The Disconnect of Language and Behavior in "The Roaring Girl"

http://www.tech.org/~cleary/roar.html

Throughout past pieces of literature read in this class, we have seen that the language used to refer to women is grotesque, rude, and degrading.  This language is used as a tool to defend and protect each play's respective patriarchal society through its belittling of female characters- a tactic that seemingly uplifts the male characters (and the patriarchy), regardless of how blatantly evil those men are.  In The Roaring Girl, however, we see a different result from the same tactic: Moll Cutpurse is revered throughout the play as a heroine, sexually desired by the men around her, even though they use foul language when discussing her.  An excellent example of this hypocrisy comes from Laxton in Act 2 Scene 1: he joins in a condemning conversation of Moll in the marketplace while continuously stating his admiration and attraction to her on the side.  When Goshawk says, "[Moll] 'Tis the maddest, fantastical'st girl!" (2.1.211), Laxton replies, "She slips from one company to another like a fat eel/ between a Dutchman's fingers" (213-214), a response that seemingly agrees with Goshawk's negative opinion of Moll by it's calling attention to Moll's instability in gender. In response to a comment made by Mrs. Gallipot, Laxton states, "[Moll] might first cuckold the hus-/ band and then make him do as much for the wife" (218-219), again commenting on Moll's ability to fool both men and women.  This negative language ("fat eel," "cuckold") is something familiar in early modern literature in regard to women as sexual beings, but the hypocrisy which accompanies these statements is not.  In one aside, Laxton lays out his plan to win Moll as a lover: "Heart, I would give but too much money to/ be nibbling with that wench... I'll lay/ hard siege to her. Money is that aqua fortis that eats into/ many a maidenhead" (2.1.193-194, 200-202).  This demonstrates that although the majority of the community believe Moll is an unnatural being because of her cross-dressing tendencies, she is also viewed as exotic, which makes her the perfect image of sexual desire.

I believe it is important to note the way in which Moll is dealt with by male characters, such as Laxton, because it simultaneously represents the threat that men feel by Moll (sparking negative language and ill behavior) and the admiration they feel for her (resulting in a sexual attraction for the woman). In this way, the play does an excellent job of illustrating the double-standards in early modern society; while the play focuses particularly on the unequal treatment of the sexes in the realm of sexuality, I think it also opens the door for the audience to question other areas in which men and women were viewed as opposites.