Introduction
In her fictional treatise “A Room of One’s Own,” Virginia Woolf creates the character of Shakespeare’s sister, Judith Shakespeare. She is a genius of the same caliber as her brother and also is a great writer in waiting. However, the pursuit of her career led to her ruin and ultimate suicide. It is because she suffered from several social, financial, familial, and religious constraints at that time. These limitations did not let her demonstrate her talent. It is not a surprise that Woolf suffered from the same inhibitions and ultimately met the fate that she chose for her fictional character. In fact, her thesis in “A Room of One’s Own” is based on the independence of a woman having money and room to “write fiction” (Woolf). By this, she means that similar to men, women should also have financial and social independence to succeed in the literary world. Therefore, in the third chapter of her fictional and narrative lecture, she has to create a fictional character of Judith Shakespeare who faces several problems and obstacles, which women of her ilk generally face.
Presentation of Judith Shakespeare
When presenting details of Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf says that suppose he had a sister Judith and she was similarly adventurous and imaginative as her brother, William Shakespeare (Woolf). She means that she must have been as intelligent and genius as Shakespeare, her brother was. However, she faced several problems and obstacles her brother William Shakespeare could not face because of his being a boy, Woolf supposes. The first aspect of her life as seen in “A Room of One’s Own”, is that unlike her brother whose mother, Woolf said, was “an heiress” (Woolf) who got him educated, “she was not sent to school” (Woolf). She means that social conventions and traditions did not let her study. Therefore, unlike her brother “She had no chance of learning grammar and logic” (Woolf). Even when she found time and tried to do some reading, Miss Woolf says that “her parents came in” and tried to make her engage herself in household chores and other womanly activities (Woolf). She was not even allowed to see or flip pages of books of her brother. They told her that she should not dream about reading and learning. The supposition is that if the Victorian Era does breed persons like Beadle who interrupts Woolf’s creative pursuit of having a tug from an idea, then surely Judith would have suffered the same fate at home two hundred years back. Secondly, she was stopped by the librarian from entering the library on the pretext that “ladies are only admitted to the library” with some family member or with a letter of recommendation (Woolf). She is of the view that if male chauvinism barred her, it must have barred Judith and other female writers in waiting. These are social norms and domestic conventions that stop women from pursuing their careers. Their career in domestic work does not pay them. And it is counted as of no monetary or social value.
Observation of Geniuses in “A Room of One’s Own”
Secondly, in “A Room of One’s Own” she is of the view that as she states in the first chapter that geniuses depend on two conditions; social and material. Judith did not learn, nor had a chance to go to school like her brother. Even material conditions did not allow her parents to send her to school even though her mother was an heiress. This material means financial situation and that is what did not allow her parents to let her stay at home. They married her and she was soon with her husband. She tried her best to avoid marriage but she was “severely beaten by her father” (Woolf). Even her husband pleaded with her not to shame him” (Woolf). Hence, she left for London where she could not succeed as compared to her brother who became financially stable and famous. When she entered the theater over there, the “men laughed in her face” (Woolf). It is typical for all males and this is because she was not materially strong and stable. And even when she succeeded Nick Greene exploited her to have his child (Woolf). Thus she ended up bearing a child from that actor-manager. It is because he first exploited her material vulnerability and her talent.
Vulnerabilities of Geniuses in “A Room of One’s Own”
The third is the “contrary instincts” which Virginia Woolf claims in “A Room of One’s Own”, “pulled her asunder” (Woolf) along with vulnerabilities of her financial and social conditions. She suffered psychologically from a religious point of view. It is because, at that time, stress was so much on chastity that no girl could have imagined it to visit London and enter the male company of actors (Woolf). The reason is that it has still religious significance in the life of a girl of such a tender age. To live such a free life must have been “a nervous stress and dilemma” (Woolf) that killed her. And it was not unique to her as other literary sisters also suffered the same conflict. That is why they wrote anonymously so that they should not get stigma on the honor of their families.
Inhibition of Creative Spirit in “A Room of One’s Own”
These three factors, Virginia Wool states in “A Room of One’s Own”, inhibited her creative spirit and thus she could not brook this hindrance any longer. Hence, she cut her life short by committing suicide. As she has committed suicide due to social and financial obstacles and then her own inner conflict, Miss Woolf says that “She lives in you and in me” and every woman doing domestic chores (Woolf). This is central to her argument in that all these obstacles that led to the suicide of her fictional character hinder a creative woman from living the same life as their male counterparts. Ultimately they commit suicide. Her own death is a case in point.
Work Cited
Woolf, Virginia. “A Room of One’s Own”. Adelaide. n.d. Web. 07 April 2014 http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/w/woolf/virginia/w91r/complete.html
Relevant Questions about “A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf
- Character Exploration: In Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own,” how does the character of Judith Shakespeare serve as a symbol or representation, and what key ideas or themes does she embody within the context of the book?
- Gender and Literature: How does Virginia Woolf use the character of Judith Shakespeare to discuss and shed light on the challenges and limitations faced by women in the field of literature during her time, and how do these insights resonate with contemporary discussions on gender and creativity?
- Creative Potential: In “A Room of One’s Own,” what does Virginia Woolf’s portrayal of Judith Shakespeare reveal about the potential and possibilities of female creativity, and how does it contribute to the broader discourse on women’s roles in art and culture?
