Relationships between women in Sarah Daniels' play "Neaptide"

• Main Author: Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2005
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/3510/1/Relationships_between_Women_in_Sarah_Daniels%27_Play_Neaptide.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/3510/; http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/view_archives.php?journal=JSSH-13-1-3
• Institution: Universiti Putra Malaysia

This paper is an exploration of female relationships using feminist and psychoanalytic approaches in reading a British play "Neaptide." The findings provide us a unique way of explaining the bondage between mother-daughter relationships, and it also tells us that in the play "Neaptide" Sarah Daniels offers a positive future to her two female protagonists because both have been rescued by their mother Joyce. Daniels uses the Demeter-Persephone myth to illustrate the limited choices that her female character Joyce has in handling her family crisis. Like Demeter,Joyce keeps her family together by delivering them from male domination: Val from her unhappy marriage with Colin, and Claire and Poppy from the devious and ruthless Lawrence. Claire's bold and honest public confession of herself as a lesbian has clearly entailed suffering and sacrifice. However, Joyce has made the right decision to help both her daughters to get out of their predicaments.