Question

You have read four Orations in which Margaret Cavendish, duchess of Newcastle, puts various views into the mouths of four different fictitious women. What do you think were Cavendish’s own beliefs and assumptions about women? On what do you base your inference? Finally, how clearly and effectively do you think Cavendish’s own views come through in the Orations?

Answer 1

Given that none of the four voices can be attributed to Cavendish herself, the obvious inference is that Cavendish held views and possessed abilities that enabled her to eloquently express all of these divergent views. She was aware of widely ranging positions, and she was herself an educated woman. Therefore, it is hard to believe that she would hold the views of Speaker III, for example, who disparages women. Most clearly, perhaps, the orations show that Cavendish values wide, open discourse. In that sense she seems to agree with Speaker I. The act of putting these orations together, in itself, implies that Cavendish must have believed in the value of female perceptions and of women taking active intellectual roles. The fact that all the orations are so skillfully presented is a clear and convincing demonstration that such values are valid.