Gender Bending and Homophobia in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

Introduction: Gender and Sexuality in Twelfth Night

Subtitled by Shakespeare "Or What You Will," Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's most celebrated and beloved comedies. One reason Twelfth Night remains relevant for contemporary audiences is that the romantic imbroglios described in the play bear resemblance to situations we observe in our daily lives, or at least in the television shows and films we continue to watch. However, the aspect of Twelfth Night that most closely parallels personal experience and witnessed events is related to gender. Gender bending is one of the most salient elements of Twelfth Night and one of the primary reasons the play is both 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 a very different experience in Elizabethan England than it is 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 identity. Moreover, gender equality remains a challenge even in the most progressive countries. Twelfth Night shows how women often have to act as men in order to achieve their goals. Both homophobia and gender equality are themes in Twelfth Night that parallel contemporary life.

Viola's Cross-Dressing and Patriarchy

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 woman, because as a woman she would not be "worth his service" (I, ii, 108). The fact that she must cross-dress as a man demonstrates that patriarchy was the rule of law in Illyria and that Viola is willing to subvert that patriarchy in order to succeed and survive.

In the same way, women in the modern world must often act in traditionally masculine ways in order to succeed. Women who achieve positions of power do so in a "man's world" by being aggressive, domineering, and sometimes willing to leverage power in order to get what they want. Ideally, women would be able to work collaboratively and cooperatively, but in a patriarchal world like that of 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 still considered male domains, and in spite of recent gains, men continue to hold a disproportionate share of positions of power in society. Gender inequality in professional settings remains a widely documented phenomenon.

Heteronormativity and Homophobia in Orsino and Olivia's Storylines

Homophobia is a theme in Twelfth Night as well, one that resonates with contemporary life. Yet Shakespeare does not directly address homosexuality from a political or human rights perspective. Only now, centuries after Shakespeare wrote the play, is it possible to analyze Twelfth Night in terms of the ways heteronormativity has been a constant thread in European history. In Twelfth Night, Viola falls in love with Duke Orsino but cannot express her feelings because she is disguised as a man and doing so would 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 as long as he believes she is male. Only when Duke Orsino discovers 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 traditional heterosexual marriage.

Even now in the 21st century, there are people who still regard heterosexual marriage as the only legitimate form of 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 absurdity of the rigid gender norms that would prevent people who love each other from marrying regardless of their genders. It is not only the romance between Viola and Duke Orsino that brings homophobia to light. In addition to male homosexuality, lesbianism is also alluded to in Twelfth Night. Olivia falls in love with Viola only because she believes Viola is a man. If Viola were to reveal her true identity, Olivia would no longer be able to express her love — a situation that itself reveals homophobia. When Olivia meets Viola's male twin, Sebastian, she is able to express her love and even breaks traditional gender norms by proposing to him. Shakespeare here reveals his own biases: he could simply have had Olivia propose to Cesario (Viola in disguise) instead of waiting for Sebastian, a biological male, to appear.

Conclusion: Twelfth Night and Contemporary Gender Debates

Shakespeare resolves all of the romantic entanglements by returning each character to his or her biological gender and ensuring that all characters are heterosexual. In reality, love, gender, and identity are not resolved in such neat ways. Twelfth Night remains a compelling lens through which to examine enduring social tensions around gender and sexuality. The play's comedy depends on the disruption of fixed gender categories, yet its resolution ultimately restores those very categories. As contemporary debates over transgender rights and same-sex marriage continue to evolve, Shakespeare's play invites renewed scrutiny of the assumptions — about who can love whom, and in what form — that shape both comedy and society.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. Digital version retrieved from: http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/playmenu.php?WorkID=12night