Cross-dressing was explored by William Shakespeare in his plays, deconstructing the gender stereotypes from the Elizabethan era. In the Renaissance world, a world governed by men, women were not allowed to act on stage, so they were played by young boys whose voices and appearances were not well defined yet. This patriarchal society believed women to be inferior to men, and thus, their rights were not the same. They had to obey the male figures in their life, whether we are talking about a partner, a parent, or a monarch. Their existence was decided by someone else, without taking into account their own ideas, yearnings, or dreams. “The good woman was closed off, silent, chaste, and immured within the home” (Howard 424). As a consequence, I believe that cross-dressing played an important role, as it symbolized a change of status, allowing women to be independent and free to express themselves.
For instance, Twelfth Night’s heroine, Viola, decides to dress herself as a boy, as her lost brother, more precisely, in order to be accepted at Orsino’s court. As Cesario (“little monarch”), Viola can enter the world of Illyria and be treated with respect and equality, and eventually, in disguise, share her feelings of love for Orsino. Moreover, the concept of androgyny is explored through Viola’s ambiguous gender identity which triggers the love triangle (Orsino-Cesario-Olivia).
In the first place, cross-dressing allows the heroine of the play to enter a man’s world and assume responsibilities. Viola’s nature combines the virtues of a woman with those of a man. She is intelligent, determined, and courageous, she takes risks but also shows generosity, affection, and devotion. Viola arrives in Illyria after a shipwreck in which she had been separated from her brother and embarks on a new adventure, disguised as “Cesario”, as a servant at Orsino’s court. Hence, her bravery is revealed when coming to an unknown place, assuming to be someone she is not: “Conceal me what I am” (1.2.50). Furthermore, Viola thinks that her brother had died and she is all alone in the world, but still finds the strength to keep on going and turns a blind eye to mourning and pain, thus being in contrast with the Countess, whose mourning is rather “life-denying” than “life-affirming” (Garber 511). Madly falling in love with the Duke and knowing that the feeling can never be mutual while dressed as a man doesn’t help her much, nor does her duty as an emissary. Besides all these struggles, she has to be both Viola and Cesario and find a balance between them. This idea takes us back to the “Elizabethan dilemma, the ruler with two bodies, one natural and female, the other political and ungendered-which is to say, gendered as a universal male” (521). Her physical frailty sometimes betrays her, revealing her feminine side, an example being the scene of the duel between “Cesario” and Sir Andrew Aguecheek “Pray God to defend me! A little thing would make me tell them how much I lack a man” (3,4,301-302). In spite of all the problems she encounters, I truly believe that Viola fully assumes her new role and uses her qualities in order to overcome any obstacle.
In the second place, through her disguise, Viola has the opportunity to share her feelings of love and fondness with Orsino. As “Cesario”, she tells the Duke a story of unrequited love, casting it as something that happened between two other people (520). Through this story, Viola touches Orsino’s soft spot, since it reveals emotions that are meaningful to him. He can easily empathize with the story’s melancholy and cast his mind back to his own doomed love. Orsino sees the “feminine” part of “Cesario”, but puts it down to his youth, and also acknowledges his wisdom and intelligence, assigning him the role of the mediator between him and Olivia (516). Viola’s generosity is shown when accepting to woo the Countess on behalf of the man she had secretly fallen in love with. Although Viola describes herself as a “poor monster” because she is both a woman and a man, she is determined to pursue her goal of making Orsino fall in love with her and doesn’t give up until he does so. “I’ll do my best to woo your lady- [aside] yet barful strife- whoever I woo, myself would be his wife” (1.4.39-41). In these lines, we can notice the discrepancy between “Cesario’s” duty as a devoted servant and Viola’s own dreams and desires.
Viola manages to enlighten both Orsino and Olivia in love. They both fall in love with something or someone embodied in “Cesario”, complementary to themselves, someone they are looking for in every person. But if it weren’t for their mistake to fall in love with the “elusive and delusive Cesario, they would learn nothing, there would be no romance, and no play” (508).
Sebastian’s arrival is meant to generate even more confusion, but “the romance mists begin to clear” (519) and harmony is restored once the brothers explain the situation. As a result, Viola escapes the burden of being “Cesario” and is promised to marry the Duke as soon as she proves that she is a woman. However, we don’t have the chance to ever see her dressed as a woman. I think that in spite of how foolish her dream may have seemed, Viola’s patience and determination brought her closer to pursuing it, while her love and devotion for Orsino didn’t change over time.
In conclusion, I truly believe that cross-dressing allowed women to be seen in a new light in a society in which appearance had a crucial role in defining one’s identity, gender, social status, qualities, and aspirations. Through his plays, Shakespeare empowers women with equality, when in reality they were destined to be inferior to men. He gives them freedom of speech and the responsibility to assume their new identities. He deconstructs gender stereotypes and patriarchy. As difficult as it may have been for Viola, a fragile girl of aristocratic birth, to embark on this journey, on a land unknown to her, while facing the hypothesis of having lost her brother, and assuming the role of “Cesario”, she managed to conquer every obstacle and to show dignity on her way to pursuing her dream. Therefore, she is a true heroine and shows virtues aren’t dictated by gender, but by one’s beautiful mind and pure soul.
References:
Brown, Daniela. The unpublished course of Medieval and Renaissance. The Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Bucharest, 2019-2020
Cross-dressing in Shakespeare’s comedies – and beyond. December 24, 2019. http://www.finchpark.com/ppp/crossdressing/crossdressing-handout.pdf
Crowther, John, (Ed.). (2003). No Fear Twelfth Night. Retrieved December 24, 2019, from http://nfs.sparknotes.com/twelfthnight/
Garber, Marjorie. Shakespeare After All. New York: Anchor Books, 2004
Howard, Jean E. Cross-dressing, The Theatre, and Gender Struggle in Early Modern England. Shakespeare Quarterly. 1988. December 24, 2019 http://home.uchicago.edu/~jorgea/untitled%20folder/Crossdressing.pdf
Jamieson, Lee. Cross-Dressing in Shakespeare Plays. ThoughtCo, 2019. December 24, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/cross-dressing-in-shakespeare-plays-2984940