Twelfth Night is a feminist play. Discuss.

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Twelfth Night is a feminist play. Discuss.

        The play Twelfth Night was written in the Elizabethan days, near the end of the ruling of Queen Elizabeth I. It was also during The Renaissance, which is also the rebirth of learning, which this play was born. It was a period of change, questioning and vitality. People no longer believed everything they were told, but tried to find things out for themselves. As to whether Twelfth Night is a feminist play, would have several differing points to show against or for it. As it was the ‘period of change’, this play could have been written to change people’s ideas of females and males in general.

Since the olden days, women have always been viewed as emotional, irrational, petty people, and when compared to the men, not as able and capable. In the play Twelfth Night, there are many different characters, both male and female, and even a female in the disguise of male. Indeed, the play in itself is complex, and has many different hidden themes and meanings within. Shakespeare, having also lived in this time of change, could be trying to satisfy the people who are trying to find things out for themselves. He could be trying to display to the people, and let the people question themselves, and wonder, whether females are who they were said to be, and men, likewise.

        As to whether Twelfth Night is a feminist play, there are arguments both ways. Evidently, in the play, there are many different inferences we can draw, to survey deeper into the play, and determine whether Twelfth Night, is or is not a feminist play.

        Feminism, in itself, means the belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the genders. In the play, there are different portrayals of various characters to display the different factors pertaining to feminism in the play.

        In Twelfth Night, the protagonist of the story, Viola, is displayed as a rational, sacrificial, sincere, strong, witty woman, who disguises herself as a man, to become a faithful attendant of Orsino. Viola is one with sacrificial and patient love, willingly loving Orsino, and attending to his every need. Orsino, on the other hand, is shown as an emotional man, who has superficial and transient love for Olivia. This love is very abruptly shifted to Viola at the end of the play, when Viola reveals her true identity. Through this contrast of these two individuals, we can see that Shakespeare makes a distinct different between genders, and allows to draw a contrast between characters to think deeper into their characters and purpose in the story, beyond their surface appearances.

From the difference in character and personality between Viola and Orsino, we can see that Viola is displayed as a rational, witty, yet manipulative woman, who loves deeply and sincerely. This is shown from, “If I did love you in my master’s flame/With such a suff’ring/such a deadly life”, as it implies that Viola’s love towards Orsino, is true, and has depth, and other-centred. This is in comparison to Orsino’s love towards Olivia, displayed in his portrayal of love towards her. This can be seen from, “With adorations, fertile tears/With groans that thunder love, with sighs of fire” and, “If music be the food of love, play on/Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting”. These show how his love is dependent of the surrounding, superficial, and not deep, rather shallow and surface. This is a prominent difference between them, and suggests that, perhaps, Shakespeare is trying to show how, females may not be what they are said to be, since the olden days, and males, may not be what they are said to be, either. This is perhaps to imply that there should be equality between how people should view each gender, according the individual, and not just towards their gender. Hence, this is a contributing factor in making Twelfth Night, a feminist play.

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On the other hand, however, Viola has to disguise herself as a male, to protect herself in a new land, Illyria.  From how she says, “For such disguise as haply shall become/The form of my intent”, we draw from it that she needs the disguise of a male, to fit into the society, and earn her position in Illyria. She believes that she is not able to fit in and remain safe, if she remains as a female. This perhaps suggests that, the female gender is inferior, and less protected in the society, as a female has to disguise herself ...

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