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During the time of Queen Elizabeth I, the prevailing belief was that women were intellectually, physically, and morally inferior to men. While some female characters in Shakespeare’s plays conform to the stereotypical image of the era, many others challenge these stereotypes. Influenced by the Renaissance and the portrayal of the queen as a powerful and dominant ruler, Shakespeare depicted women in his plays as intelligent, brave, noble, and not significantly different from men. Independent young women such as Rosalind from As You Like It, or Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing present a dramatic contrast to characters like Hermia from A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Hero from Much Ado About Nothing. Though not independent in the modern sense of the word, they certainly are independent when compared to the typical women of Shakespeare’s time. This paper will examine how Marin Držić created female characters and whether the Renaissance spirit in Dubrovnik, which changed the lives of all social classes in many ways, also influenced the transformation of female characters in his works. In certain segments of the texts (e.g., Tirena, Skup, Dundo Maroje), a conservative, patriarchal criticism of society, especially aimed at the youth and women, is evident. They are depicted as idle, unintelligent, and obsessed with fashion. However, in Držić’s comedies, when it comes to conditionally liberated female characters, one can encounter fairies, courtesans, women from Kotor, and maidservants. Some of them undergo transformations of identity, which will be explored in terms of motivation and function. In the end, an attempt will be made to conclude the extent to which the cultural spirit of an era could (or could not) influence the liberation of female characters in the works of these two authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study focuses on an analysis of the King-Byng affair, Canadian constitutional crisis of 1926. During the government crisis in Canada, the British Governor-General Lord Byng of Vimy denied the request of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to dissolve parliament and declare new elections. Lord Byng chose a different procedure instead, as a result of which he interfered significantly in internal Canadian politics. This incident contributed to a precise definition of the new office of Governor-General in dominions during the Imperial Conference in London in 1926. The Governor- General lost his office as representative of the British government and he became only the representative of the British monarch. The aim of this paper is to focus on what role the King-Byng affair plays in this transformation of the conception of Governor-General and in the process of establishment of the independence of Canada from its mother country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article primarily deals with the personality of Sophia of Hanover and her claims to the succession to the English throne. Sophia and her descendants (specifically George I) were appointed by the Act of Settlement as heirs to the throne upon the death of Anne Stuart. The life of Sophia, as well as her relations with the English monarchs and the Stuart family as such, will be outlined through the memoirs not only of Sophia herself but also of her family members, as well as through the correspondence of Sophie herself, including the English monarchs of the period under review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the impact of the publication of captured correspondence of the British royal family and the Anglo-Scottish relations in the British civil wars in 1645-46. Factional manipulation of both Parliament and the papers; Withholding of the captured letters from the Scots who expressed concern at the nature of the material.