William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night as a Feminist Play

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William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night as a Feminist Play

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

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...period of change, Shakespeare may indeed be

subverting the traditional ideas of gender, and questioning the

reality of the difference between the males and females, and posing

this feminist question to all, and causing all who read or watch this

play to think about this controversial issue. As to whether Twelfth

Night is a feminist play, depends on the point of view and

perspective. In my opinion, Twelfth Night is a feminist play, due to

how Shakespeare portrays the women not as the traditional ideas

suggests, but the utter opposite, and how the women are not in any

way, inferior the male, although Viola has to disguise herself as a

male to get what she is, career-wise. This may well be a way to

re-emphasize on the importance of equality between the two genders.

In conclusion, I view Twelfth Night as a feminist play.

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