Homosexuality and Gender in Twelfth Night

Subtitled by Shakespeare "Or What You Will," Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's most celebrated and beloved comedies. One of the reasons Twelfth Night remains relevant for contemporary audiences is that the romantic imbroglios described in the play bear resemblance to the situations we observe in our daily lives, or at least on the television shows and movies that we continue to watch. However, the aspect of Twelfth Night that most parallels my personal experiences and events I have witnessed is related to gender. Gender bending is one of the most salient elements of Twelfth Night, and one of the reasons why the play is funny and engaging. Not only do the characters undergo issues related to mistaken identity, but their mistaken identities are linked to both gender and sexuality. Playing on gender and sexuality must have been much different in Elizabethan England versus today, and yet given the recent political battles over transgender issues and homosexuality in the United States, it is clear that 21st century Americans still struggle with same-sex attraction and transgender. Moreover, gender equality is still a struggle even in the most progressive countries. Twelfth Night shows how women often have to act or pass as men in order to achieve their goals. Both homophobia and gender equality are themes in Twelfth Night that parallel contemporary life.

Gender bending is a major theme of Twelfth Night. In the very first act of the play, Viola disguises herself as a man in order to speak with Duke Orsino. She would never have gained access to the Duke as a female, because as a female she would not be "worth his service," (I, ii, 108). The fact that she must cross dress as a man shows that patriarchy was the rule of law in Illyria and Viola is willing to subvert patriarchy in order to succeed and survive. In the same way, women either must act in traditionally masculine ways in order to succeed and survive in the modern world. Women who achieve positions of power do so in a "man's world," by being aggressive, domineering, and even willing to abuse their power in order to get what they want. Ideally, women would be able to work collaboratively and cooperatively but in a "man's world" like the one on Illyria, it is impossible to gain access to people in positions of power without acting, or even passing, as a man. There are many arenas of modern life that are considered male domains, and in spite of recent gains, men continue to hold more positions of power in society.

Homophobia is a theme in Twelfth Night, too, which is something that I have witnessed in contemporary life. Yet Shakespeare does not directly address homosexuality from a political or human rights perspective. Only now, centuries after Shakespeare wrote the play, that it is possible to analyze Twelfth Night in terms of the ways heteronormativity has been a constant theme in European history. In Twelfth Night, Viola falls in love with Duke Orsino but unable to express her feelings only because she is disguised as a man and doing so could have disastrous consequences. She states, "Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife," referring to Duke Orsino (I, iv, 292). She wishes she could tell Duke Orsino that she loves him, but he would never love her back because he believes that he can only love a female. Only when Duke Orsino finds out that Viola is actually a woman is he willing to marry her -- even though she is exactly the same person. His eventual love for Viola clearly suggests that he loved her all along, but Shakespeare shows that the only socially acceptable means of expressing love in Elizabethan England was through the traditional heterosexual marriage.

Even now in the 21st century, there are people who still believe heterosexual marriage the only type of legitimate marriage, although same-sex marriage is slowly becoming more normalized in society. Shakespeare did not write about a same-sex marriage, but using the medium of comedy, he does help audiences laugh at the absurdidty of such rigid gender norms that would prevent people who love each other from getting married regardless of their genders. It is not only the romance between Viola and Duke Orsino that brings to light problems with homophobia, after all. In addition to male homosexuality, lesbianism is also alluded to in Twelfth Night. Olivia falls in love with Viola but only because she believes Viola is a man. If Viola were to reveal her true identity, Olivia would no longer love her, which is problematic because it reveals homophobia. After all, when she meets Viola's male twin, Sebastian, Olivia is able to express her love and even break the traditional gender norms by asking Sebastian to marry her. Shakespeare here reveals his own biases, as he could simply have had Olivia propose to Cesario (Viola disguised as a man) instead of waiting for Sebastian (who is a biological male).

Another thread of homophobia explored by Shakespeare in Twelfth Night is evident in the way Antonio seems strongly attracted to Sebastian but unable to speak forwardly about it, other than to say things like, "If you will not murder me for my love, let me be / your servant," (II, I, 642). In this case, gender bending or transgender is not factored into the equation as it is for Viola and Duke Orsino or for Olivia and Sebastian. Clearly, Antonio wishes to be Sebastian's "love slave," but the norms of the society would prevent two men from hooking up. Antonio's love for Sebastian is never fully resolved. In contemporary society, a man might be more willing to share his feelings for another man but it would depend on where the person lived because homophobia is still rampant in some parts of the world. Twelfth Night shows how gender roles, gender norms, and homophobia can complicate relationships and personal identity. Shakespeare's play is a comedy, but in real life, homophobia and sexism often lead to tragic results. The only character that might be openly gay is the only character who remains unfulfilled romantically and also friendless. In fact, Antonio is presented as being lawless, as he is eventually arrested. It is problematic that the only gay character in the play is also the only truly tragic one, who is portrayed as a criminal. This type of situation has besieged gays and lesbians in modern society, as being homosexual has been considered "criminal" until relatively recently, and gay children still have high rates of suicide because of the tremendous stigmas they face. It is interesting that even before it was acceptable to address homosexuality openly, Shakespeare does draw attention to these issues through characters like Antonio.