Twelfth Night Gender And Sexuality - 2101 Words

In Twelfth Night’, gender and sexuality in many ways add to the play’s themes of madness. Twelfth Night is a reflection of renaissance thought and culture, the renaissance was a transitional period from the medieval to the radical Elizabethan era. The culture of the time was a contradictory one, as from one aspect it was influenced by the patriarchal medieval time, where women were under the rule of men and seen as needing the protection of men, however, from another perspective, the culture was a changing one as women were starting to receive education and many humanists believed that women should be given more rights. The play reflects these attitudes and often challenges the social hierarchy and establishes ideas on gender roles, sexuality and cross-dressing. These factors indeed undermine the expectations of male and female behaviour, and in turn further the play s theme of madness which has a comedic effect on the audience due to the shock humour it provides. Cross-dressing in ‘Twelfth Night’ makes Viola s gender identity ambiguous, Viola is both a man and a woman, possessing both masculinity and femininity, therefore cross-dressing helps to break down renaissance gender stereotypes and eventually, the patriarchy. The original practice of ‘Twelfth Night’ was reconstructed in a 2012 globe production which replicated the way in which the play would ve been enacted in the Elizabethan era, by having an all-male cast. This added to the madness of theShow MoreRelatedShakespeare s Twelfth Night : Gift Exchange, Debt And The Early Modern Matrimonial Economy1321 Words   |  6 Pagesand gender identity became a more acceptable concept.However, even though it became acceptable once again in the twenty first century. Literature throughout the ages depicted different sexual orientation and gender identification. The play Twelfth Night made produced by William Shakespeare discusses the topics of sexuality during the early 17th century. The articles Gender Trouble in ‘Twelfth Night by Casey Charles agrees that the main central theme of this play is associated with gender identificationRead MoreTheme Of Homosexual Love In Twelfth Night1118 Words   |  5 PagesDepiction of Homosexual Love in Twelfth Night Romantic desire is struggle ingrained within William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, strained by the nature of homosexual love. The depths of human sexuality are explored in Twelfth Night through the relationships between Duke Orsino and Viola as Cesario, Olivia and Viola, and Sebastian and Antonio. Twelfth Night represents homoerotic love in both radical and conservative ways, while furthermore questioning the boundaries of gender and disguise depicted by theRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1543 Words   |  7 Pagesutilizes the theme of disguise in countless plays, specifically in As you like it and Twelfth Night. Although many may postulate that he has disguised certain characters as the opposite gender solely for comedic purposes, the reason behind it is significantly deeper and complex. By disguising the actors as the opposite gender, also known as cross-dressing, Shakespeare introduces incipient views on femininity and sexuality, views that were unmentionable in the Elizabethan times. It’s virtually as if ShakespeareRead MoreTwelfth Night and Crossdressing1429 Words   |  6 PagesIgnorance The play Twelfth Night encapsulates what it meant to be a man and women throughout the 16th century. The roles of each gender were set in stone, and one could not publicly cross over under any circumstances. During Shakespearean times women were not even allowed to portray themselves on stage, men played their roles instead. In my opinion Shakespeare uses the play to show the hypocrisy of the status quo that held people from expressing their true identity. Twelfth Night demonstrates thatRead Moretwelfth night Essay952 Words   |  4 Pages Twelfth Night Essay While many will agree that Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is critically acclaimed to be one of the most entertaining and well-liked pieces that he has written, there tends to be a discrepancy over how the characters in the play are portrayed when it comes to the importance of gender roles. After reading James C Bulman’s article over the Globe’s more recent performance of Twelfth Night and Shakespeare’s original written version, I realized that there are many ways that this famousRead MoreTwelfth Night and Sexuality Essay1396 Words   |  6 PagesIgnorance The play Twelfth Night encapsulates what it meant to be a man and women throughout the 16th century. The roles of each gender were set in stone, and one could not publicly cross over under any circumstances. During Shakespearean times women were not even allowed to portray themselves on stage, men played their roles instead. In my opinion Shakespeare uses the play to show the hypocrisy of the status quo that held people from expressing their true identity. Twelfth Night demonstrates thatRead MoreHamlet And Twelfth Night Comparison Essay957 Words   |  4 Pagescomedies. Of them, Hamlet and Twelfth Night are perfect examples of both. A comparison between them could be of interest because their common points demonstrate that, however differing their genres are, Shakespeare’s plays essentially illustrate what it is to be human[1] . [2] Hamlet and Twelfth Night could both be compared through instances of body imagery, critical thought and social integration. In the first place, when it comes to body imagery in Hamlet and Twelfth Night, the first uses it as aRead MoreCompare And Contrast Hamlet And Twelfth Night1162 Words   |  5 PagesFrom Hilarity to Tragedy in Shakespeare: How Hamlet and Twelfth Night Compare By Zawadi Bunzigiye William Shakespeare wrote plays covering the breadth of human experience. They seem to have transcended the restraints of age because of the universal themes that they contain. His body of his work is comprised of genres of plays varying from tragedies to comedies. Of them, Hamlet and Twelfth Night are perfect examples of both. A comparison between them would be of interest because their common pointsRead MoreTwelfth Night By William Shakespeare1666 Words   |  7 PagesIn Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the main story told is of the battle between silliness (Feste, Maria, romance, pranks, and drama) and seriousness (Malvolio, dourness, rules, and stresses of life). One facet of this is gender – the main protagonist Viola presents as male for most of the play. Shakespeare, whether intentionally or not, has shown prime examples of projected identity based on sex, gender roles, and the power associated with each sex. These messages were revolutionary at the time, andRead Mo re Cross-Dressing in Shakespeares Twelfth Night and As You Like It1736 Words   |  7 PagesCross-Dressing in Shakespeares Twelfth Night and As You Like It In Shakespeares plays Twelfth Night and As You Like It both of the lead female characters dress as men. Both plays are comedies and the change in gender is used as a joke, but I think it goes much deeper. A woman can become a man, but only if it is not permanent. The affect of the change cannot be too great because she must change back to female once everything is settled. They are strong female characters, but must become