, Miriam and Tirzah, respectfully, are not essential at all. In the 1959 Ben-Hur, however, Esther actively encourages Judah to abandon revenge and provides important emotional support while Tirzah and Miriam also configure more into the plot: the news of their apparent death spurs him to race against Messala. And in 1963's Cleopatra, her story line is the plot, and makes her the central character.
My next point is the amount of agency the characters have. Agency is defined, in sociological terms, as "one's independent capability...the ability to act on one's will". As a child, Cabiria did not have much independence to begin with, and it only decreased when she became a slave; and despite being her master, Sophonisba also lacks agency; she's promised to two men without having a say. As a queen however, she has more power, but what autonomy she has is spent on poor decisions. 1925 Ben-Hur's Esther uses it for Judah's sake to restore his riches and family, while the later version of Esther takes it upon herself to tell Judah his family is dead and tries to keep their existence hidden, as par their wishes. Cleopatra is the most free willed of the women; she is a queen who actively governs her country and takes the initiative to further her power, with sometimes disastrous results.
Last of all is the roundness of their character. In earlier movies, women were static and did not receive much development. This is most evident with Cabiria and Sophonisba, who are either purely good or evil. The first Ben-Hur introduces Esther as solely a love interest, with Tirzah and Miriam as the victims, and Messala's mistress as a vamp. The second Ben-Hur however, cuts out the vamp, thus giving more development to the other women. Cleopatra is the best-rounded of the group by having dual roles: she is both a vamp and a mother, a more complicated portrayal.
In conclusion, from 1914 to 1963, female characters became more dynamic and human in their development, with more involvement in their respective movie's plot.
Nice job, your argument is very clear with lots of evidence to support it. Maybe one thing you could consider is how characters in movies as a whole have advanced and become more dynamic, and then compare that to how female characters have changed even more drastically.
ReplyDeleteI liked the thesis and how strong of a statement it made. I felt that the paragraphs did not connect or flow between one another. The evidence is in strong support of the thesis. I can't wait to see how you develop each of the sub-points into more of a contiguous support.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this is a strong start (but please proofread and fix the first paragraph!). I particularly love your detailed observations on women's increasing agency.
ReplyDeleteBridgette is probably right that not just female characters, but all main characters gain more depth in the later movies. I think it could be worth devoting maybe one or two paragraphs to considering this parallel development, but I'd still make sure that your main focus remains the one it is now, the development of female characters.