Abstract
This paper explores the role of a father and some of the many changes that have occurred from Shakespeare’s time and our current societies’ view of a father’s role. There have been many studies conducted over the years focused on what an important role a father plays in the healthy upbringing of a child. A father in the past was looked at as a man who literally owned a daughter and was someone who should not be disobeyed. Overtime the father was looked at as a person who helped mold a child emotionally and intellectually. Recent studies show that a father is more likely to play with a child than a mother. Almost anyone who looks back on their childhood who had a father or father figure would likely say they can remember how playful their father was. This paper will also look into the plays written by Shakespeare and the father – daughter relationships within them.

A Father’s Role The need for a father has stayed the same, but the role of a father has changed since Shakespeare’s time to today’s society. There are many great quotes on the father-daughter relationships that some hold on to for inspiration. Some examples are, “There is no love like a father’s love for his daughter” and “A father’s job is not to teach his daughter to be a lady. It is to teach her how a lady should be treated.” Clearly these quotes did not come from Shakespeare’s time. In Shakespeare’s time a father looked at his daughter was looked at as a subject who was owned by their father (Richmond, 2005). The father would own his daughter until she was married. A young daughter could be auctioned off to the family or man who was able to bring the most dowries, or goods to prove worthiness. Arranged marriages were common in Shakespeare’s time. Often the arrangement was negotiated well before the daughter was able to crawl. The thought of selling off my own daughter is sickening. In today’s society it is customary for the man to ask a girl’s father for his daughter’s hand in marriage. In Shakespeare’s play Othello, The Moor of Venice, the bond between Desdemona and her father, Brabantio is seen. Brabantio’s role in this play is similar to today’s role of a father in that he is trying to protect his daughter. Brabantio thinks that Desdemona was bewitched by Othello and he tries to bring Othello before the counsel for charges. On the other side of things, Brabantio is upset that his daughter made the decision to marry Othello.
In Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the father Egeus, has already decided who he wants his daughter, Hermia, to marry. Egeus has already made his mind up that Hermia is to marry Demetrius. However, Hermia has decided that she wants to marry Lysander because that is who she loves. Egeus looks at his daughter as a piece of property that he can decide who is allowed to have her as a wife. Egeus says, I beg the ancient privilege of Athens: / As she is mine, I may dispose of her, / Which shall be either to this gentleman /Or to her death, according to our law (1.1.41-44).
This line spoken by Egeus shows that the laws of Athens are that a daughter is to obey her father. If a daughter disobeys her father he can kill her if he chooses. Theseus adds to what Egeus says by telling Hermia that she should look at her father as a God. If people outside of the father-daughter relationship are adding their opinion it seems as though many people believed in the rules of Athens at the time.
In Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, a healthy father-daughter relationship is seen between Prospero and Miranda. The two are seen speaking in a normal father daughter tone. Miranda is able to her father in what appears to be a healthy tone. Prospero does the same and appears to accept Miranda’s decisions that she makes. In King Lear Cordelia tries hard to love her father and is the only daughter of the three that seem to truly love him. This is seen when Cordelia says, “O my dear father! Restoration hang/ Thy medicine on my lips, and let this kiss/Repair those violent harms that my two sisters/ Have in reverence made!" (4.7. 27-30) So, what is the role of a father? David Blankenhorn, who was the president of the Institute for American Values said, “Fathers make irreplaceable contributions to the well-being of their children” (Koch, 2000). Even though a father is very important to the development of a child, in 2000 over 17 million children in the United States did not live with a father (Koch, 2000). On average in America, fathers are only available 2.5 hours on weekdays and 6.3 hours on weekends (Leyton, 2010). In the grand scheme of things this is not a lot of time. There have been multiple researchers who have concluded that fathers generally spend more time playing with children compared to mothers (Leyton, 2010). Another role of a father is helping the healthy development of a child. The general period for this is the first six years (Leyton, 2010). A father plays a role in developing a trust for others, defending rights, self-esteem, and taking responsibility for their actions.
Near the end of World War II, the extent of the study of paternal childcare was simply if a father was present or absent (Morgan, Wilcoxon, & Satcher, 2003). This is because many father aged men were at war or working to support the war. During this time many women did not work unless they had to so; a mother really became a big influence on child’s upbringing. A father’s role was to make money to provide for a family. The economics in America have changed a great deal since the 1940s. As time went on and studies about fatherhood were conducted many other categories were studied. Some of the things that were studied in addition to the presence or absence of a father were; the presence of a father at birth, time spent with children, time a child spent in childcare and the level of responsibility over a child’s well-being (Morgan, Wilcoxon, & Satcher, 2003). These other categories have been expanded on even more over the last fifty years.
Being a father to my two children is one of the most, if not the most important, part of my life. My daughter (4) has me wrapped around her finger, and my son (1) does a good job at it too. My daughter can be seen as a daddy’s girl. Sue Sharpe says that girls who are daddy’s girls may use their little girl sweetness and charm to get their way with their fathers (Sharpe, 1994). My daughter has this down to a science. I can relate with the researchers who say fathers tend to play more with children. I get in trouble nearly every night with my wife because I play too much at bed time. I have been amazed at the reaction I get when I speak a little louder or deeper when correcting or disciplining one of my children. Both of my children are eager to please and cry at the littlest change of my voice.
I am very involved with my children, and consider myself a foundation for their healthy upbringing. With fathers who are the primary provider, the amount of time that is available to devote to their children is limited. My personal experiences have led to embrace the role of a father. When I get home from work I immediately start to spend time with my children and more often than not I have to hold my son until it is time for bed. He has started to only allow me to be with him or hold him when I am around. Is this a sign that I am not home enough? Or am I not filling a need that my son needs?
In The Tempest, King Alanso is made fun of / ridiculed by his men for making the decision for his daughter Claribel to marry the King of Tunis all the way in Africa. Sebastian says “Sir you may thank yourself for this great loss,/ That would not bless our Europe you’re your daughter,/ But rather loose her to an African,/ Where she at least is banished from you r eye,/ Who hath cause to wet the grief on’t (2.1.125-129) Once again this shows that fathers during Shakespeare’s time were able to choose who a daughter was to marry.
It seems as though King Alanso chose the King in Africa because he may have had more to offer for his daughter, Claribel’s hand in marriage. Based on Sebastian’s words, it can be seen that there were probably multiple Kings in Europe that were worthy to marry Claribel. Maybe King Alonso was attempting to use his daughter to create more allies. Sometimes daughters were forced to marry to help bridge a political gap between nations, or territories.
On the other side of things in The Tempest, Miranda is able to choose her husband. Miranda falls deeply in love with Ferdinand; you could pretty much call it love at first sight. Ferdinand. It adds to the story that Miranda asks Ferdinand to marry her instead of the traditional arranged marriage during this time. At the end of Act 3 Scene 2, Miranda and Ferdinand are deep in conversation. Miranda says “I am your wife, if you will marry me;/If not I’ll die your maid. To be your fellow/ You may deny me, but I’ll be your servant/ whether you will or no (3.2. 83- 86). After Ferdinand responds Miranda actually asks for his hand in marring “ My husband then” (3.2.88). It is possible that the marriage may have been arranged prior to Prospero and Miranda being forced to the island. With the previous status of Prospero in Milan it would make sense that a Duke’s daughter and a King’s son would be arranged at an early age for marriage. In this play at face value we see Miranda proposing marriage to Ferdinand, instead of the man asking for her hand. Prospero does eventually approve of the marriage of Miranda and Ferdinand.
Even though fathers from Shakespeare’s time are portrayed to be bad people for selling off their daughter there is an emotion connection in each of the plays that is seen between a father and his daughter. David Bevington says “he (Prospero) must conquer the longing many a father feels to hold on to his daughter when she is desired by another man” (2014, p. 846). A father trying to accept that his daughter will not be under his control as well as protection was probably hard to do. Especially since over the years on the island the only person Prospero had was his daughter Miranda. The father-daughter relationship in the Tempest is a much happier tale than the other relationships seen in many of Shakespeare’s other plays.
In Shakespeare’s time many women did not go to school and were uneducated. For the average function of a female in those days was to cook, clean, and care for the house and children. This is actually similar to the working father with stay at home moms. In the Tempest, Prospero, actually brought books with him from when they were kicked out of Milan. Allowing Miranda to read most likely helped her develop into the young woman she became.
In a study completed by Lozoff, in 1974, it was found that women in college who were successful academically and had good interpersonal relation skills described their fathers as energetic, ambitious, and were active and encouraging (Morgan, Wilcoxon, & Satcher, 2003). Women who were good academically, but had less interpersonal relation skills described their fathers as demanding and self-disciplined. (Morgan, Wilcoxon, & Satcher, 2003). This study from 1974 would probably have the same results if it was completed again today. In 1989 another study of father daughter relationships found that the most mature daughters had fathers that were consistently involved in their lives from childhood through adolescence (Morgan, Wilcoxon, & Satcher, 2003). The involvement from the father could be from athletic activities, to school involvement and open conversations.
As stated before a father’s involvement at a young age can directly affect the type of person a daughter will grow up, and can have a great impact on the healthiness of her relationships. Many studies have showed that daughters of divorced parents have emotional disturbances, low self-esteem, and may have problems with heterosexual relationships (Morgan, Wilcoxon, & Satcher, 2003). Girls with divorced parents were also more likely to be promiscuous. Interestingly, girls whose father had passed away held a very superhero like, or had flawless images of their father (Morgan, Wilcoxon, & Satcher, 2003). Often the Girls with a deceased father lead to daughters that tended to avoid males and were repressed around males of divorced fathers (Morgan, Wilcoxon, & Satcher, 2003).
Although some of aspects of the Father- Daughter relationship differ between King Lear, Othello, A midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest, it is seen in the plays that the love of a father is needed. In King Lear, the relationship between Cordelia and the king could have been great if the king did not go mad. The King could have saved himself a lot of heart ache if he would have taken what Cordelia said as the truth.. In Othello, Brabantio is seen trying to protect his daughter Desdemona from Othello, The Moor. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream Egeus is looking out for his daughter Hermia’s best interest. Egeus has already made his mind up about what he wants, but his daughter decides differently. In The Tempest Prospero wants what is best for his daughter and allows her to marry Ferdinand. In today’s society a stay at home dad is becoming a norm. A father being a primary nurturer for children is common, especially with the rise in mothers who are the primary provider of the household income. A professor from Yale, Kyle Pruett, found that children raised by fathers have better social problem-solving skills and tend to do less gender stereotyping (Koch, 2000). Pruett said for children of stay at home fathers “Girls have a more robust interest in math and science, and boys are more interested in relationships and nurturing” (Koch, 2000, p. 487)

References

Bevington, D. (2014). The Necessary Shakespeare (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Koch, K. (2000, June 2). Fatherhood movement. CQ Researcher, pp. 473-496.
Leyton, C. (2010). Fatherhood: Roles, Responsibilities and Rewards. New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Morgan, Wilcoxon, & Satcher. (2003). The father-daughter relationship inventory, Family therapy. The journal of the California graduate school of family psycology, 77-93.
Richmond, H. (2005). Shakespeare's theatre: A dictionary of his stage context. London, United Kingdom: Continuum. Sharpe, S. (1994). Fathers and Daughters. Florence, KY, USA: Routledge