Gender and Sexuality in “Twelfth Night” and “The Merchant of Venice” Essay

twelfth Night and The merchant of Venice are both of William Shakespeares comedies which are famous for their motive of sex activity and cross- habilitateing characters. one-twelfth Night tells the tommyrot of a young wo gentleman concernd genus genus Viola who pretends to be a man to be able to find work in the household of the Duke of Illyria. On the opposite break, The Merchant of Venice is a stage of a merchant named Antonio who dishs his ace Bassanio to win the hands of his jazz, Portia, by eachowing Bassanio to loan silver from Shylock and to pull ahead Antonio his loan guarantor.These 2 Shakespearean comedies similarly contain scenes where a muliebrity cross-dresses as a man to achieve a p stratagemicular goal. In Twelfth Night, Viola pretends to be a man named Cesario to able to permit a job under Duke Ullyria, while in The Merchant of Venice, Portia and Nerissa dress as hands to prevent Shylock from taking a scourge of Antonios variety. The cross-dressin g of the characters, therefore, reveals a theme of sexual practice in the plays.Another expectation in the plays that discloses the theme of sexuality is the sen judgment of convictionnt of close friendships or affection mingled with the same-sex characters in the stories much(prenominal) as Antonio and Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice, Olivia and Viola (pretending to be Cesario), Antonio and Sebastian, and Duke Orsino and Cesario (finally revealed as Viola) in Twelfth Night. These complicated relationships in the stories sight the complexity of sexuality and gender in relation to the attraction, whether physical or emotional, felt by the characters towards the other. With the characters cross-dressing, Shakespeare reveals the nature of sexuality in an obscure light. truncated Summary of Twelfth NightWilliam Shakespeares Twelfth Night starts with a scene where the Duke Orsino of the kingdom of Illyria hangs around with music in the background as he thinks ab aside his r ecognize for the beautiful Lady Olivia. Unfortunately, Olivia does not top his adore because she is still in the midst of mourning for her brother who has died a long time ago.She rejects suitors and does not entertain marriage proposals. Unkn take in to these twain characters, a young muliebrity and survivor of a shipwreck with the name of Viola lands in the shore of Illyria. Unfamiliar with the place, she wonders if her twin brother Sebastian has died in the shipwreck. Upon hearing the drool of Orsino and Olivia from a captain, she decides to work for Olivia in the meantime. However, upon finding come on that Olivia does not entertain any strangers, she resorts to working for the Duke kind of. This is where the pretension as a man starts. Viola begins dressing as a man with a new identity as Cesario.Duke Orsino immediately approves of Cesario and hires her as his messenger. The conflict of the story now arises as Viola begins to fall in revere with the Duke who thinks she is a man, and he later asks Cesario to send his distinguish letters to Olivia who, similarly mean that she is man, immediately falls for Cesario. In the end, all is revealed when Cesario and Duke Orsino arrive in Olivias house. Olivia greets Cesario with warmth believing her to be her new husband Sebastian, who was rescued by Antonio from the shipwreck.Witnessing this, Duke Orsino feels betrayed, but when the real Sebastian appears in the scene everyone realizes the truth of Viola and Sebastians someoneality. Duke Orsino proposes marriage to Viola upon finding out that he is truly in do it with her, and Sir Toby and scotchia also privately marry. The play ends with Malvolio being freed and tang defeated.sexual urge and Gender in Twelfth NightTwelfth Night embodies a great deal of slews with regard to sexuality regardless of whether it is homosexuality or straightawayity. Shakespeare has clearly illustrated the am wallopinguity of the nature of gender and sexuality. The i ssue of sexuality is evident as characters of the story have their own love interests. Firstly, Orsinos love for Olivia is described by Cesario to be With adorations, fertile tears, / With groans that sapidity love, with sighs of fire (1.5.238-239). Cesarios line evidently depicts a passionate feeling which is intensified more(prenominal) by the use of homunculusulates such as adoration, groans, thunder and fire. This choice of words apparently demonstrates an capacious imagery of sexuality.It is also clear that Viola (as Cesario) has fallen in love with the Duke Orsino. She proclaims her misery in beging his lady when in item, she wishes to be his married woman. To woo your lady. Yet, a barful strife / Whoeer I woo, myself would be his wife (1.4.41-42). The pattern of hasty attractions between characters is always generate in Shakespearean plays.In Twelfth Night, Viola quickly falls in love with the duke, Olivia also hastily becomes attracted to Cesario despite the fact t he she has just met him, and Orsino swiftly switches his feelings from Olivia to Viola as soon as he finds out that Cesario is actually a woman. The notion of physical attraction to the opposite clearly demonstrates the concept of sexuality as the characters have not even spent enough time with each other to dismiss their feelings to be of love already. It is most belike to be feelings of lust as the characters would often refer to the physical attributes of the person first every time they ponder about love such as Olivias lines Ill be sworn thou art / Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions, and spirit, (1.5.273-274)The fact that Olivia also feels an attraction towards Cesario opens the issue of lesbianism as the audience all know that Cesario is Viola pretending to be a man. Her final monologue upon the departure of Cesario from Olivias house reveals her attraction towards the young and with child(p) messenger. Ill be sworn thou art / Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions, and spirit, / Do put up thee five-fold blazon. not too fast soft soft (1.5.273-275). She is easily drawn to the sentimentality of Cesarios idea when he declares that if he is the one courting Olivia and not his master, he would stay outside her gates and cry out his love for her until she seizes pity on him.Violas assurance to Olivia as Cesario also reveals a somewhat obvious attraction of Cesario to Olivia. By delivering those lines, despite the fact the Cesario is a woman, shows that Cesario does believe that Lady Olivia is attractive and beautiful. Tis beauty truly blent, whose reddened and white / Natures own sweet and cunning hand laid on. (1.5.222-223). He could not have delivered it so effectively without imagining Olivia to whom he is referring.Scholars agree that the concept of cross-dressing in Shakespeares plays illustrates the possibility of lessening conflicts between homosexuality and straight personity. Perhaps, the cross-dressed heroines of Twelfth Night or As You Like it state a symbolic way in which the conflict between staminate-male friendships and heterosexual marriage can be settle downd (Smith 147). Cleary, in Olivias gaffe of falling for Cesario, she fell in love not only for his handsome appearance but also because he has the sincerity that a woman needs from a lover. Obviously, Orsino does not possess them as he makes no risky effort to prove his love to Olivia. All he does is save whine and complain about how his love is unrequited.Another part in the story that engages in the theme of sexuality is the seemingly homosexual love of Antonio to Sebastian. After rescuing Sebastian from the shipwreck, Antonio goes with him wherever he decides to go. He even goes as farthermost as accompanying him to Illyria where he has many enemies. I have many enemies in Orsinos court, / come what may, I do adore thee so / That danger shall seem sport, and I will go (2.1.35-6). consort to Smith, The word adore is a strong one where its used elsewhere by Shakespeare, it tends to refer either to the love of mortals for gods, or for an exalted form of romantic courtship (148). Antonio also entrusts his purse to Sebastian as they part, which reveals his genuine mettle for Sebastian. This gesture clearly describes Antonios unrequited homosexual love for Sebastian.At the end of Twelfth Night, Duke Orsino still accepts Viola even after discovering that she has fooled him to believe that she was a man. Surprisingly, Orsino tells her that he actually loves her.Boy, thou hast said to me a gibibyte times / Thou shall never shouldst love woman like to me (5.1.259-260). It is discernible that despite his confession of love to her, he still refers to him as Boy, which is an reading material that he still sees her as Cesario. It can be dismissed that the Dukes feelings towards Olivia and Viola may be just physical because he is escaped to switch his feelings of love from Olivia to Viola. According to the book, A Companion to Sh akespeares Works, in Twelfth night, embodied sexuality appears to be less important than clothing in establishing gendered identity (Rackin 123).Brief Summary of The Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of Venice is the story of Antonio, a Venetian merchant, who encounters a predicament when Bassanio borrowed a big amount of money from him so he could afford to travel to Belmont and win the hand of Portia. Antonio replies that he cannot lend him any money because he has already invested them on his bargain ships, but he assures Bassanio that he could lend from any money loaning investor and refer to him as a complete guarantor.The two men ascend Shylock, a Jewish money lender who secretly despises Antonio for humiliating him many times in the past. He agrees to lend money to Bassanio under the take aim that if Antonio fails to pay the debt, he is entitled to deletion a pound of physique from Antonio. They closed the deal.Fortunately, Bassanio is able to win Portias hand despite the complexity of her knackered mothers will but when he finds out that Antonios trade ships have been reported missing, he goes back to Venice to help his friend out. With the help of the Duke of Venice and his hired attorney, Balthasar, who is in fact Portia pretending to be a man, try to convince Shylock to negotiate and just take double of the money that he has loaned to Bassanio. Shylock refuses to hear it and insists that he cuts a pound of Antonios flesh.Balthasar agrees by also adding that Shylock must cut the flesh without causing it to bleed or else all his properties would be confiscated. ineffective to protest any longer, Shylock surrenders and agrees to take the money from Bassanio. He is thence prosecuted for attempting to kill a citizen, so half of his properties must go to the establishment and the other half to Antonio.In the end, Bassanio and Graziano thank Balthasar and his assistant, who is actually Grazianos wife Nerissa, by offering presents to them. Balthasar demands to have his ring to which Bassanio hesitates but later vows. Upon reversive to Belmont, Portia and Nerissa confront and accuse their husband of infidelity because of the ring that they promised never to give under any circumstances. After a short while of arguments, they reconcile by revealing their true identities in the case of Shylock and Antonio.Sexuality and Gender in The Merchant of VeniceSimilar to Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice also includes a scene where a woman dresses as a man to accomplish a goal that would later benefit the protagonists at the end of the story. In this case, Portia is the woman character who pretends to be a male attorney to rescue Antonio from being cut by the vengeful Shylock.By using her wits and intelligence, she is able to notice a lapse in the earlier contract that the two men have agreed upon which leads to the prospering negotiation of Shylock by just taking the money instead of taking a pound of Antonios flesh. In this regard, the empowerment of the female sexuality is insinuated by means of giving Portia authority in the case. The concept of feminism is clear in this play as female sexuality is deemed to be more empowered in the story than the male sexuality.Cross-dressing obviously plays a large role in symbolizing sexuality and gender in the play. Shakespeare uses Portias disguise to highlight the struggle between heterosexual love and homosexual love found within the love trilateral consisting of Portia, Bassanio, and Antonio (eNotes.com). In the first part of the story, we witness Antonios unexplainable sadness, and when Bassanio arrives, he immediately asks him of his lady-love.This can be an indication that Antonio feels some kind of warmheartedness for Bassanio and it might be the reason why he cannot explain his own sadness. It is also apparent that upon Bassanios arrival, Antonio is very interested in finding out about Bassanios new love. Antonios reference to Basssanio as, My purse, my pers on, my extremest means, / consist all unlockd to your occasions (1.1.138-139), reveals an indication that there is more to Antonios brotherly feelings towards Bassanio.It is also clear that Antonio has lent Bassanio a big amount of money before and it is not the first time that Bassanio asks a big favor from him. This gesture of eminent closeness between two male friends demonstrates an implicit depth of relationship which is more than friendship.The pound of flesh can be a symbol of sexuality in the play. shape clearly symbolizes the lust of the flesh, and even though there is no figure evidence that Shylock is homosexual, it can be regarded that the symbolism of flesh refers to the other characters in the story. Clearly, there are a number of couples in the story such as Portia and Bassanio, Jessica and Lorenzo, and Nerissa and Graziano.This could be a reference that they are examples of quite a little who lust after flesh because of their quick engagements despite the short match of time that they have known each other. It is also apparent that love in this play is much more associated with the hasty physical attraction rather than the concept of extensive courting and getting-to-know-each-other stage. The fact that Portias dead father prefers to have a groom for her who can luckily distinguish the right casket reveals that the present society of the play does not give much importance to feelings but more on practicality.The concept of time-honored authority is also apparent in the plat of the play as symbolized by Portias fathers will. The will represents the authority that her father still has over her decisions despite the fact that he is already dead. The will, therefore, holds the be power of her father which clearly reveals a society where men rule.According the plays guide, The plot parallels and contrasts the rivalry between Portia and Antonio in the main(prenominal) plot and highlights the conflict between male friendship and marriage whi ch runs passim Shakespeares works (Janik 186). Clearly, in this play, Portia seems to be the hindrance between Antonio and Bassanios friendship. However, in the end, she proves to be the one with the authority, as she disguises herself as a man of rightfulness to save Antonio. Thus, Portias female sexuality becomes more authoritative in the play because she is able to resolve the problem that neither Antonio nor the Duke of Venice can resolve. inferenceTwelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice encompass a complex plot of mistaken identities and deliberate cross-dressing. The fact that the female characters ultimately save the men from their miseries in the end proves that these Shakespearean plays also include the concept of feminism. However, the theme of sexuality is more focused on the relationships between the heterosexual major(ip) characters, while the implicit concept of homosexuality is ambiguous in the male-male friendships. Nevertheless, these two Shakespearean works stil l embody a story that redbrick readers could still relate to as the theme of sexuality is continuously present in our society.Works CitedJanik, Vicki K. The Merchant of Venice A Guide to the Play. Connecticut Greenwood create Group, 2003.Rackin, Phyllis. Shakespeares Crossdressing Comedies. A Companion to Shakespeares Works. Eds. Richard Dutton and Jean Elizabeth Howard. United kingdom Blackwell Publishing, 2003.Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Ed. Roma Gill. Oxford Barrons Educational Series, 2001.Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night Or, What You Will. Ed. Cedric doubting Thomas Watts. Hertfordshire Wordsworth Editions, 1992Smith, Emma. The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare. United Kingdom Cambridge University Press, 2007.The Merchant of Venice (Vol. 40) Introduction. Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Dana Ramel Barnes. Vol. 40. Gale Cengage, 2006. eNotes.com. 12 Mar 2009