Domenichino (1581-1641), a Bolognese artist, painted a unique interpretation of Ovid's myth of the goddess Diana and mortal hunter Actaeon in 1616 titled, Archery Contest of Diana and her Nymphs. This image depicts the goddess and her nymphs actively engaged in various activities. This portrayal is drastically different from common depictions of the time period, in which the goddess is portrayed as vulnerable, weak, and subjected to male voyeurism. In contrast, Domenichino painted his female warriors as physically strong and empowered with their weapons in hand. Compared to the art of his contemporaries, Domenichino's painting clearly evidences that he was influenced and inspired by a well-established, protofeminist artistic tradition originating in Bologna. Bologna offered several contributing factors which created a receptive environment for female artists to thrive. Artists like Lavinia Fontana were able to create strong careers that were both profitable and competitive with those of their male contemporaries. Fontana's depictions of female subjects deliberately pushed against the stereotype of painting heroines as passive objects exposed to male voyeurism. In Archery Contest of Diana and her Nymphs, Domenichino approaches Diana and her nymphs in the same fashion as the Bolognese protofeminists. The women depicted are no longer passive objects to be gazed upon; rather they are actively engaged and have physically fit bodies. Domenichino and the protofeminist tradition redefined how heroines are depicted by empowering the women as dynamic participants in brave pursuits.

The essay The loving women in Shakespeare’s dramas is based on the fact that the dramas are performed circa 400 years after they were written. That makes it intresting to examine the caractars, and especially the female parts, and particularly the loving woman. To fulfill that, I have inquired Desdemona in Othello and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. I have used eight parts of the drama analysis modelled by Birthe Sjöberg as the main research methode. The scientific aim is to investigate the loving woman in two plays of Shakespeas dramaproduction, Othello and Romeo and Juliet. The question at issue is, how does the female parts in Shakespeare’s tragedies looks like when it comes to the loving woman? The research questions are – how are Juliet and Desdemona allowed to act? How does their love look like? How do they act? How are they as persons? What are important for them? When you investigate Juliet and Desdemona, you reach their husbands as well, so they become a part of the analysis. Are Juliet and Desdemona shaped by conventions, free will or by nature? These questions are discussed with help of Judith Butler’s theory of socialconstructivism. Desdemona and Juliet are both very loving and free to act. Both are very beautiful and Desdemona is much appreciated as a person. Desdemona is happily married until Jago enters the scene and demands revenge because of a post he didn’t get. Romeo and Juliet are happy together but theire families destroy for them. Desdemona and Juliet are shaped by their genus that their surroundings force upon them. Both women act upon the constraints they face. Desdemona trys to obey and Juliet plays dead to escape the marriage with Paris. The analysis shows that the female part is oppressed by the culture of honour and by social circumstances as the family feud in Romeo and Juliet. Love does not survive and triumph over oppression. The patriarchate wins over emancipation, especially in Othello. Desdemona is strangled by her husband Othello and therefor she is a victim of patriarchate. The men also suffer from the patriarchate, their love can’t be free and they also die in the end.

Elisabetta Sirani (1638-1665), a Bolognese artist, significantly contributed to the Italian protofeminist tradition through her three depictions of the classical figure Iole. These images are drastically different than other depictions of the time period because Sirani shows Iole as an isolated figure removed from her turbulent relationship with Hercules. By focusing on Iole as an individual, Sirani allowed Iole to be seen away from the male gaze; in doing so, Iole encompassed masculine characteristics while maintaining her sovereignty and femininity. Sirani's paintings of the strong and confident Iole are clear evidence that not only was Sirani inspired by the receptive environment in which she was raised, but she was also actively empowering women through her art and advancing the protofeminist tradition in early modern Italy.

The poet Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht (1718–63) wrote extensively on the subject of love. Often, her texts discuss love in relation to Enlightenment subjects, such as female emancipation and education. Her works bear traces of so-called précieuse ideas – an adjective sometimes used to pack together learned French aristocratic women who frequented the Parisian salons in the mid seventeenth century. The précieuses have become famous for their original and radical thoughts on the role of women. This thesis examines the view of love expressed in a selection of pastorals, fairy tales and lyric poems by Nordenflycht, bringing the précieuse protofeminist heritage into focus. Nordenflycht was an extremely assured debater who, throughout her life, consistently advocated practically the same ideological messages. Her advocacy of female emancipation runs through nearly all her texts in some form and is, as this thesis demonstrates, apparent even in her pastorals, fairy tales and lyric poems. In this respect, she bridges differences of genre. Nordenflycht used the realm of fiction to create and promote an alternative to the traditional amorous attachments: tender, equal and spiritual friendships, inspired by Madeleine de Scudéry’s amitié tendre. She portrayed ideal love as a relationship between two free souls, helping each other reach true wisdom. Interestingly, this emphasis on ethereal affection seems to have led to the complete exclusion of sexuality from her writings. Furthermore, by depicting love as path to individual self-realisation, Nordenflycht heralded romantic love. This thesis provides a comprehensive picture of Nordenflycht’s philosophy of love and the way it relates to early modern protofeminist ideas.