Essay Questions

How does the text explore gender?

This play is often interpreted as exposing gender issues of the time, including women’s place in marriage. At the beginning of the text, Anne is depicted as being the “perfect” wife. She is described as being “a perfect wife already, meek and patient!” Here we see that traits for being a “perfect” wife involve being docile and submissive. Additionally, Anne is described as being like an ornament for her husband and is compared to a necklace and a “well-made” suit. This depicts her as being like a possession, not a human being.

Later in the text, Susan is “given” to Francis by Charles to repay his debt, which suggests that in this society women are something that can be exchanged between men. In this text, we also see double standards between men and women, as Anne takes full responsibility for the affair between herself and Wendoll. She is forbidden to see her children and starves herself to death in exile.

How do we see Anne’s guilt towards the end of the play?

After her infidelities, Anne is depicted as being incredibly guilty and remorseful. She first asks her husband to kill her, but he refuses and instead banishes her from the family home. She accepts this and travels, saying on the way that she only deserves to sleep in a grave. Here we see how terrible she feels about her actions, and how she has internalized her guilt. Ultimately, she starves herself as punishment, which results in her premature death.