Shakespeare’s Cross-dressing Women
All illustrations on this page are from The Works of Shakespeare, edited by William E. Henley, published in Edinburgh, 1901-1904.
Cross-dressing serves different purposes in Shakespeare, but usually, women don men’s apparel to gain power or to protect themselves or those they love.
Portia in The Merchant of Venice
In The Merchant of Venice,Portia dresses as a lawyer in order to save Antonio, her fiance's financier and best friend. Illustrations depicting Portia as a lawyer range from obviously to dubiously feminine.
Images, clockwise from top left:
1. In this depiction of Portia she is dressed as a lawyer in the traditional gown. She could be read as a young man, especially since her chin seems prominent. However, since she has pink cheeks and does not have facial hair like the other men in this illustrated edition, it is harder to definitively label her as a man.
2. In this illustration Portia’s face seems slender and she has rosy cheeks and is even dressed in lighter colors. The light blue and pink in Portia’s gown may be a signal that she is in fact a woman in disguise, despite the fact she is dressed like a lawyer.
3. Here, Portia is wearing the lawyer’s hat, but her hair is flowing out. It seems that she is in-between dressing as a woman and wearing her disguise of a male lawyer.
4. This image depicts Portia in court, dressed as a lawyer, examining Shylock’s bond. She is unbearded, but so is the stenographer (in blue in the background). She is also in a position of power, taking control of the scene.
Rosalind in As You Like It
In As You Like It, Rosalind dresses as a man in order to hide from her pursuers and to woo her lover. She takes on the appearance of a young courtier, contrasting with the rough appearance of the country folk she takes up company with. Depictions of Rosalind are not as extensive as those of Portia. Here, we see Rosalind holding a spear.
Viola in Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night draws confusion from cross-dressing due to the presence of twins. This mix-up of siblings causes a complex love-polygon. Here, Viola (disguised as Cesario) duels with Sir Andrew Aguecheek. Both parties look frightened, pointing to their lack of courage, which may be read as a lack of manliness.