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Title
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Gender Fluidity in Twelfth Night: Drawing Contemporary Connections from an Elizabethan Protagonist
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Author
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Claire E. Phillips
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Faculty Sponsor
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Tiara Good
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Abstract
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This article explores the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night and how it addresses themes such as the expression of gender and sexuality in a comedic but patriarchal society. In more than one play, Shakespeare utilized the theme of cross-dressing, specifically with his female main characters, but why? What do the characters and audiences get out of this sudden change of gender, which adds a new complicated dynamic to the story? Specifically, this thesis explores Viola from Twelfth Night, as well as her male disguise, “Cesario.” How Viola interacts with both male and female characters in the story challenges potentially false beliefs of how gender and sexuality were viewed in the Elizabethan era. There is a distinction between the tolerance and acceptance of gender fluidity; it comes down to the space in which it is being expressed. The modern debate I will be addressing is this: was Shakespeare truly ahead of his time when he played with gender fluidity in his works, or was he simply perpetuating pre-existing misogynistic stereotypes? The answer won’t be black and white, and it will analyze the readings of Shakespeare from both a queer and feminist standpoint. From the seventeenth century until now, there is still much to be discussed about why these plays, Twelfth Night in particular, are still important and socially.
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Keywords
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Shakespeare
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Twelfth Night
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gender
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Rights
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Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 07/01/2026, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.
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https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en
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Type
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text
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volume
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15.5
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Date Published
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2026-07-01
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Identifier
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PURE155c
