Woman Question and Questioning Personal Autonomy in The Changeling

Abstract

The Changeling , collaborated on by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley , incorporates two plots in which the central roles are played by women who have their origin in two totally different social structures. This essay makes an attempt to put the status of woman in question as to how a woman’s personal autonomy goes through twists and turns  in the social construct mirrored in the play, how a woman can lead life according to her own will. How Beatrice’s selfhood fluctuates and gets affected – are also under discussion of this essay. The essay shall further argue that Beatrice’s quest for private desire / authenticity produces a paradoxical meaning between the intended effect of the action and actual result.