There are numerous ways to interpret the gender relations in Arden of Faversham’s original text. The original 1590s setting lends itself to certain interpretations based on the customs and culture of the time. For example, if Arden is portrayed as a vile, abusive man who mistreats Alice, then it is a tale of female empowerment. A helpless wife with no way out of a hopeless marriage finds a way to liberate herself and be with her true love, only to meet a tragic end. Conversely, if the dominance of men in society at the time is considered, the play can be a jovial story about everything that is wrong with women. Alice can be seen as a wicked and conniving bitch that murders her loyal husband only to replace him with a younger man. Instead of setting the play in its original time, however, director Polly Findlay has modernized Arden in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance. This decision distances the play from its original cultural values and instead gives it a more modern perspective. Polly Findlay uses Arden of Faversham and its characters to construct a modern examination of the relationship between genders, in which both men and women are treated as objects by one another.
The nature of the relationship between Alice and Mosby, as established by actors Sharon Small and Keir Charles, seems to have been built on a foundation destined to eventually collapse. The performance suggests there was an inherent disconnect between the two that would have eventually brought about the end of their relationship, perhaps with Mosby even becoming Alice’s second murder victim. One notable difference between the two performances we saw is that Alice and Mosby were much more physical with each other in the second performance. When both characters were on stage, the pair was constantly in contact, with a lot more body contact, energetic kisses, and enthusiastic groping. Thus, when the two later argue with one another and make accusatory statements, the audience is lead to believe that the foundation of the relationship is lust and physical attraction rather than true love. The reconciliation at the end of the conflict feels disingenuous, as it concludes with the two once again resorting to their overly physical ways in an aggressive (rather than slow and passionate) make-out session. Mosby’s earlier fear that Alice has already “supplanted Arden for my sake, and will extirpen me to plant another” seems quite legitimate. Based on the characterization in the performance, evidence suggests that couple’s intense physical passion for each other will eventually fade, and Alice will seek to replace him with another man. He is objectified by Alive, and Mosby similarly treats her as something to be gained in pursuit of his social climbing endeavors. She represents a step-up in the social food chain rather than a woman that he loves.
Having seen the show two nights in a row, it was also interesting to observe specific changes that Polly Findlay seems to have specifically wanted in the show. One interesting difference between the two shows is that Alice made her entrance in the second night holding one of the breast-shaped mugs displayed on-stage before the performance began. The choice of mug and its use in the scene is another indication of the physical relationship between men and women in the play. The mug itself is a literal objectification of the female body. It suggests that perhaps even Arden’s love for Alice is not real. Alice is Arden’s trophy wife. Arden is territorial of his property, and when he learns that Mosby is threatening to take her from him, he becomes defensive. After he is satisfied that Mosby is truly not a threat, he offers to befriend him so that nobody will think him jealous or worried that he will steal his precious trophy wife away from him.
The character Susan, played by Elspeth Brodie, is also objectified by men in the play. She is merely treated as a prop while on-stage cleaning. Other characters completely ignore her presence, most notably when Mosby gives away her hand in marriage and she bangs her head on the bottom of the desk in objection. Similarly, as the play goes on, additional make-up is applied to Susan’s face to give her an increasingly doll-like appearance. Her suitor Michael (Ian Bonar) even practices his proposal with a small doll that looks like his beloved Susan. In addition, Clarke (made delightfully creepy by Christopher Middleton) seems to also treat Susan like a doll. He can be seen smelling her hair, and in one scene, leads her on–stage by the arm. When he lets go, Susan’s arm remains up, as though he were in control of her body movements. Aside from being made to constantly clean up other characters’ messes (such as the bowl of porridge or, more importantly, Arden’s murder), Susan herself seems to have been given no will power of her own. Findlay has transformed her from a minor side character in the text into a sympathetic character emblematic of the troubled gender relations between all of the men and women in the play.
Ultimately, Findlay seems to have created a rather pessimistic gender dichotomy in her play. Women are objectified, and men are similarly treated as replaceable commodities by women like Alice. Findlay almost seems to imply that Alice is right that “words is wind.” Alice and Mosby can confess their love for one another as much as they want, but their words do not make their feelings real, and their actions speak much louder. However, it seems Findlay has subverted second part of Alice’s belief that “love is a God.” In Arden, the word “love” either represents physical attraction or the objectification of being married. Instead, Findlay’s use of a Jesus bobble head on Arden’s desk and constant presence by the Bible in Alice’s hands reminds viewers that love is not a God, as the only real true god is He himself. Love between a man and woman is ephemeral and based on the mutual objectification of one another.