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Gender In Twelfth Night

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The 1600s is a period of great distinctions amongst gender, class, and intelligence. William Shakespeare wrote in a time where his language is baffling to much of the current culture. To ease the pain of struggling to comprehend his works, translations of his works are available, as well as movies portraying his plays in this era. Matters regarding gender are both depicted in Shakespeare’s creations and are now relevant in society. From homosexual’s acceptance to women’s roles, Shakespeare’s works still apply to the present day. Women’s once obtained the responsibilities to her husband and family, not to her own self. However, this has drastically changed in the past century, allowing women to have more say and do in her own life. Women and homosexuals have rights and are affecting the contemporary world to …show more content…

The play, Twelfth Night, opens with a shipwrecked Viola landing in Illyria, and is employed in Duke Orsino’s service, disguised as her twin brother. Her occupation is wooing the Countess Olivia in favor of Duke Orsino; however, Olivia falls in love with the disguised Viola, who falls in love with the Duke but cannot express her true feelings. The love triangle evolves and continues to become more complicated when Viola’s thought-to-be dead twin brother Sebastian rolls into town. Traveling with him is Antonio who saved Sebastian in the shipwreck and has fallen deeply in love with him. While Sebastian is traversing Illyria, he runs into Olivia who assumes he is the disguised Viola and kisses him and continues to wed him. This play is full of homosexual references and actions that include Viola disguising herself as a boy and falling in love with Orsino while she is still a man. Countess Olivia falls in love with the disguised Viola because of ‘his’ few feminine features, and, it is a girl falling in love with a girl. Viola stated to

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