![]() ![]() ![]() In Elizabethan England, cross-dressing reflected the prevalent plight of women characterized by high number of widows and high number of unmarried women. ![]() Technically, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night belongs to the category of transvestite comedies whereby the female protagonists in a play cross-dressed as men. Thus, Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Night at a time when the puritans behind the Anglican Church’s reformations were determined to shut down theatres perceived to be perpetrating amoral themes in the society. Beginning in 1570s and through to 1640s, the Anglican Church took over the social and religious spheres of England, and promised to rid England of amoral celebrations, including the celebrations surrounding the Twelfth Night (Bamber 35). January 6 th was observed as a day of social release, especially marked by expression of temporary sexual freedom. Contextually, Twelfth Night in medieval England referred literally to the twelfth night after Christmas Day, which is January 6 th. William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night was first published in 1601, and regarded as one of the most masterful comedies of Elizabethan England. ![]() Real-Life Implications of Twelfth NightĬontext, Plot, Climax, Characters, and Themes.Context, Plot, Climax, Characters, and Themes. ![]()
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