Sexual Transgression for Power and Identity: A Glimpse on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Abstract

Crossing social restrictions for identity and status is o en the act of dissatisfying group in every society. Shakespearean society which was basically patriarchal and male-dominate set strict restrictions to impose on women's sphere. However, the suppressed women's voice sometimes denied the social restrictions in di erent ways as cross-dressing going beyond the boundary of women's sexuality. Cross-dressing as sexual transgression was o en committed in the actual life of English Renaissance and also in the literary world for independent identity, power and authority. In this regard, this article tries to explore on the sexual transgression committed by the main female character, Viola in the play Twel h Night to get identity and ful ll her inner desire challenging the socially prescribed norms of gender and sexuality. KEYWORDS: Sexual transgression, power and identity, male domination, crossdressing INTRODUCTIONEvery society has certain norms on sexual orientation to control and order the bodily pleasures and behaviors of its people. Sexual transgression then is the process of moving away from the ordered and rational social state to the disordered and irrational one, o en punishable by society or law. Transgression is o en committed by dissatisfying groups or persons who try to cross the restrictions set by the social power structure with the desire to attain freedom and power regarding sexuality or any other aspects of life. Cross-dressing by a woman, for instance, as a socially deviant way makes her easier to enjoy the activities restricted to females.Shakespeare's plays o er a wide range of perspectives on critical reading for generations. Re ecting, basically, on Renaissance socio-political context, many of his plays focus on the issues of gender and sexuality including its deviations. As Rampone (2011) indicates, sexuality plays a highly signi cant role in Shakespeare's plays and problems, because it structures gender and power relations among characters.ough, it is o en controversial that whether Shakespeare, as a representative writer of Elizabethan time, gave voice for the women suppressed within the dominant patriarchy presenting their various deviations in positive light for the betterment of their own life, or just projected the gender stereotype of men-women relationship. However, there is no doubt that he has given a wide range of women characters, many of them more intelligent, consistent and rebellious than male characters. Many of his female characters break the strictly imposed patriarchal social