Caryl Churchill's 1982 play Top Girls depicts key themes such as feminism and oppression throughout history. Through the main character, Marlene, we can see aspects of individualism, as Marlene abandons her own daughter, Angie, due to her own career aspirations. Additionally, we, the audience, can see how Marlene becomes alienated; thus, she befriends fictional and historical characters in the first act and introduces the fantastical elements of this play. Of course, this technique helps Churchill describe the oppression of women; however, it appears that imaginative elements are also introduced to emphasize other key themes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The fantasy element of Top Girls can be considered essential, as it illustrates a distinct contrast between the characters presented. Some characters are subject to male domination, while others resist it. An example from submissive characters is Joan, as she says; "I thought God would speak to me directly. But of course he knew I was a woman." The name "woman" demonstrates that she recognizes the inequality and division between the sexes that was present in 13th century Christianity. Jeanne was clearly presented as having a strong Christian faith; indeed, she believes that God is omniscient, as demonstrated by the fact that she says “he knew”. Through this statement and other factors, we can see how women have been relegated to second-class citizenship, even in a religious context. This helps to emphasize Churchill's point about feminism. Joan went through a plethora of trials, but although she strove to pursue education and achieve high position, she was inhibited, and ultimately undermined, by her gender. Another fantastic character that leaves an impression is Nijo, a woman who demonstrates a striking contrast. to the stereotypical submissive woman. Nijo is the emperor's concubine, but she nonetheless remains a dominant character, as her speech indicates: "And I hit him with a stick. Yes, I hit him..." The use of the aggressive verb "hit" emphasizes that Nijo is doing this. understand the fundamental ideas of feminism, in the sense that it recognizes that there has been cruel and unfair treatment towards the female gender. Yet the use of the exclamation “yes” depicts disbelief and shock that she could take violent physical action. There is a sociological explanation for this disbelief: men were considered higher than women in the social hierarchy and Nijo was a concubine. So, for her, hitting the emperor meant that she was disobeying the person who “owns” her. Through these characters, who are introduced because of the fantasy element, we, the audience, are able to see how women have been segregated throughout history. On the other hand, it can be argued that the fantastical elements help illustrate the struggles of the feminine gender, struggles clearly presented through Marlene. Marlene doesn't have a lot of dialogue compared to the other characters, but the simple statements she says create an impact. For example: “Don’t you get angry? I get angry. The repetition of the adjective “angry” demonstrates that Marlene is furious at the treatment the other women have suffered. Marlene, however, thinks she lives in a society in which women can excel as much as men, but this is not the case; after all, inequality among women still exists today. Even though Marlene is capable of.