Stratford-upon-Avon‚ England‚ William Shakespeare is considered by many to have been the greatest writer the English language has ever known. His literary legacy included 37 plays‚ 154 sonnets‚ and five major poems. Among his many plays is the notable‚ Twelfth Night‚ a romantic comedy‚ placed in a festive atmosphere in which three couples are brought together happily. The play opens with Orsino‚ the Duke of Illyria‚ expressing his deep love for the Countess Olivia. Meanwhile‚ the shipwrecked Viola disguises
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“Nothing that is so is so‚” states the fool Feste while looking at Viola’s twin brother Sebastian‚ a double for Cesario (IV.i.9). This singular quotes embodies the idea that gender identity is fictional in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare‚ and that homoerotic desires are natural to the human body and mentality. Throughout this play‚ many characters are introduced to having homoerotic desires: Orsino for Viola dressed as Cesario‚ Sebastian for Antonio‚ and Olivia for Viola dressed as Cesario.
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The Identity of Gender Twelfth Night or What You Will by William Shakespeare is a story of journeys. Characters go through journeys both physically and emotionally. Sebastian journeys months out at sea to Illyria. Sir Toby starts as a drunkard and becomes more responsible. The journey I want to focus on is Viola’s or more accurately Cesario’s. In Viola’s first scene we see her stranded in a foreign country where she knows no one. The scene focuses around her figuring out what she will do now‚
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was stated earlier in this essay‚ Act 3 Scene 4 exposes in Twelfth Night‚ as in numerous other plays by Shakespeare‚ a number of comparisons between an upper cast of characters‚ such as the masters and nobles‚ with a lower cast of characters‚ such as the servants. The way these set of characters are parallel in the plot implements a comic contradiction which may be further reinforced through the costumes these characters wear. Twelfth Night was a popular Holiday that happened every January 6th as
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Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night. The relationships between Viola/Cesairo and Olivia‚ Orsino and Viola/Cesairo and Antonio and Sebastian create an immense amount of tension for the characters and audience to deal with because‚ their relationships conflict with the dominant heteronormative ideology of the time. The heteronormative ideology consists of the belief that to be accepted into society a person must marry someone of the opposite gender as to follow the social norms and fulfill their social role. Casey
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Orsino from Twelfth Night to demonstrate the subtle power that women had over men because
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presents gender is central to the drama of Twelfth Night. But to what extent are Viola’s gender roles essential to the comedy of the play? The arrivals of Viola and Sebastian in Illyria serve as the catalysts for drama in Twelfth Night. The presence of twins of different sexes yet identical in appearance is a dramaturgical device crucial to the comic resolution‚ whilst being somewhat farcical. It is the misunderstandings which Viola’s cross-dressing inevitably causes which make her inverted gender roles
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Sophia Reda Gender and Sexuality Paper One February 22‚ 2012 Twelfth Night is a complex story that touches on the ideas of love‚ gender roles‚ and life’s tragic and comic experiences. There are numerous layers to the characters’ gender roles‚ as well as to their sexual attractions. The sexual relationships and gender roles in Twelfth Night are multi-layered. For example‚ Viola‚ a female character‚ who was played by a male‚ is dressed as the male character‚ Cesario‚ throughout most of the
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Throughout the passage taken from Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ several themes both in correspondence and disparate from the often comedic tone of the play are prevalent. An interesting dynamic is immediately displayed in the passage through the relationship and dialogue between major and minor character. Viola‚ a predominant and strong character in the play‚ is engaging in dialogue with Antonio who although when analysed has complexity‚ is seemingly a minor character. This brings about the theme
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Sex and Desire The nexus of gender‚ desire and sexuality have long been a source of considerable interest‚ but no more so than in the plays of William Shakespeare. Specifically‚ in their original production and for some time afterwards‚ common practice dictated certain roles for women and men. Analysis of these roles yields interesting insights regarding the value of women and how the relative devaluing of women shaped sexual desire and normal gender roles. In this paper‚ I will attempt to
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