Understanding Wilson's blueswomen: A dramaturgical exploration of August Wilson's female characters

August Wilson has written a series of plays, each set in a different decade examining black life in 20th century America. He has given American theatre a number of memorable male characters, from the embittered Troy Maxson to the driven Boy Willie Charles to the murderous and ambitious Levee, yet Wilson's female characters are often criticized for being subordinate, secondary and under-developed as compared to their male counterparts. Upon closer examination of how Wilson depicts women, I have found that rather than just complementing the male characters around them, the female characters often try to break free of male definition.; This dissertation explores Wilson's female characters in order to show that despite grounding in a decidedly male frame of reference, his female characters cover as wide a range as do those of his men. I call his female characters blueswomen because they are essentially black women living the blues: a way of coming to terms with that part of life where the world has been unjust and unfair, that lover who has cheated and/or taken flight. Through the examination of Wilson's female characters' roots, conflicts and gender issues, I try to promote a greater appreciation and clearer understanding of his female characters. In the end, we will discover that August Wilson has indeed created an array of impressive black female characters.