herschreitet, einem Hunde gleich,[...]" (Kleist 404). Graf vom Strahl's
reference to her as a strumpet is a singular occurrence, one that has
nothing to do with her as a sexual being, rather with her lack of
propriety. Allan argues "Kathchen has absorbed the norms of her
masculine creators to such a degree that she is incapable of action as an
autonomous individual"(Allan). Her actions and interactions are utterly
devoid of sexual motivation: she postures herself as a servant to the
whims of her male superiors.
Some contemporaries of Kleist praised her blind obedience to the
Graf vom Strahl. One could ascribe this to Kathchen's adherence to the
gender politics of their time. In a letter to Wilhelmine von Zenge on May
30, 1800 Kleist says: "die Frau hingegen [wirkt] mit ihrer ganzen Seele
fur den Mann [...]" (Kleist 1987). He promotes the idea that a woman
should be wholly subservient to the man. However, his unflattering
portrayal of Kathchen suggests that he perhaps did not fully subscribe to
this idea of total feminine subservience. Her submissiveness is too
complete to be taken seriously. This too demonstrates the divided nature
of the play. Kathchen's objectification by the surrounding males creates a
glaring contrast to the purported antagonist.
Kunigunde is linguistically marked before the audience ever
catches sight of her: within the ostensible play, she is problematically
positioned as the antagonist before ever appearing onstage. She is
presented as both a whore and a saint whereas Kathchen remains only a
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