REVERSAL OF MALE HEGEMONY: BERNARD SHAW AS A FEMINIST IN THE DRAMA CANDIDA

Abstract

The Drama Candida  (1894) is particularly focused in this article to analyze and explore the reversal of male dominance. George Bernard Shaw's portrayal of a strong, independent female protagonist who beats all the odds of a patriarchal society. The reversal of male hegemony in George Bernard Shaw's Candida  reflects and brings out the societal change in patriarchal conventions. This study prominently demonstrates the traditional gender dynamics by analyzing specific aspects of the drama, such as her dialogues and interactions with her husband, Reverend James Morell, and Marchbanks Eugene, the young poet. Candida , being given the choice to choose between James and Eugene, exhibits the power dynamics and shift, which displays the breaking of norms of female submission, which is simply a vivid example of her autonomy. By using a critical feminist lens, this article explores how dialogue, characterization, and the idea of survival or living, which are repetitively represented in Shaw's writings, collectively make Candida  as a figure of female strength and agency. The findings illustrate how Shaw has criticized male-centric power structures by developing a female character, Candida . She, as a woman, advocates the idea of women exercising their authority without violating moral limits and revealing another side of a relationship for better understanding. The play conveys the reconstruction of a home by a female, breaking all the established power hierarchies and using all of her emotional intelligence and freedom. Shaw questions male authority and cherishes the transformation of women and society's traditional role division by illuminating Candida 's subjectivity and free will.