William Shakespeare Identity

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 famous piece has been portrayed and each has its own pros and cons.

William Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright of all time. His gift for developing characters is one major exposure that accounts for this dignified acknowledgement. Shakespeare have written on several characters and the conversion of their ideas and personalities from foolish to generals and leaders. The characters were represented with such realism that spectators can judge their personalities and views with their personalities for better or poorer. When we hear or think of the word “feminine” the things come in our mind are quiet, modest, restrained, pretty and maternal. We can’t generally associate

Though its primary function is usually plot driven--as a source of humor and a means to effect changes in characters through disguise and deception—cross dressing is also a sociological motif involving gendered play. My earlier essay on the use of the motif in Shakespeare's plays pointed out that cross dressing has been discussed as a symptom of "a radical discontinuity in the meaning of the family" (Belsey 178), as cul-tural anxiety over the destabilization of the social hierarchy (Baker, Howard, Garber), as the means for a woman to be assertive without arousing hostility (Claiborne Park), and as homoerotic arousal (Jardine). This variety of interpretations suggests the multivoiced character of the motif, but

Thrilling yet confusing, and even troublesome, Twelfth Night’s theme of identity is showed within the romantic comedy through many ways. As an essential subject establishing rich symbolism and imagery, it uses disguises and crafty characters’, which causes much confusion between the characters. Furthermore, the idea brings out the comical essence of the piece. It examines the gender roles in Twelfth Night relating to the history of Renaissance/Elizabethan Theatre; males played female roles—a male actor would play a female character (Viola) who disguises herself as a male (Cesario), for women were forbidden to act. Through What You Will, it proves one’s physical features, and how a person presents them self, possesses

In William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, gender roles are explored, culminating in two distinct scenes of cross-dressing. The men of Elizabethan society enjoy a prominent status based solely on gender, to which women are clearly outsiders. This is particularly evident in Jessica’s newfound freedom when dressed as a pageboy in Act 2 and Portia’s and Nerissa’s immediate elevation in social standing when they take on male personas in Act 4. Through these two instances of cross-dressing, Shakespeare presents class not in terms of socioeconomic status but in the benefits of being male. Although the three women all partake in cross-dressing as a means of undermining patriarchal constraint, the consequences vary as there are several

If you were to read today’s headlines you might think that gender roles and gender identity are a modern concern. However, the part that gender and the roles assigned to the different genders play, is a topic at least as old as Shakespeare’s time. Because, the Bard himself addresses this very issue when we look deeper into his play, Macbeth. Lady Macbeth must be manlier when she feels her husband is too feminine in his manner and actions.

“It's as if I'm surrounded by children, Vittorio. Adolescents. They all want to have the theories without doing the work. I miss Paris.”(Scene 6). This shows that she can talk freely and have someone to talk to when she is talking to her friend, making her feel more trustworthy and showing that she is not always isolated when she is around the right people. When compared to previous scenes, Rosalind Franklin feels uneasy and more unequal when she is at King surrounded by fellow scientists, but when she is out near friends or on a walk, she can be more approachable since she can feel treated equally and no longer alone when she has someone to talk to. Another scene for when Rosalind feels more sociable is when she gets Vittorio to visit her workplace at Kings. “I just wanted you to see for yourself, Vittorio. Sometimes I think it's all in my head.”(Scene 9). In this scene, Rosalind gets a friend to see what condition she is working in at Kings, so that she can see whether she is feeling as if she is treated unequally or not just because she is a woman, which her friend agrees on when he says, “Reserved for men. Women are not allowed.”(Scene 9).

In the epilogue, the audience is reminded that the character Rosalind is played by a boy actor when she says the lines; “If I were a woman, I would kiss as many of you as had beards that pleased me, complexions that liked me, and breaths that I defied not” (Epi. 17-20). Based on the gender norms during this era, this line would cause discomfort among the audience because the boy actor is saying that he would kiss the men in the audience if he was truly a woman. During Shakespeare’s time it was okay for a man to have feelings for another man for a short period of time as long as he never acted on it because this shows that the man has not yet matured. He will only truly mature into an adult when he has taken a wife for himself and forget about

A common theme in Shakespeare’s writings is the exploration of gender and sexuality (Gerlach et al.; McManus). His cleverly crafted and complex characters challenge the audience’s expectations of what it means to be masculine or feminine by displaying traits of each gender in single beings and questioning gender roles and standards (Gerlach et al.). This often playful consideration of gender norms was enhanced by the practice of men playing the female parts; in fact, theatres of Shakespeare’s era used costume and makeup to tease the audience who knew it was boys playing the female roles (McManus). Shakespeare portrayed women in a way that showed them to be more than passive, dainty little things (Gerlach et al.). They are often the characters who tell the truth about what is going on, demonstrating self-awareness, using reason, and controlling the action (Gerlach et al.; O’Brien). Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing is a perfect example of the interplay of feminine and masculine qualities and behaviors. She is opinionated and witty, and stands up for what she believes in, all while falling in love, traits that at the time of Shakespeare would have been quite radical for a woman to display. It is the powerful and complex women in Shakespeare’s works that make his plays the perfect place to explore more modern views on gender still today, especially now that women actually play the parts.

Identity and Feminism: Themes such as Gender identity are illustrated in Shakespeare’s plays through the use of costuming and role playing. In texts like “Twelfth Night”, Shakespeare uses a female character named Viola who is the noblewoman disguised as a boy named Cesario, this creates a comedic gender exchange situation where the role reversal goes wrong and leads to mistaken

The works of William Shakespeare have long been used as a sources for areas of gender studies. Gender and sexuality are two notable themes in Shakespeare’s plays that are generally either used as tools of manipulation, forms of propaganda, and sometimes a mixture of both, depending on the genre of the play. These plays tend to reflect the social situation of the women who live through the Elizabethan Age. During the Renaissance, social construct of gender and sexuality norms are a part of society just as they are today. The assignment of gender roles in society reflects a gender hierarchy. While his works explore and often support the social constructs of femininity, “he is also a writer who questions, challenges, and modifies those representations” (Gerlach, et al).

Shakespeare uses the idea of disguise in many of his plays. It is used as an escape from the characters’ personalities and sometimes for comic effect. In As You Like it, the disguise becomes very comical as in the time it was written only men could act on stage. This could lead to much confusion and comedy in the roles of those in disguise. Disguise can give the freedom to a character to act how they like and a chance for them to show their views. It was in the 16th Century that there became an increased sense of self consciousness and identity. This led to people creating an image for themselves. If one can create a self, they can create many different versions of themselves each showing a different aspect of that person. This links in

Gender identity and its roles in 17th and 19th century England were regarded as rigid fact — definite and unyielding. The adherence to these social protocols was of utmost importance. Masculinity was viewed as being dominant, assertive, and bold, whereas femininity involved beauty, obedience, and chastity. The theatre became a method of challenging this rigid social concept. Both William Shakespeare’s As You Like It and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest explore these public values through their characters. Wilde and Shakespeare’s use of gender reversals satirize the traditions of social order, marriage, and gender responsibilities at the time, thereby revealing that gender is not absolute.

In Twelfth Night Shakespeare uses gender roles and cross dressing to create disguise. This creates a sense of gender ambiguity and this is what makes the audience laugh - but although it creates a sense of fun and liveliness it also examines

The concept of disguise has been known and used since the beginnings of drama, but this concept was most famously known for being used in plays written by the biggest playwrights of the Elizabethan era— especially for being used in William Shakespeare’s plays. What do we mean by disguise? In broad terms, it would mean pretending to be something that one is not. The concept of disguise can mean changing behavior, or hiding intentions, the most frequent form of disguise is the change of ones personal appearance, usually through the changing of clothes, to mask ones true self. Shakespeare used disguises in various ways in his plays; As You Like It, Measure for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth Night were all plays in which Shakespeare used the concept of disguise as a device to further the plot, it was sometimes even used for comic relief. Disguises can be used both maliciously and/ or morally, depending on its use and its influence on the characters. In both Merchant of Venice and Measure for Measure, both Portia and Duke Vincentio donned a disguise to pursue justice how they saw morally fit, but ultimately their deception was only for selfish gain; Portia disguises herself to save a friend, and Vincentio disguises himself to know the true feelings of his subjects, both manipulate the law in the name of justice while in their disguises.