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Homosexual Overtones in Volpone
During the Renaissance, women did not participate in the theatre; hence, men, dressed in drag, played women's roles. This particular characteristic of Renaissance drama adds many dimensions, erotic and social, to the spectacle on the stage. However, "The primary difficulty in surveying this landscape results from the strong indications that early modern eroticism was fundamentally different from that today. Consequently, the challenge deciphering what may be radically different cultural codes for the Rena issance is formidable" (Zimmerman 7). The interactions between cross-dressed boy actors and the adult male actors, by today's standards, would be considered homo-erotic. In Ben Johnson's Volpone, the role of Celia, the main female character, would have be en played by a cross-dressed boy; hence, many inferences about Renaissance eroticism may be made by exploring the element of cross-dressing and how it transforms the action on stage and the audience's perception.
Celia (played by a cross-dressed boy) interacts with men throughout the play. The scene in which Volpone attempts to rape Celia could be construed as extremely homo-erotic. Volpone desires Celia, yet she refuses to succumb to his advances; thus he trie s to force himself upon her. Bonario is Celia's true love interest, which also has homosexual overtones. The sexual and intimate interactions between Celia and the male characters creates an interesting dynamic. For instance, "When an actor in a male role did not need to impersonate adult-ness, his interaction with a cross-dressed actor, particularly a cross-dressed boy, change. Presumably, the adult actor, by virtue of age, voice, physical appearance and interpretive range, lent credence to the (usually) heterosexual valences of cross-dressing within that fiction. The dual lens on the dramatic action that the adult male actor provided was in all likelihood angled most directly at adult male spectators" (Zimmerman 46). The actors are interacting like hete rosexuals of the opposite sex, however, the fact that it is really two males blurs the lines of what the audience was actually seeing and enjoying.
Celia was obviously made to be attractive to the male spectators, because she is the main female love interest in the play. The male spectators may be attracted to what aesthetically appears to be a woman, or they may be attracted to an androgynous, cr oss-dressed boy. Hence, Celia's appeal is twofold.
50 cent is a rap/hip hop artist from New York City who lives the fast life in which comes to drugs, gangs, murders, and other form of illegal behavior. He
This paper will look at the different conceptions highlighted by Bulman in his article through the use of different methods used by the actors in the play. Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare captures the different conceptions of gender identity and different sexualities within the Elizabethan period.
Hargreaves, Isabel, and Kenny Midence. "Psychosocial adjustment in male-to-female transsexuals: an overview of the research evidence." The Journal of Psychology 131.6 (1997): 602+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 13 Oct. 2011
From the bitter Emilia to the pious Isabella, Shakespeare was a champion of crafting women. With a wide range of personalities, professions, and situations, Shakespeare mastered early in his illustrious career the art of creating diverse, dynamic, and multidimensional female characters. When stepping outside the traditional roles for female characters in theater, Shakespeare pushed boundaries by giving his women intelligent wit, innate humor, motives and goals which the Elizabethan and Jacobean audiences could relate directly to their own experiences. More than anything else, Shakespeare created a race of theatrical females who were first and foremost described as complete human women with virtues and vices which were believable and realistic. With these attributes, Shakespeare’s women were able to perceive unequal distributions of power in their worlds, particularly the distribution of power in the romantic relationships which in many cases were chosen for them. Comprehending with a bitter distaste the lack of control they held over their future lives, the women of Shakespeare took matters into their own hands more often than not, utilizing revolutionary or unconventional means to gain dominance in the power dynamics of their relationships. William Shakespeare offered his female characters the abilities and opportunities to recognize their subordinate positions concerning romantic relationships as well as the initiative to attempt a shift in these power dynamics.
Though its primary function is usually plot driven--as a source of humor and a means to effect changes in characters through disguise and deception—cross dressing is also a sociological motif involving gendered play. My earlier essay on the use of the motif in Shakespeare's plays pointed out that cross dressing has been discussed as a symptom of "a radical discontinuity in the meaning of the family" (Belsey 178), as cul-tural anxiety over the destabilization of the social hierarchy (Baker, Howard, Garber), as the means for a woman to be assertive without arousing hostility (Claiborne Park), and as homoerotic arousal (Jardine). This variety of interpretations suggests the multivoiced character of the motif, but before approaching the subject of this essay, three clarifica- tions are necessary at the outset.
Gibson, B., & Catlin, A.J. (2011). Care of the Child with the Desire to Change Gender-Part 1.
Transsexuals see themselves as an actual man or women. The don’t realized that no matter what they do to change their sex, some in society will still see them as that man or women their were born as . For society, the topic of reverse gender is complex with various emotions. Moreover, individuals frequently marked them as misfits, not understanding the genuine essence of being man or woman. There are many arguments that state, psychological disorders do not change a person gender, no matter how trapped they might seem, as
This essay will discuss how Shakespeare depicts women in his works including Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice. As Shakespeare produced his work during the Renaissance period, this essay will also talk about how Shakespeare’s plays were written during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and how Shakespeare’s work may have paralleled the same view that society had of women and their role. Writing techniques used by Shakespeare such as the use of language in dialogue and cross-dressing will be considered in this essay, to show how women were perceived in his work and the controversy it caused to the society.
The American Psychological Association states that they recognize that gender nonconformity itself is not a mental disorder and what makes it a disorder is the presence of significant distress associated with the condition. As we have learned in class, something becomes diagnosed if it interferes with the patient’s everyday life. Gender Dysphoria has to be present for 6 or more months in order to be diagnosed and there must be a “marked difference between the individuals expressed/experienced gender and the genders others would assign him or her (DSM-V, APA).” Gender Dysphoria was added to the DSM-V as an effort to remove some stigma associated with the diagnosis. Previously called “Gender Identity Disorder,” Gender Dysphoria is “intended to
Many of the expectations surrounding male identity, especially at Shakespeare’s time, had to do with a man’s ability to control and impress women. Further, women at the time were expected to be affectionate and subservient to men, and the majority of their youth was focused on finding a husband. Shakespeare upsets these norms in Twelfth Night through hints of homosexuality, although these are more subtle than the motifs of gender roles and gender performance. The most explicit hints of homosexuality come from Sebastian’s friend and savior Antonio, who shows enough affection for the young man to be suspicious. Although Antonio’s sexuality remains ambiguous his affection also seems stronger than friendship. For example, Antonio is willing to escort Sebastian through the city even though he could be killed if he was caught, and gives Sebastian all his money in order to buy souvenirs. When he is caught and pleads to Cesario to help him, believing it is Sebastian, he appears to be more upset with the betrayal than his potential death, saying “’His life I gave him, and did thereto add/ my love, without retention or restraint/ all his in dedication. For his sake/ did I expose myself—pure for his love—‘” (5.1.66-69). Though Antonio’s sexuality is the most ambiguous in the play, there are undeniable hints of homosexuality in the main characters as well. Although Olivia denies the courtship of many men, she is instantly attracted to Cesario based on his looks and compliments his more womanly features when she says “’O, what a deal of scorn looks beautiful/ in the contempt and anger of his lip!’” (3.1.126-127). This suggests that she is not attracted to the male body, but the female form. Viola rejects the woman’s advances and is attracted to Orsino; however, she falls in love with him as she is playing a masculine role, complicating her sexuality as well. Throughout the play Viola hints at her love for
Today cross-dressing is still used as a form of entertainment. In Twelfth Night Shakespeare uses a theatrical tradition of transvestitism in which the actor’s and character’s real identity is covered by clothes, voice, and gesture of the opposite sex, although sometimes the character remained the same gender. (“Clothing.” Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern Worl...
Assess the responsibility of audit committees as well as internal auditors in relation to the Satyam scandal.
...goal of the Antitheatrical movement in the Renaissance, was both supported and denounced by Jonson in various ways. However, the general perception is that Jonson (unlike Shakespeare) fueled the fires of degradation- implicating women with the weakness, lack of intelligence, and reason they were believed to exude. In the annals of theatrical history, Jonson's metadrama could be said to perpetuate this social stereotype. Nevertheless, Jonson's crossing of the gender line and sexual scenes like Volpone's "flashing" of Celia were enough to have religious, moral, and social commentators screaming blood murder. Two issues demand prominence in the play. While outwardly a play driven by blatant genderless controversy, the inward thematic, character-driven nature of Volpone suggests a conformity and adherence to the intellectual and theological moralism of the time.
Women have been criticized when it comes to sports participation, sports is viewed as a dominant role for males and females should play a supportive role rather than participating in the actual field activities, this is just one of many reasons why inequality still exists. Sandys (2007) suggests that gender inequality in sports stems from the stereotypes that exist in society today. For example, stereotypes of women’s physical abilities and social roles are still very prominent today, and so women naturally feel inferior in the sports domain. If we stray away from the right track towards gender equality in sports and increased feelings of empowerment will only be reached if these stereotypes are eliminated (Sandys, 2007). Therefore, it could be argued that increased media coverage of women’s sports could be a possible solution, because it would serve to ed...
During Shakespeare’s time, women lived in a patriarchal society where they were limited in power and dependent on men. Women in this society were expected to be submissive and to let men pave their path to a successful life by being passive. For Rosalind and Celia, the two main women in Shakespeare’s comedic play As You Like It, their identities through their disguises challenge this social construct by elevating their power as women rather than weakening them by allowing them to explore multiple facets of their behaviors that they could not do before. Despite being belittled by the male characters, such as Touchstone or Duke Ferdinand, Rosalind and Celia do not allow the men to suppress or influence their identities. These independent