 Gender plays a large role within Fielding 's moral critique , and effeminacy is a means to emphasise a male character 's moral shortcomings or problematic deviations from social and cultural traditions . Starting with Love in Several Masques , the stock characters that he relies on emphasise the deviations by recalling traditional behavioural stereotypes and in their commentary on the masculinity or femininity of other characters . The political implications for gender extend to a criticism of powerful female within the domestic and public domains . Many of the problems portrayed within the plays are the results of the domestic sphere extended into politics , especially within Tom Thumb . As Jill Campbell points out , not only does Fielding critique women in power , but the reversals of gender and power serve as a way to say that private concerns are taking priority over public concerns . In his plays and his novels , women are used as a way to discuss the internal aspects of humans , which includes both emotions and morality . Although Fielding sometimes uses females to express ideal ways to act , he does mock women who abuse their relationship with the internal , emotions , and morality to dominate and assume power . This theme appears as early as Love in Several Masques and continues throughout , especially in prose parody Shamela where Shamela <unk> claims to virtue to control and get ahead in life . 
