Gender In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: Gender Roles

Thoroughly reading Twelfth Night Gender Roles become apparent on every page as the story unfolds. The way Viola changes her gender to becomes Cesario which sets the whole plot of the play in motion and the interesting relationships between characters. Shakespeare used this play to challenge the entire notion of gender roles and sexuality altogether by placing heteronormative representation of binary gender identities to achieve her desired ends, Viola demonstrates that gender is a fluid identity and not a rigid role assigned by her genitals.

Making of Twelfth Night is quite different from today 's modern plays. There was no fancy lighting or inside theater for the actors. This of course was not what the writer of meme who informs readers …show more content…
This set the gears moving for the rest of the play’s plot. Viola the main protagonist used men 's clothing to disguise herself as her brother and change not only her gender but her role. The change of this is where Shakespeare draws a blurry line between what is male and what is female. Other characters used disguises including Malvolio, who puts on crossed garters and yellow stockings to give him the ability to win over Olivia. Feste dressed up as a priest when he spoke to Malvolio after the steward has been locked in a room. Feste puts on the disguise even though Malvolio not able to see him. For Feste, the disguise completes his new identity as Sir Topas. This suggests that the importance of clothing is not just for show. Viola puts on new clothes and changes her gender, while Feste and Malvolio put on new clothing to impersonate a nobleman or become a nobleman. Shakespeare definitely placed a question in the audience 's’ mind like the ones suggested by Jasterm writer of “Gender Position,” “Are things such as status and gender roles a solid foundation?” With changes in one 's role comes the chance of mistaken identity. As Viola’s male clothing leads her to being mistaken for her brother, Sebastian causing Antonio to mistaken Viola for Sebastian which leads him to think that his friend has betrayed him. As well as Olivia who does the same when Viola was dressed as Cesario. These cases of mistaken …show more content…
The popular reason why scholars and writers are so intrigued by “Twelfth Night” were the relationships between the characters. “Antonio loves his friend more than anyone or anything else, is emotionally dependent on him, proves willing to risk his very life on the friend’s account, and provides him with funds, with painful consequences to himself. Neither shows romantic or other interest in a woman. The friends, however, do otherwise, both choosing wedlock and appearing with a wife or fiancée in, among other scenes, the last, where Antonio appears too, but ladyless.” Joseph Pequigney wrote as his reasoning for reaching this conclusion. He could be correct about especially after Antonio and Sebastian 's exchange, “I do adore thee so, That danger shall seem sport.”(2.1.43–44). It could be that Shakespeare was hinting at a homosexual love but because Antonio is a minor character in the story not enough is said about his life. Although a more prominent same-sex relationship is Viola’s and Olivia who becomes infatuated with Cesario, not knowing it is actually Viola in disguise to get a job and give her thought to be dead brother life through changing her gender as seen by her line “I am all the daughters of my father’s house, And all the brothers too’ (2.4.120–21).” This situation would be more of Shakespeare 's doing knowing that both are the same sex and Olivia falls for Cesario not know it is