Tyler Folkedahl

Kathleen McLennan
Women in Shakespeare
3/2/16
Viola in Twelfth Night as the sign of Woman
In Shakespeares Twelfth Night, the audience follows the story of Viola, a woman
estranged from her brother who must assume the role of a man in order to take ownership of her
actions and function in a patriarchal society with little respect for women. Under this guise,
Viola simultaneously shatters and reinforces preconceived notions of gender. By analyzing
Violas presentation of herself as both man and woman, the way she speaks about herself, and
the way that other characters speak about her, the reader can better understand the presentation of
her various genders and how they both uphold negative patriarchal ideals and present alternative
representations of women. Through this understanding, one can then deconstruct the way that
audience members are led to think about Viola, and women in general, as well as potential
practices to cast off oppressive representations and embrace those that are liberating to women.
In Violas presentation of herself as a man, she is directly participating in patriarchal
structures of masculinity as dominant. She ratifies the idea that men are the superior sex by
conforming herself to their image in order to advance in society. However, this drag
performance can also be examined as Viola making a mockery of the males idea of himself as
superior. She proves in her representation that the perceived divide between man and woman is
fictional by assuming the role of man and effectively fooling everyone around her. She is able to
secure a position in the Dukes court which would otherwise never have been granted to her as a
woman, thus advancing her toward her goal of winning the affection of the Duke.

As a man, Viola is also able to influence the negative biases about women that the other
men in the play hold. When the Duke argues to her that women have no capability of true love,
she retorts with:
Too well what love women to men may owe;
In faith, they are as true of heart as we.
My father had a daughter lovd a man,
As it might be, perhaps, were I a woman,
I should your lordship
She never told her love,
But let concealment, like a worm Ithebud,
Feed on her damask cheek; she pind in thought,
And with a green and yellow melancholy,
She sat, like a patience on a monument,
Smiling at grief. Was this not love indeed?
We men may say more, swear more; but indeed
Our shows are more than will, for still we prove
Much in our vows, but little in our love.
In this speech, she both uplifts the capabilities of women and undermines those of men. She
emphasizes the fact that just because women dont play by mens rules doesnt mean they dont
have experiences and emotions just as complex as theirs. She even goes so far as to say that
women are more apt to follow through on their promises, whereas men are only able to talk of
what they would do and never follow through. Concurrent with this presentation of herself,
Sebastian also speaks very highly of Viola. When Sebastian tells Antonio about her, he says that

she bore a mind that envy could but call fair. He emphasizes her intelligence as well as her
beauty, representing her as an individual with complex thought rather than merely a beautiful
woman to be desired by men.
Violas dual-gender presentation, defense of women, and Sebastians appreciation of her
all work to present an image to the audience of women people who are equal to men and able to
think for themselves. Despite these presentations, much of the dialogue is inflammatory and
presents a negative representation of women, much of it even coming from Viola herself.
When Olivia sends a ring to Viola in an offer of romantic affection, Viola belittles
womens capability of thought, stating:
How easy it is for the proper-false
In womens waxen hearts to set their forms!
Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we!
For such as we are made of, such we be.
O time, thou must untangle this, not I;
It is too hard a knot for me to untie!
Viola positions herself as the representation of the male gaze, looking upon Olivias offer as a
man would. She scorns not only Olivia but also herself, which she then goes on to contradict
later in the play when attempting to win the affections of the Duke. Shakespeare makes a nod
here to the fact that while Viola is a female, she is ultimately represented through the male
perspective as a result of being constructed to be represented by a man. This commentary also
undermines the earlier praise she was given by Sebastian; if she is thought of as wise, it is only
because she is able to separate herself from her identity as a woman and think as a man does.

We see these negative representations upheld by Viola again in her interactions with the
Duke. He tells her that women lose their worth once their beauty has been displayd, it then
loses its worth. Viola agrees with him, saying that once a womans beauty and purity is lost, she
is as good as dead. These negative self-perceptions support the theory presented by Sue-Ellen
Case that womens roles in the classics are fictional ideas created by men not representative of
womens experiences, and that they need not be roles that feminist actors aspire to.
Viola presents a complicated picture for the actress to navigate, but I believe there is
worth in her character to dig beyond the superficial layers of her negative representation and
work toward a liberating performance. Rather than approaching Viola as a woman who upholds
patriarchal bindings of gender, the performer can think of her as a woman trapped in the struggle
of unfitting gender imposed upon herself fighting against the system to land in a representation
that suits her needs. Her assumption of the male role can represent her attempt to conform with
society in order to fulfil her needs for self-satisfaction and advancement. As she grapples with
the rejection of her gender and the assumption of male traits, she attempts to distance herself
from the gender affixed upon her, and thus looks down upon it. As she progresses through the
play and experiences the varying ways people perceive her gender and interact with her, she
comes to the realization that her gender need not control her self-expression and is able to cast
off her male form but retain the sense of autonomy and self-respect in her female form.
In Viola, Shakespeare gives us a wealth of ideas about the representation of women to be
mined. She gives us both a strong woman who is well respected by herself and her peers and a
woman struggling with her inability to identify with her gender and the characteristics assigned
to it. If we fight back against the male structures imposed upon her and recognize the journey of
self-discovery she has to embark upon, we can separate her from these negative images of

women meant solely to be looked upon by men and lift her up as an independent character who
goes on a journey to learn how to command herself and her own worth.