This Research paper aims at highlighting various homo sexual instances in four of Shakespeare’s Comedies - A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night. When I discuss "levels" of relationships, I refer to one of three levels: the first is the playhouse level, which denotes the Early Modern theatrical world and assumes the use of boy actors.
The second level is the true-character level, which signifies the "true plot" that lies under the exterior plot where characters do not yet know that Cesario is actually Viola or that Ganymede is actually Rosalind. The third and final level is the plot level, or what is currently occurring in the story line at that moment without invoking the playhouse level or citing the use of boy actors.
I also refer to other works of Shakespeare like his sonnets and his plays (Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV and V, Troilus and Cressida, Othello, Timon of Athens and Tragedy of Coriolanus) and try to determine the disruption of hetero-normative Renaissance England by homo-erotic characters developed by Shakespeare. In this paper, I also shed light on the Playwright’s life and the socio-cultural environment of Elizabethan England. The difference between the societies of then and now is highlighted and are accordingly used to interpret the plays.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
LITERATURE REVIEW
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH
LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY
HOMOSEXUAL INSTANCES IN SHAKESPEARE’S COMEDIES
HOMO-EROTIC INSTANCES IN SHAKESPEARE’S OTHER WORKS
CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
This research paper examines the representation of homo-erotic instances within selected works of William Shakespeare, analyzing how these themes challenge the hetero-normative structures of Elizabethan England and the broader literary landscape of the Renaissance.
- Analysis of homo-erotic tendencies in Shakespeare's comedies and other literary works.
- Evaluation of gender performance, cross-dressing, and social constructs in Early Modern theatre.
- Exploration of the socio-cultural environment of Elizabethan England regarding sexuality.
- Deconstruction of hetero-normative resolutions in plays like "Twelfth Night" and "A Midsummer Night’s Dream".
Excerpt from the Book
Twelfth Night
Of all the four plays, Twelfth Night, or What You Will occurs in the most structured society and for this reason insists most upon hetero normative relationships, since heterosexual marriages are the pervasive structure of social alliances in the play. Twelfth Night begins with a desiring man, Orsino, and the desired woman, Olivia, establishing the entire play in a strictly heterosexual frame. In this comedy, desires are more limited by the institutionalized patriarchal society. This fixed social structure demands erotic and emotional substitution to retain hetero normativity, while any characters that do not exchange or substitute their desires are marginalized or expelled. Despite the strictness of the social structure, its rigidity appears superficial, due to Antonio’s character, Viola’s dress, and the unconventional ending. These features suggest that the exchanges required by society are aggressively hetero normative in order to mask an underlying homoerotic potential. This process of exchange and substitution, intentional or not, ultimately resolves the homoeroticism of many relationships, but not all.
Olivia marries the male Sebastian instead of the female Cesario, Orsino takes Viola instead of Cesario or Olivia, and Sebastian takes Olivia instead of Antonio. Roles in the society of Twelfth Night are rigidly defined and occupied, but Viola’s cross dressing shows how these roles and gender identities depend upon costume rather than performance. She is not actually named as Viola in the text until well into Act 5, scene 1, after the audience has seen her as Cesario for four acts. Shipwrecked in Illyria, she cannot serve Olivia as a lady, since Olivia will “admit no kind of suit” (1.2.41). She decides instead to serve Orsino as a man and asks the captain to “Conceal me what I am, and be my aid / For such disguise as haply shall become / The form of my intent” (1.2.49-51).
Summary of Chapters
INTRODUCTION: Provides a definition of homosexuality and explores the socio-legal context of the 17th century, including the perception of sodomy in Elizabethan England.
LITERATURE REVIEW: Examines critical perspectives on sexuality in Shakespearean drama, highlighting the work of scholars who view gender as a social construct.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH: Outlines the importance of the study in providing a universal understanding and modern relevance of Shakespeare’s plays.
LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH: Defines the scope of the study, noting that it focuses on three specific plays and relies purely on textual evidence.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY: Defines queer theory and explains the qualitative/textual analysis approach used to investigate homo-erotic instances in Shakespeare's works.
HOMOSEXUAL INSTANCES IN SHAKESPEARE’S COMEDIES: Analyzes desire, cross-dressing, and gender fluidity in "A Midsummer Night’s Dream", "As You Like It", "The Merchant of Venice", and "Twelfth Night".
HOMO-EROTIC INSTANCES IN SHAKESPEARE’S OTHER WORKS: Explores homo-erotic themes in the sonnets, "Romeo and Juliet", "Henry IV and V", "Troilus and Cressida", "Othello", "Timon of Athens", and "The Tragedy of Coriolanus".
CONCLUSION: Synthesizes findings, arguing that Shakespearean plays consistently reveal a homoerotic substructure that resists complete heteronormative containment.
Keywords
Shakespeare, Homosexuality, Homo-eroticism, Gender performance, Elizabethan England, Queer Theory, Textual Analysis, Renaissance, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cross-dressing, Sexuality, Social constructs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research paper?
The research paper aims to identify and analyze homo-erotic instances in selected Shakespearean plays and works, while interpreting them through the lens of Renaissance socio-cultural norms.
Which specific themes are covered in the analysis?
Key themes include gender identity, the impact of cross-dressing on character relationships, the subversion of heteronormative structures, and the representation of male-male affection in Early Modern literature.
What is the primary objective of the work?
The objective is to highlight how homo-erotic elements exist within Shakespeare's writings and how these elements challenge the traditional perception of these works as strictly heterosexual.
What research methodology is employed?
The paper utilizes qualitative analysis, specifically textual analysis, focusing on primary texts to observe homo-erotic cues and character motivations.
What is the primary content of the main chapters?
The chapters provide a thematic study of specific comedies (like "Twelfth Night" and "As You Like It") and expand into an analysis of the sonnets, tragedies, and histories to locate recurring homo-erotic motifs.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include Shakespeare, Homo-eroticism, Gender performance, Renaissance, Queer Theory, and Heteronormativity.
How does the author characterize the gender identity of Viola/Cesario in "Twelfth Night"?
The author argues that Viola's gender identity as male is constructed entirely through her costume, creating a duality that challenges the stable gender roles within the play's society.
What role do the 'boy actors' play in the author’s interpretation of Shakespearean theatre?
The author suggests that the use of male actors playing female roles adds a layer of gendering that inherently fosters homoerotic potential and blurs the lines between heterosexual and homosexual desire.
How does the author interpret Iago's actions in "Othello"?
The author argues against reducing Iago to a "repressed homosexual" villain, suggesting instead that such interpretations trivialize the complex, duplicitous nature of his character.
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- Arzoo Singh (Autor:in), 2017, Homosexuality in the plays by William Shakespeare, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/416717
