Homoeroticism and Defiance of Victorian Values in Oscar Wilde's The Portrait of Mr. W.H. Oscar Wilde once satirically said, "Arguments are extremely vulgar, for everybody in good society holds exactly the same opinions." Rather than hold the same opinions as those in good Victorian society, he boldly challenges them. Oscar Wilde parallels the relationships of Shakespeare, Michelangelo and other revered historical intellectuals with his relationship to Lord Alfred Douglas in his work, The Portrait
Homoeroticism in the Renaissance: Out of the Closet When one considers the past, rarely does one stop to think about how an individual’s sense of self affects their impact on the world. The common man or woman may only appreciate the affect that a historical person had on the world or the contributions that such an individual made to the world at large. However, without some form of self-identity many of these historical figures would not have been able to make the impact he or she did on the world
Statement of Intent: The power of homoeroticism and Iago’s manipulative words in Othello. Plays, especially Shakespeare, derives its magic from being able to convince the audience of the play being real. Much of this comes from using cleverly crafted speech in relatable circumstances. Shakespeare understands the power of words well and uses them to create the beautifully wicked character: Iago. Iago’s powerfully manipulative words are used as a force to drive the play forward. This analysis is suggesting
Homoeroticism is defined as: “arousing sexual desire centred on a person of the same sex” and when considering homoeroticism and homosexuality in the context of ancient Greece there were a variety of ideas to show in what ways it was projected and endorsed. In this essay I intend to discuss: the idea that homoeroticism is a social construct and practise, the role of women and prostitutes, the importance of wealth and social standing and the influence of myth and religion. Sexuality is what the society
Homoeroticism & the 1600’s Twelfth Night is a play surrounded by homosexuality, in some cases it is willing homosexuality and in other cases in non- intentional. Even though it was punishable by death, people did not really know what sexual identity was. The issue with Twelfth Night is that it is set in the 1600’s, yet Shakespeare talks about homosexuality as if it was just normal behavior. At the time homosexuality was even punishable by death. The issues do not just come from the storyline on the
symbolism - making it quite the challenge to make understanding of a subject that was so hidden... how can we explore the iconography of a culture which has lived in the shadows for many years? Has time allowed/ changed how we perceive and view homoeroticism in art history? The largest source of evidence both for homoerotic sexual activity and for an apparent need to look at such activity in art history comes from "...vases of the later sixth and fifth century B.C.E in Athens... The vases show everything
taking in account the cultural norms seen within the ancient rabbinic and early Christian text, the perspectives on male homoeroticism by rabbis and virginity for Christian women are seen in contrast with each other. It is revealed within these texts that a woman renouncing sex and becoming more “manly” is more acceptable compared to the tension that arises with homoeroticism among men, who are portrayed becoming like a woman. This reoccurring idea that womanhood in these cultures and societies are
written by Donald H Ericksen, Wilde had written the following: “Basil in how I see myself, Lord Henry how the world sees me and Dorian how I would like to be”. The discussions surrounding The Picture of Dorian Gray were linked to the egregious homoeroticism displayed through the synergy of Wilde’s characters and how they interacted with each other. In a time of irrational Victorian thinking, it comes as no surprise that Wilde’s writing had evoked such a backlash. For people during the Victorian period
Shakespeare’s sonnet conveys both the romantic and the controversial nature of 16th century homoeroticism through the speaker’s description of an unnamed man. Fraught with ambiguity, word play and amorous language, the sonnet embodies the disparaged passion and desire of homosexuality whilst simultaneously bringing to light the genderless nature of beauty. The theme of homoeroticism is prominent in Shakespeare’s sonnet as the narrative voice affectionately describes the subject of his passion,
The belief of homoeroticism in Nazi art comes from images such as Josef Thorak’s bronze statue, Kameradschaft, (Figure 1) which shows two naked men holding hands as they stand proudly. The Nazis would state that this image shows two able bodied men, who had a positive effect on the German society. Both of these men are strong, healthy, and fit for combat, as well as showing the importance of fraternity in society. The men in this image show a sense of triumph, which can be interpreted as a feeling