Impersonations: The Performance of Gender in Shakespeare's England

by Stephen Orgel

Why was England the only country in Europe to maintain an all-male public theater in the Renaissance? Stephen Orgel uses this question as the starting point of a fresh and stimulating exploration of the representation of gender in Elizabethan drama and society. At once provocative and witty, lucid and stylish, Impersonations will reshape our understanding of the Renaissance theater, and make us rethink our own inadequate categories of gender, power and sexuality.

Genres: Nonfiction, Shakespeare, Plays, History, Drama

196 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 1996

Reviews

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe that I'm supposed to somehow expand upon this guy's insanely amazing research. LIKE WHAT THE HELL?????

[Random Anonymous Pseudonym* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard-thinking, concise, and illuminating, Stephen Orgel's 'Impersonations' offers an informative and often dazzling overview of gender in the age of Shakespeare. Orgel, who has dominated the field of Shakespeare studies like a colossus for 40 years, writes eloquently about a complex and often paradoxical topic. The book builds on social constructivism to explore the space of men and women in Elizabethan society not just as reflected on the stage but also as represented in multiple treatises and literary texts. Many of the arguments of this study contravene and challenge widely held views and make us rethink our own gender categories. At once the product of its time and a work for other generations, 'Impersonations' remains relevant and insightful more than 25 years after its release.

Grade: 4.1 / 5

[Mark Ludmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent study into concepts of gender and sexuality in early modern England and how these relate to the practice of men exclusively playing women on the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage.

[Matty · Rating 3 out of 5]

In depth look at the Elizabethan stage and the relevance of boy players. most interesting in the 'Call me Ganymede' chapter.

[anika]

genius. stunning.

shakespeare was ahead of his time.

[Deanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fascinating book with detailed context regarding the Shakespearean stage and the gender roles that accompanied it. This book went beyond the generalizations found in most Shakespearean criticism about women and performance; instead, it acknowledged the troubling roles women and men (including boys) played during the Elizabethan period. While the author's lengthy discussions on transvestites and homoeroticism may have been a little stretched, he certainly took the time to flesh out all facets of the gender "problem." The Elizabeth era certainly proved to be one with a complex gender and sexuality structure that, while limiting women, also provided for extraordinary bursts of feminine rebellion.

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fascinating details about how gender was perceived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Orgel does away with a lot of our preconceived ideas about gender roles during the Renaissance, but in the end I'm not sure he really answers his question of why, exactly, female roles were acted by boys during this time period. Still, an enjoyable read and very illuminating

[ARK · Rating 4 out of 5]

a phenomenal cultural study of gender and sexuality in renaissance england. orgel begins by questioning the anomaly of england's "transvestite theater," but ends by asking some much larger questions about patriarchy, power, and performance. don't miss the outstanding preface.