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Theme Of Gender In Twelfth Night

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The play, Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare, was believed to be written back in the early 1600s. This play was influential for its time due to the fact that theatre-goers of the time had not been exposed to content of this nature. Viola, the main character of this play, uses a disguise to obtain a job that she desperately wanted. Disguising herself as a male named Cesario, she finally obtains the jobs she wants while simultaneously falling in love with her boss, Orsino. A love triangle forms when Olivia, a nobel, falls for Cesario, Viola’s second persona. This love triangle, and Viola’s disguise, explores gender interiority and emotional intimacy, while thereby allowing the play to overturn the gender conventions and “expectations” established at the time of it’s conception.
In the early Renaissance period, relationships were strictly men and women. People did not go around that, and nobody tried to change it, because that is just the way it was. Women were objectified by society and were not seen as being dominant. They were expected to stay at home and raise the children while men had the freedom to take on all different kinds of jobs. Women had no say in situations and could make little decisions for themselves. This is why Viola went against gender norms of this century to disguise herself as a man. This was seen as being very anti feminist because society is saying that she has to be a man in order to find work. In disguising herself, Viola shows a lot of bravery

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