Soror Maria do Céu’s Virgin Mary and the male Gaze

Abstract

In her late-baroque play, Clavel, y Rosa, the Portuguese nun playwright Soror Maria do Céu incorporates an allegorical figure that embodies the active Virgin Mary that emerged in Europe during the medieval period. By doing so, Soror Maria creates a strong female protagonist that effectively escapes the male gaze of her multiple suitors onstage while simultaneously modeling appropriate behavior for the nun spectators of her play.