THE SEA AND WOMEN IN SHAKESPEARE’S FIRST TETRALOGY

The garden is a powerful imagery in Shakespeare history plays, yet the sea also plays an important role. By discussing episodes and metaphors related to the sea in Shakespeare’s first tetralogy, this paper aims to demonstrate Shakespeare’s macro-spatial perspective of England as an island, whose history is influenced by elements on and across the sea. The paper also examines Shakespeare’s dramatization of women’s interconnections with the sea. It attempts to contextualize Shakespeare’s dramatic representation of the sea and of women within English Renaissance maritime culture.