Gender In Twelfth Night

William Shakespeare’s works, written primarily from the late eighteen hundreds to the very early sixteen hundreds, have long been the subject of academic debates and analysis. Potent with double entendres, metaphors, and social commentary, it is easy to apply queer theory to Shakespeare’s plays, notably Twelfth Night, written in 1601. Though Twelfth Night’s ending pushes its characters into traditional heterosexual romances and binary gender roles to satisfy the genre and placate conservative Elizabethan audiences, the characters in the comedy defy tradition by exploring homosexual love and expression of gender. The most apparent homosexual themes are present in the relationship between Antonio and Sebastian. Antonio, who saved Sebastian from

Twelfth Night is set in Illyria when Viola has just been washed onto shore after a shipwreck separated her from her twin brother, Sebastian. Viola dresses as a man called Cesario and works from the Count, Orsino, whom she falls in love with. Cesario is sent to make Olivia, the Lady of Illyria fall in love with Orsino. But instead of this happening, Olivia falls in love

In William Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare critiques the idea of characters losing their power by falling in love because they allow their lover to have power over them and their actions. When characters lose their power as they fall in love, they are also allowing their mind to be corrupted by their lover. In the third act of the play, Lysander mistakenly takes the love potion meant for Demetrius and wakes up to see Helena. Hermia and Helena are confused as they find that Lysander is now pledging his love to Helena instead of Hermia, who he was formerly in love with. Hermia accuses Helena of stealing her lover and threatens her by saying, “how low am I?

Prior to Friar Lawrence’s prophetic insight, Romeo immediately falls in love with Juliet, which leads to their doomed fate by laying the foundation of their struggles. Romeo, just after having his heart broken by Rosaline, meets Juliet at a Capulet party and falls in love. Juliet, exposed to the knowledge of who Romeo is, says, “My only love, sprung from my only hate!” (1.5.137). This excerpt states that Juliet’s love, Romeo, is the son of her family’s enemy, the Montagues. The Capulets and Montagues have always been rivals of each other.

Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird and Romeo and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet are all determined characters within in their situations. Within this play, there are a plethora of literary devices in this play such as foreshadowing, irony and rhyming. Throughout this play, starting in Act 1, there were many hints that suggested the unfortunate conclusion. Both pieces of literature had common literary devices such as foreshadowing and irony. Romeo and Juliet did contain more however, perhaps because it was a play.

At this point, Romeo is infatuation with Rosaline, Lord Capulet’s niece and a girl who sworn to remain chaste, is still present. However, as soon as Romeo lays eyes on Juliet, he forgets entirely of his previous love for Rosaline. In fact, Romeo begins to question whether he was actually in love with Rosaline. This establishes that Romeo already makes hasty decisions when it comes to love. Next, while speaking to Romeo in secret on her balcony, Juliet proposes the idea of marriage: “If thy bent of love be honorable / thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow” (2.2.143-144).

Tis Pity She’s a Whore is an English tragedy written by John Ford in the seventeenth century. Ford was a playwright under Charles I, and his plays reflect interest in morality and law. Tis Pity She’s a Whore contains neoclassical elements and is a five act structure that takes place in one day. The story takes place in Parma, Italy and is an incestuous tale about a romantic relationship between two siblings named Giovanni and his sister Annabella. The play begins with Giovanni telling Friar Bonaventura that he is in love with his sister Annabella, but the Friar tries to explain that his thoughts are sinful and evil.

Character Analysis Viola is Twelfth Night 's gender-bending heroine. The survivor of a ship-wreck that separates her from her twin brother, Viola washes up on shore in Illyria, where she decides to cross-dress as a boy and take a job at Duke Orsino 's court. As the boy servant, "Cesario," Viola quickly becomes Orsino 's favorite page and is given the task of wooing Olivia on Orsino 's behalf. As "Cesario," Viola 's a little too good at her job and she finds herself in the middle of a messy love triangle when Olivia falls in love with "Cesario," who can 't return the Countess 's favors because Viola is in love with the Duke. Got that?

After talking to each other they instantly kiss and fall in love. When Romeo and Juliet fall in love, you should get to know the person, but Romeo and Juliet only had a conversation during a party. In truth, both Romeo and Juliet don’t even know each other 's identity. Juliet had asked her nurse to “Go ask his name-if he is married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed. (1.5,134-135)” Juliet had already fallen for him but didn’t even know that he was a Montague, her enemy.

Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night are both plays written by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet tells the story of two star-crossed lovers who are in a forbidden love despite an ancient family feud. Twelfth Night tells a story multiple love triangles between a Duke, a Countess, a girl dressed as a boy, and the girl's twin brother who looks exactly like her. Both Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night have cases of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters do not know.