Description
Twelfth Night Essay Guidelines – Revised 11/17/17
Prompt for Essay on Twelfth Night film.
To write this paper, you will need to view the Globe production of Twelfth Night via the following link on the library’s website:
http://catalog.library.txstate.edu/record=b2573230...
Write a 3-5 page essay that answers all of the following questions:
How do issues of gender identity and alternative sexualities register differently in your reading of Twelfth Night than in your viewing of the Globe production described by James Bulman in “Bearding the Queen: Male Cross-Dressing at the New Globe”(Shakespearean Performance: New Studies. Ed. Frank Occhiogrosso. Madison and Teaneck: Farleigh Dickinson University Press, 2008: 74-91 – posted on TRACS as “Bulman article”)? According to Bulman, how does this all-male production differ from a “traditional” version, in which men play men and women play women? Why do you agree or disagree with Bulman’s thesis? If you were producing a version of this play, how would you cast it with regards to gender (traditional, all-male, all-female, cross-gender, some mixture of the above)? What factors would impact this decision?
This essay will be graded pass/fail. You have only one chance to submit your paper. Neither the Professor nor the IAs will preview your paper before you submit it. You will NOT be able to revise the paper if you fail. If you fail, you lose a full-letter grade for the semester. To pass you must observe the following rules:
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Attached.
Running head: TWELFTH NIGHT
Twelfth Night
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation
TWELFTH NIGHT
1
Twelfth Night
Gender identity and alternative sexualities
In the Twelfth Night film, Viola gets in trouble when her twin brother, Sebastian dies due
to a violent storm at the coast of Illyria. It was then that she decided to disguise herself as a boy
and take part in men activities due t the closeness she had developed spending much time with
Sebastian. The name that Vila assumes is Cesario for security during the acting process. Since
she took part and was nominated the best, she became the Duke in the service of Orsino. When
people need help here is no shame or fear. But it all depends on the courage and personality of a
person to take a step forward and face the challenges with determination of becoming a victor.
As much as society never allowed men and women to mingle and spend much time together,
they limited socialization among opposite genders. Getting into relationships is an abomination
among the people within the society unless an official ceremony is conducted to make formal the
couples. However, since courtship is always done between the dating partners without involving
third parties, people had to hide their sexualities to gain access to the choices of love. It is also
reflected in the Bearded Queens by James Bulman that women could attach beard like items on
their cheeks to allow them have time to talk and spend with their men whenever they wanted
without interruption (Shakespeare, William, & Hodder Education. 2017). The youths in Illyria
were restricted from meeting the opposite gender and having conversations. Due to the harsh
conditions, ladies would disguise themselves and act as men while pursuing the men of their
choice and sending more time with them. Towards the end of the story, many couples emerged
from the crowd despite male counterparts having doubts o the female proposals they received.
Some were taking such proposals to be from rich and wealthy women who needed male figures
in their lives.
TWELFTH NIGHT
2
Differences in male production from the “traditional” versions
Traditions never allowed men and women to stay together and have much going on
between them unless they had been officially declared as husband and wife. Such traditions
limited people from acting in their respective positions and making men t take women positions
in acing and women to take part in men positions when acting. Hence, the manner of acting led
to the disguise of personality and offered a chance for ladies to gain access to men places by
wearing beards that could falsify their identity and look like men. Men playing men and women
playing women are a traditional ways of keeping morals and ethics of the community to avoid
instances of immoral situations (Bulman, 2008). When acting, some arts need to demonstrate
scenes that can lead to arousal of feelings whilst having opposite sex actors to participate in such
may create tension and lead to extra and illicit pleasures after the play. Psychologically when
feelings are triggered as a result of a life experience situation it takes less time to bond and
become intimate unlike having same sex acting romantic sense. In traditional acting, people were
allowed to get the message but the real acting was disguised to avoid men and women coming
too close to one another since they were only allowed to meet during special occasions like
weddings. However, the current acting scenes are made to reflect real life scenarios were men
and women meet and take positions according to gender without limiting interaction.
Traditionally acting was done on live stages where editing was not part of the process hence,
when women are allowed to disguise and use other means in reaching out to their men shows a
poor communication strategy where information cannot be passed. However, due to technology
advances, the limitations set were pulled down and traditions done away with apart from the
crucial aspect that hold the culture of communities.
TWELFTH NIGHT
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Casting the film in regards to gender
If I was producing a film regarding gender, I would mix the genders and make the axing
look real to have a true reflection of the society. The digital era is full of realities and even virtual
things are made to resemble real life hacks. For example robots are made to take the image and
shape of a human being in performing dut...
