Rosalind's Performance of Gender in "As You Like It"

Portraying Ganymede gives Rosalind more agency:

• She can move around alone without threat of sexual assault
• Her authority isn’t questioned on the basis of her gender
• She can bond with other male characters onstage without romantic or sexual attraction.

Rosalind already has certain “masculine” qualities which she exaggerates to portray Ganymede.

• Division of traits between Rosalind and Ganymede
• Other character's opinions/remarks about Rosalind/Ganymede
• Rosalind and Orlando are foils

Courage and bravery

e.g. Rosalind's “woman’s fear” (1.3.118-119) vs. Ganymede's proverbial “boar spear” (1.3.117)

Butler

"stylized repetition of acts” (191)

Rosalind’s portrayal of Ganymede is a series of carefully selected behaviors and actions.

Sedgwick

Patriarchy: “relations between men, which have a material base, and which, though hierarchical, establish or create interdependence and solidarity among men that enable them to dominate women” (3).

Men dominate women through marriage, so Rosalind pretends to be a man to broker several marriages including her own.

Character Sketch

• Androgynous
• Masculine qualities as a female character
• Feminine qualities as a male character
• Causes audience to question normativity

Roberta Colindrez

Roberta Colindrez

Conclusion

• Making the distinction between Rosalind and Ganymede a performance of gender fluidity offers a more rounded assessment of her character(s) than when one applies a gender binary.

• Using Sedgwick’s definition of patriarchy provides an overarching motive for Ganymede’s relationships with all the men in the play that he acts as a matchmaker for.