Sexual Politics In Twelfth Night English Literature Essay

Queer theory since the 1980s has been altering the manner we understand literary and aesthetic look. Queer theoreticians like Judith Butler, Adrianne Rich and Alexander Doty have suggested ways that purportedly ‘straight ‘ civilization might be ‘queered ‘ and seen from the position of socio- sexual foreigners. Queer readings involve, for case, dry Reconstructions of traditional gender functions, reimagining purportedly heterosexual characters in literature as, in fact, closeted homosexual lovers and uncovering the marks of what Adrianne Rich calls ‘compulsory heterosexualism ‘ . Queer theory emerges from post-structural involvement in fragmented, de-centered cognition edifice. It problematizes the heteronormative classs of sex and gender. Queer theory maintains that gender and gender are non fixed and natural but are instead essentialist concepts and therefore fluid and capable to alter.

Twelfth NightA is a drama which is vested with debatable issues of gender and sexual individuality. This paper which focuses onA Twelfth NightA would try to re-read the text by using some of the rules of Queer Theory. First, the paper would expose the homoerotic traits which are found in many of the major characters which the drama mostly tries to hide. The thesis would so demo how these homoerotic currents are subverted in the class of the drama to suit a normative community based on heterosexual matrimony. Furthermore, the paper would give a separate subdivision on Viola ‘s cross dressing as Cesario which has invoked the involvement of many Queer theoreticians.

The gender imitation of Viola as the page male child Cesario, the ‘performance ‘ of her gender public presentation, prove that titillating attractive force is non an inherently gendered or heterosexual phenomenon. The homoerotic undertones that ensue disrupts the boundaries of mandatory heterosexualism. The cross-dressed Viola, with her equivocal gender individuality becomes an object of desire to both Orsino and Olivia. Thus the gender ambiguity of the cross-dressed Viola sets the phase for the representation of a overplus of desires: homoerotic attractive force between Orsino and Cesario and sapphic attractive force between Viola and Olivia. Thus Viola ‘s transvestic visual aspect becomes a fertile site for the exposure of the homoerotic desires in both Orsino and Olivia. Thus Viola ‘s androgynous public presentation “ exposes the failure of heterosexual governments of all time to the full to pass or incorporate their ain ideals ” ( Butler 237 ) .

The bonding between Olivia andA Cesario

Olivia who had earlier denied the love of Orsino, all of a sudden finds herself frantically in love with Cesario, the page male child who in world is Viola. However, it becomes rather clear that Olivia finds in ViolaA some innate feminine qualities with which she falls in love with. Although the text subverts such possibilities by reminding us that Olivia ‘s is incognizant that Cesario is really a female but Olivia ‘s attractive force for Viola stems precisely from the more feminine features like Cesario ‘s beautiful “ scorn ” and “ choler of his lip! ” ( 3.1.147-148 ) . Olivia ‘s words allow a modern audience to read her as suspecting or even cognizing that Cesario is in fact a female, yet taking to love him/her however. Olivia ‘s description of Cesario ‘s beauty both in the 3rd act and in their first brush, praises typically feminine qualities but oddly does n’t oppugn Cesario ‘s gender. Olivia ‘s comparing of love to guilt – “ A murd’rous guilt shows non itself more shortly / Than love that would look conceal “ ( 3.1.149-150 ) further makes us inquire whether Olivia is guilty about her homoerotic passions. Furthermore when Olivia declares that “ Nor humor nor ground can my passion fell ” ( 3.1.154 ) , she might be suggesting at same-sex love which in those times were considered to be against all logic. The heterodoxy of Olivia ‘s attractive force towards Viola causes her to state that she has fallen into “ abatement and low monetary value ” .

However it is non merely Olivia but Viola excessively who displays homoerotic passions for Olivia.Although this facet of her character is avoided in most readings of the drama, a close analysis of the text can uncover that Viola excessively exhibits homosexual passions for Olivia. Valerie Traub observes “ both the enjoyment with which ( Viola ) stands in for Orsino in courting Olivia and the extent to which she elicits Olivia ‘s desire carry a powerful homoerotic charge ” ( 56 ) . In Viola ‘s function as a self-aware male go-between between Orsino and Olivia, she becomes a better-a more facile, persuasive adult male than the adult male ( Orsino ) whom he/she represents. In fact Viola/Cesario plays the portion of Olivia ‘s suitor so much fierily that it instantly invokes passions of love in Olivia. As Traub states “ a ardor that exceeds her text ” ( 130 ) . Furthermore Viola besides goes out of her text in their first meeting, taking the autonomy of raising Olivia ‘s head covering, an action wholly uncalled for. She is besides found passionately praising Olivia ‘s beauty, “ But, if you were the Satan, you are just ” ( 1.5.255 ) . In a drama where the hints of homoerotic passions are found in copiousness, it would non be excessively far fetched to reason that all these facets point to the homoerotic side in Viola.A

Adhering betweenA OrsinoA andA Cesario

Although at the beginning of the drama, we find Orsino lovesick for Olivia, the object of his affetions shortly alterations to Cesario, the page male child whom Viola impersonates. The homoerotic overtones of Orsino’sA sudden infatuation for page male child are clear. Even when Orsino is directing Cesario off to profess his love for Olivia, his words make it obvious that in the short span of clip he has become emotionally affiliated to Cesario- he has already “ unclasp ‘d / To thee ( Cesario ) the book even of my secret psyche ” ( 1.4 13-14 ) . His reaction when he comes to larn that Cesario has purportedly married Olivia is one of intense daze and sorrow. He is profoundly anguished to happen that his page has thwarted his love, preferring alternatively a heterosexual relationship with a adult female whom he earlier had loved intensely. Even after he finds that Cesario is a adult female ( Viola ) , he says to her, “ Boy 1000 hast said to me a 1000 times / Thou ne’er should’st love adult female like to me ” ( 5.1.260-261 ) . He merely refuses to turn to Viola by her true individuality even towards the terminal of the drama, “ Cesario come – /For so you shall be while you are a adult male ; /But when in other habitsA you are seen, /Orsino ‘s kept woman, and his illusion ‘s queen “ ( 5.1 372-375 ) . The word queen is really similar to the word ‘quean ‘ which in Elizabethan times refered to a male homosexual, particularly the emasculate spouse in a homosexual relationship. Therefore there are adequate groundss to back up that Orsino ‘s attractive force towards Cesario is homoerotic, but every bit shortly as she reveals herself as Viola, he is ready to get married her. Obviously her gender becomes less of import now because Orsino is really bisexual. As Pequigney observes “ the love for Cesario could non hold changed outright with the disclosure of his feminineness ; if it is titillating so it would hold been titillating earlier ; what does alteration is that matrimony all of a sudden becomes possible, and therefore the immediate proposal ” ( 207 ) .

Adhering between Antonio and Sebastian

The first clip we encounter Antonio and Sebastian they are about to be separated. Antonio wants to attach to Sebastiaan to Count Orsino ‘s tribunal but he can non because he is wanted on condemnable charges in Illyria. However Antonio ‘s passionate love for Sebastian is greater than his fright of danger and therefore he decides to follow him. Antonio ‘s words “ But come what may, I do adore thee so/ That danger shall look athletics, and I will travel “ ( 2.1.45-46 ) evidently reflects a love which is much more than mere friendly relationship. He is besides prepared to give the immature adult male his bag and ready to mediate on his behalf in the thick of a affaire d’honneur. Obviously Orsino loves Sebastian really passionately. Act 3 scene 3 even concludes with the lines, “ There you shall hold me ” which is evidently loaded with homoerotic deductions. Joseph Pequigney depicting this relationship comments ” Not his words merely but besides his correlative actions reflect Antonio ‘s devouring devotedness to the master-mistress of his passion “ ( 203 ) . Sebastian excessively seems to entertain homosexual urges that are to the full witting and indulged. The bonding between them has been described as “ the strongest and most direct look of homoerotic feeling in Shakespeare ‘s dramas ” ( Smith 67 ) which is further proved by Sebastian ‘s spring of fondness at seeing Antonio once more in act 5 “ How hold the hours racked and tortured me /Since I lost thee! “ ( 5.1 229-230 ) . However at the terminal of the drama Antonio ‘s love for Sebastian is non celebrated in the heteronormative matrix of the drama. In the concluding scene after Viola and Sebastian both appear on phase, Antonio remains on phase, with no waies to go out, yet he is ignored. Shakespeare alternatively focuses on the twosomes, rendering Antonio ‘s destiny unimportant and go forthing it unsolved. It becomes apparent that Antonio has no topographic point in the heteronormative societal matrix which Shakespeare wants to enforce upon the readers. Valerie Traub suggests that the “ homoerotic energies of Viola, Olivia and Orsino are displaced onto Antonio, whose relation to Sebastian is eventually sacrificed for the care of institutionalised heterosexualism and generational continuity ” ( 123 ) .A It most explicitly shows Shakespeare ‘s and the Elizabethan phase ‘s fright of homosexualism and possibly, as Traub suggests “ the fright of titillating exclusivity and it ‘s corollary: non – generative gender ” ( 123 ) .

The EndingA

Despite the presence of homoerotic elements in most of the characters, the stoping of the drama settles for a normative community based on heterosexual matrimony. The homoerotic elements are non celebrated in the drama and as the stoping of the drama shows the drama seems uncomfortable in it ‘s unfastened representation of the unstable circulation of desire. Shakespeare works out a instead contrived and unlikely secret plan towards the terminal so as to guarantee the normal heteronormative order is restored.

There are assorted grounds to name the stoping of the drama contrived, unlikely and headlong. First, how can Olivia hold satisfied her desire by get marrieding the enchant Cesario ‘s looking transcript, Sebastian who is a complete alien to her. Her sudden alteration in fondness towards Sebastian and her determination to get married him right off merely because he physically resembles Viola seems extremely unlikely. Furthermore throughout the drama we notice a strong bonding between Sebastian and Antonio with a strong homoerotic charge. At the terminal of the drama Antonio is abandoned by Sebastian who all of a sudden consents to get married Olivia, a entire alien to him.Even towards the terminal of the drama when Sebastian all of a sudden finds Antonio, he exclaims “ Antonio! O my beloved Antonio, / How have the hours rack ‘d and tortur ‘d me/Since I lost thee! ” ( 5.1 216-218 ) .How can a adult male who is so passionately in love with a plagiarist all of a sudden consent in a matrimony with a complete alien! All these reflect the drama ‘s conservativism in portraying same-sex love.

However, this conservativism in portraying same sex love must be examined in the historical context of homosexualism in Elizabethan England. In 1533 the English Parliament passed the legislative act which “ designated buggery to be a felony with the penalty of forfeiture of belongings and decease ” ( Mager 142 ) .This homophobia is reflected even in popular literature which associated homosexuality with “ repugnance, violent ill will ( for ) the loathsome and evil thing “ ( Bray 60 ) . Thus it is really natural that Shakespeare who was an highly popular Elizabethan playwright should hold scruples about straight portraying same-sex love. Therefore, although the text challenges the normative impressions of gender and sexual desire it finally fails to get the better of the jussive moods of ‘compulsory heterosexualism ‘ .

QueeringA Viola’sA cross-dressing

Queer theory proposes that gender functions do non hold an indispensable nature that precedes societal discourse. When we are born, we virtually know nil of gender. It is merely in the procedure of being introduced to linguistic communication that we are taught that we belong to the class ‘male ‘ or ‘female ‘ . Beyond the socio-linguistic building gender functions have no built-in world. Judith Butler in Gender Trouble argues that “ gender world is created through sustained societal public presentations ” ( 279 ) . She farther argues that the classs of sex and gender are established through a procedure which she calls “ performativity ” , the agencies by which the norms of sex and gender are naturalized and substantiated merely by their continual pronunciation as foundational and ideal – by the sheer weight of their repeat. Thus Queer theory fundamentally argues that gender is nil but an essentialist concept and it is ne’er lasting or natural.

Twelfth Night in some ways points to the impression of gender as an essentialist instead than a natural concept. Viola ‘s camouflage as a adult male indirectly parodies the essentialist building of gender. Butler acknowledges that cross dressing is a performative pattern in which the “ mark ” of gender is parodically reiterated in a potentially insurgent manner. Cross-dressing “ reflects the everyday caricatures by which heterosexually ideal genders are performed ” ( 231 ) . Viola ‘s successful function playing as a page male child therefore points to the constructedness and performative character of gender as held by Judith Butler and other Queer theoreticians. It proves Butler ‘s claim that a topic can take a gendered individuality, that the ego can “ be a adult female ” or a adult male ( 21 ) . Viola brightly enacts the function of Cesario and therefore demonstrates that gender is ne’er a natural concept but is a witting and a superficial one.Thus Viola ‘s performative function playing as Cesario demonstrates the fluid, uncategorical pique of gender which Queer theoreticians like Judith Butler emphasis on and besides disrupts the heterosexual norms of ideal gender and gender.