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Abstract
Today, disguise is a living facet of drama. To disguise in a play is to wear some attire that modifies one’s appearance and conceals one’s identity. Disguise thus gives an outward semblance that misrepresents the true nature of someone. And when that someone happens to be a female who chooses to disguise as a male or vice versa (sexual disguise), it results in mistaken identity and the consequent confusion and comical situations. Shakespeare certainly was not the first to use sexual disguise as a plot device in plays, but the credit for turning it into a fine art should undoubtedly go to him. This paper takes a close look at how Shakespeare uses what has come to be called girl-page device to create different levels of awareness and advantage as integral part of plot development, with particular reference to three disguised heroines of Shakespeare—Viola, Rosalind, and Portia.
Description
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a
man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord
thy God (Deuteronomy 22:5).
The above Biblical prohibition against cross-dressing was one of the principal reasons
given by the Puritans and other religious zealots in the sixteenth century Elizabethan
England for opposing drama and theatre. Resenting what they perceived as the growing
corrupting influence of drama on the society, they trotted out one reason after another as
to why drama should be banned—plays contributed to traffic congestion; encouraged the
sordid tavern culture; created conditions and opportunities for violent behavior; led to
clamour and lawlessness; and above all, promoted depravity among the public.
The fact that women had not yet been allowed to act in dramas and hence women’s
parts had to be played by boys or smooth-faced young men became a convenient stick
for the religious zealots to beat the supporters of drama with and question the ethicality of
it all. To them, it was blasphemous for boys to cross-dress, i.e., wear clothes meant for
the opposite sex, especially when the Bible had expressly forbidden it. They believed that
the cases of plague reported in parts of London and elsewhere at that time were in fact
instances of divine curse and retribution sparked off by such ungodly acts.
Keywords
English Studies Journal, Disguised Heroines, Viola, Rosalind, and Portia, disguise, sexual disguise, Shakespeare.
