... associated with defining gender, supported more obviously with his presentation of Viola as a man. It should be noted that in Elizabethan times, there would be an all male cast for Twelfth Night, so Viola would be played by a man, even when she is a woman in the play. In Elizabethan times women were seen as the weaker sex, yet Shakespeare portrays both sexes ... that marry who they desire. Through the medium of human characteristics, Shakespeare explores how the audience's concept of gender is determined by sexuality, appearance and a person's sense of identity. In Twelfth Night, he con...

• Word Count: 2131
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... often intertwine throughout "Epicoene." The actors genders, and the roles that they play are embedded by every nuance of character and their outcomes. Shakespear's Twelfth Night does not conclusively equate the fear of femininity to the fear of theatricality. He uses theatricality as a comedic device but in the character of Malvolio, ... thing he loathes -Dauphine profits handsomely for this mastery (5.4.190-200) of theatrics and Morose succumbs by the embracing of anti-theatrics. In Shakespear's "Twelfth Night" the politics of gender roles in conversation with anti-theatricality takes a...

• Word Count: 852
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Cross-dressing Women's cross dressing plays a major role in the plays "The Roaring Girl" and "Twelfth Night". Women would change their physical appearance to the opposite sex to achieve a certain goal. Sumptuary laws were used to tell people of that time who could wear what. For example, ... transcripts and court documents, they tracked cases through the years of 1550 through 1839 and found that most of these women came from lower class society and broken homes. In "Twelfth Night", Viola dresses like a boy in fear of what was to become of her. "And what should I do in Illyria? My brother he ...

• Word Count: 892
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School