Poor Monsters: Gender Crossing and Confusion in Twelfth Night

Christy DesmetUniversity of Georgia

A Natural PerspectiveOne face, one voice, one habit, and two persons!A natural perspective, that is and is not! (5.1.225-26) Disguise, I see thou art a wickednessWherein the pregnant enemy does much. How easy is it for the proper falseIn women’s waxen hearts to set their forms!Alas, frailty is the cause, not we,For such as we are made such we be.How will this fadge? My master loves her dearly,And I, poor monster, fond as much on him,And she, mistaken, seems to dote on me.What will become of this? As I am man,My state is desperate for my master’s love.As I am woman (now, alas the day!),What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!O Time, thou must untangle this, not I.It is too hard a knot for me t’ untie. (2.2.26-40)

“Perspective” (5 occurrences)Word Occurrences in Twelfth Night

Eye(s) 21See 39Look 11Behold 1Sight 4

www.shakespeareswords.comFolger Digital Texts

Renaissance Perspective

wikipedia

Albrecht Durer

wikipedia

Definition

• “an optical illusion created naturally, without mirrors or other optical devices.” (Folger TN)

• “Either (a) an illusion seen through a distorting optical device, or, (b) a picture drawn so that its content varies depending on which angle it is viewed from.” (Internet Shakespeare Editions)

• “a picture in which perspective is altered so as to appear distorted unless seen from a particular angle.” (Shakespeare’s Words)

Goblet/Two Profiles Figure

Hans Holbein, The Ambassadors

John Sichel Twelfth Night (1969)

Joan Plowright as Viola and Sebastian (Sichel)

Gillian Jones as Viola and Sebastian (Branagh)

Kenneth Branagh Twelfth Night

Kenneth Branagh Twelfth Night

Trevor Nunn Twelfth Night

Viola on DisguiseDisguise, I see thou art a wickednessWherein the pregnant enemy does much. How easy is it for the proper falseIn women’s waxen hearts to set their forms!Alas, frailty is the cause, not we,For such as we are made such we be.How will this fadge? My master loves her dearly,And I, poor monster, fond as much on him,And she, mistaken, seems to dote on me.What will become of this? As I am man,My state is desperate for my master’s love.As I am woman (now, alas the day!),What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!O Time, thou must untangle this, not I.It is too hard a knot for me t’ untie. (2.2.26-40)