Although some Shakespearean plays give women a more passive, masculine role, such as that exemplified by Ophelia's obedience to Polonius in Hamlet, the comedies of As You Like It and Twelfth Night explore women's potential for unexpected honesty, particularly in courtly dynamics. In As You Like It, the female character Rosalind, disguised as a man named Ganymede, is defined by her interactions with Phoebe and Orlando. As a result of contact with each of these characters, Rosalind expresses a certain variety of truths either about the personality of the other character or about the societal conception of behavior appropriate to her gender. The character Countess Olivia in Twelfth Night, however, expresses her personal attitude toward others less in an attempt to explore the tendencies of human nature than in the hope of gaining favor from those she is attracted to. In both of the aforementioned plays, the women's courtship seems to be primarily centered around the desire to express some truth, either about themselves or the other characters with whom they interact. The motivation to express this inner thought, however, tends to be dictated by behavioral expectations linked to their gender. In Rosalind's case, honest speech is the result of the newfound social freedom associated with her adoption of a masculine physical appearance. However, in Olivia's purely feminine guise, the courtship appears to be motivated by a more emotional concern for her romantic future rather than an attempt to improve those with whom her security is not inextricably linked. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay This social freedom through the realm of the court is first illustrated through Rosalind's interaction with the shepherdess Phoebe , who is opposed to the advances of a shepherd named Sylvius. After the audience endures the shepherdess' painful and seemingly repeated rejection of Silvius, Rosalind exhorts: “Mistress, know thyself; on your knees / And thank heaven, fasting, for the love of a good man; / For I must tell you with a friendly ear, / Sell when you can. You are not for every market. (As You Like 3.5.110-113) Although Rosalind claims that she uses a "friendly ear" to make the shepherdess aware of the negative traits that make her unattractive to any other man, it is rather obvious that these comments are instead of an extremely harsh nature. Although Rosalind is primarily motivated to disguise herself as a man because of the physical security from the danger that her gender provides, she also unknowingly finds herself benefiting from social security. She now possesses the ability to comment on the lack of social success of others not only without producing animosity but also ironically arousing romantic feelings. This concept is exemplified in Phoebe's later assertion that, although the qualities of her personality were constantly abused by Rosalind, "...contempt in your bright eye / Have power to kindle such love in mine, / Alack, what strange effect in me / Would they work under a gentle aspect? (As You Like It 4.3.50-54). Ultimately, although Rosalind does not intend to invite an intimate relationship with the shepherdess, she represents a form of truth that was not bestowed upon her by Silvius and which she finds attractive. While Silvius usually showers her with countless compliments, Rosalind makes Phoebe aware of her own ugly personality. Therefore,the honesty that this male character produces is accepted simply because Rosalind presents a different variety of courtship that the shepherdess finds more attractive. If Rosalind did not embody a masculine figure, Phoebe would not be attracted to her criticism and therefore would not react positively towards her. This freedom associated with her gender ultimately allows her to express her disapproval of the shepherdess's actions to be received positively. Unlike these conversations with Phoebe, which primarily concern a specific critique of her overly selective romantic standards, Rosalind's later interactions with Orlando illustrate a different type of social analysis: that of general gender characteristics. Although Rosalind's love for Orlando, as well as her immense attraction to her, is evident after her decisive defeat by the wrestler Charles in the first act, Rosalind displays an entirely different feeling after her incarnation of the character Ganymede. When Orlando claims that he cannot be cured of his romantic attachment, Rosalind asserts that she once pretended to be the woman another man powerfully desired and that he must have imagined her as his love, his mistress; and she sent him every day to court her. When would she… sometimes love him, sometimes hate him; then entertain him, then renounce him; now cries for him, then spits on him, that she has led her suitor from his love-mad mood to a living mood of madness…” (As You Like It 3.2.364-374) It is in this passage that Rosalind uses it for the first time. disguise to comment on accepted gender roles through its contemplation of the unpredictable nature of women. It is evident that Rosalind believes she has a significant understanding of certain aspects of gender that can make a relationship thrive or fail. This opinion, coupled with his aforementioned personal critique of Phoebe's personality, shows that this character's sense of courtly success is greatly rooted in what these gender roles deem appropriate. If a woman acts unreasonably, as the quote above shows, a man's romantic emotions can rarely tolerate this tension. This interaction between Rosalind and Orlando therefore rests on the same premises as her critique of Phoebe in that, although Phoebe is scrutinized on a more personal level, both situations maintain the same truth about romantic relationships linked to cultural constraints. It is only through the freedom that communication between men apparently produces that these opinions about women, especially those regarding the behavior of Orlando's beloved, can be expressed without offense. This decision to help Orlando let go of his love for Rosalind further develops a meaningful relationship that ultimately provides opportunity for even more direct criticism to be well received. Rosalind later extends her assessment of the social premises of courtship to the general tendencies of men. as she states: “…men are in April when they court, in December when they get married. May when they are servants, but heaven changes when they are wives” (As You Please 4.1.124-127). Comparable to Rosalind's honest expression of the stereotypical nature of women, she once again freely criticizes Orlando, but this time focuses on a woman's interactions with the opposite sex. Through this quote, Rosalind appears to question the long-term validity of Orlando's romantic attachment and asserts that, despite the fact that he now claims to be devoted to the satisfaction of his love, his subsequent actions will prove to be the same to those of other men. She even continues thisgeneralization of his character by later stating: “I knew what you were going to prove; my friends told me and I didn't think any less of it. Your flattering tongue has won me over” (As You Like It 4.1.156-158). Rosalind's mention of Orlando's "flattering tongue" once again references the idea of ​​a false wooing that ultimately ends once the woman has been obtained contractually. This critique of negative male characteristics, as well as those of women mentioned previously, is made possible because of the closer relationship Rosalind forms with Orlando due to her altered physical appearance. The male disguise created by Rosalind leads to the development of a friendship between the characters. This in turn allows his criticisms of Orlando's nature as well as those of his beloved to be interpreted as a playful joke rather than a mean-spirited reproach. Although many of Rosalind's judgments retain a certain level of clarity, they would not be viewed favorably unless she was able to create, in Orlando's case, the friendship that serves to validate these affirmations. In her interactions with Phoebe and Orlando, Rosalind provides a refreshing escape from the characters they usually interact with, and because they receive what they perceive to be a much-desired companion, they accept Rosalind's outspoken nature. the freedom of expression embodied by Rosalind is primarily motivated by her need to comment on the social deficiencies of others, Olivia is more oriented towards obtaining what she desires. When she is confronted with yet another female character dressed as a man, Viola, she tries to seize the opportunity for personal support that seems to be offered to her. After a conversation with Viola in which she inquires about her social stature, she reflects on Viola's response as well as the nature of her own abrupt change in emotion: "What is your parentage?" / 'Above my fortune, yet my state is well. / I am a gentleman. I'll swear you are. / Your tongue, your face, your limbs, your actions and your spirit / Give yourself a quintuple coat of arms. Not too fast. Gentle, gentle / Unless the master is the man. And now ? / Even so quickly we can catch the plague? / It seems to me that I feel the perfections of this youth / With an invisible and subtle stealth / To slip into my eyes. Well, so be it. (Twelfth Night 1.5.259-268) It seems that Viola's revelation of her status reinforces the positive outlook that Olivia has developed and that, although she questions the sudden effect produced by their short conversations, this technicality of social privilege more clearly defines the possibility of a successful relationship. Although Olivia is, at this point, able to be internally honest about her emotions, it is not until later in the play that she is able to explicitly express her desires to Viola in an attempt to forcefully create a mutual loving attachment. She confesses that Through virginity, honor, truth and all / I love you in such a way that, despite all your pride, / Neither mind nor reason can hide my passion... / The love sought is good, but he who is not sought is better… / Yet return, for perhaps you can induce / This heart that hates now, to love this love. (Twelfth Night 3.1.141-155) This evolution from an internal expression of the truth to one explicitly directed toward another character illustrates that Olivia demonstrates honesty when she deems it necessary to achieve some sort of emotional security, even if the second party doesn't want it. It is evident through Olivia's final words to Viola that Olivia believes that, if Viola only spent more time with her, the powerful attraction.