A Phallocentric Study of Women : Blurring the Binaries Betwixt Gender
Authors: - M KAVIPRIYA 
Published: April 2024

Literature specifies on the paramount of Dominance, Power, Love and Leadership. These are patterned structurally synonymous with patriarchal society, there is a sense of deviation that penetrated in certainties of womanhood. Woman- a supposed Bi-Gender are meant to submissive beneath the patriarchal order. This paper attempts to explore the hostile concretes of women’s sociality and leadership through a depiction of an epitome character “The Egyptian Queen”. The paper succumbs to investigate the harsh realities of life and significantly the power politics that was pivotal during world war. Significant approaches have been made by many critics to justify on the realities of Gender and Power that eventually was parallel and equilibrium was never escalated rather patriarchal society exercised the hegemonic attitude over women. To justify on the concretes of “Women” and “Leadership” a true iconic figure is roped in for an absolute apprehension. Marking the margins of the iconic figure” Cleopatra” a societal personality that accelerates on power synonymous with women. Early days were solidly denounced for patriarchs and matriarchy was conveniently ignored. But this paper approves the justification of women being powerful and productive in terms of Nationality, Patriotism, Power, Intellectuality, Rational and Moral behavior.

Determined power politics persisted in England so much that it was not in a position to accept a female ruler in power. In ancient arena of language, society and literature men or precisely the patriarchy society wanted women or the so called the other Gender to be submissive beneath the clutches the sexual hegemony since they considered themselves to be the superior gender of all times. One such establishment of Gender hierarchy and gender stereotyping is questioned by the epitomization of the character Cleopatra in the novel “Antony and Cleopatra”. The very title signifies men in power: ANTONY and CLEOPATRA and it’s not CLEOPATRA and ANTONY. This epitomization is proven explicitly in the society in which they existed. They promoted women to be the material makers and pleasure renderers. So, when this ideology was questioned people disliked such characters. Cleopatra was the first women ruler in the history who overpowered men with sovereignty, supremacy and diplomacy. Her character portrayed her ecstasy of her intelligence, bravery and political learnings. Her leadership quality is sensed out where she learns Egyptian language by herself. Though being a queen it does not necessitate for her to learn a new language, to which she might have a translator beside but her passion for Egypt and her determination to retrieve the glories of Egypt, pictures her with an absolute quality of leadership. She herself believed to epitomize her relationship between the throne and of the society. With the assertion of all these attributes and with the acquisition of political knowledge and power has ardently justified Cleopatra as a sincere pharaoh of Egyptian land. It was right then during those days women had some sense of power and supremacy to hold and play power politics. Identifiable characteristics of these women give us a sense of importance that a women played pivotal in the society.