Shakespeare; Shakespeare on film; adaptation; Pericles, Prince of Tyre, BBC; BBC Shakespeare series; gender; sexuality; gender on film
This chapter examines the BBC Shakespeare TV Series "Pericles" (1984) and explores how it offers fresh and striking insights into the play’s female figures. Throughout, I analyse the representation of women’s roles, the construction of gender and sexuality, the hierarchy of objectification and the ideological power of the gaze on the small screen. Taking women’s looking as a key focus, I argue for the significance of the film’s portrayal of the female gaze which acts variously as a vehicle and an expression of agency, desire, dependence, and authority.