To what extent do you think the boundaries between homosocial and homerotic desire are undermined by Renaissance drama?.
An examination of this kind requires one first to examine the prevailing beliefs, customs and practises that existed in Renaissance society so that one can understand the relationship between homosocial and homoerotic desire as it was actually played out. This understanding of the boundaries that existed in Renaissance culture must be explored before we can apply contemporary texts and productions and ask of them whether they conform, oppose or are ambivalent towards the structures and practises that they comment upon. .
We may first examine the terms 'homosocial' and 'homoerotic' themselves and ask the pertinent question of whether our modern day understanding of the terms is the same as the understanding held in the Renaissance period. The OED defines 'homosocial' as being of or relating to social interaction between members of the same sex, typically men and for our purposes we shall consider this term in relation to it's manifestation in friendship to which we will return later. The OED also defines 'homoerotic' as that concerning or arousing sexual desire centred on a person of the same sex or that which we in the 21st century would call a homosexual desire. Reference to the OED stems from the need to demonstrate the conceptual differences that exist between present day and Renaissance understanding of homosexuality. Foucald states that it was only in the nineteenth century that a 'homosexual became a personage, a past, a case history and a childhood' (Foucalt, 1978, p.43) so it is apparent that prior to this a taste for male/male sexual intercourse did not define one's identity. So demonstrating and experiencing homoerotic impulses did not then qualify one as a homosexual in the way that it might today or as Alan Bray puts it 'to talk of an individual in this period as being or not being "a homosexual" is an anachronism and ruinously misleading' (Bray, 1982, p.
It was in Harlem where the Harlem Renaissance was born. ... African-Americans produced an abundance of poetry, fiction, drama, and essay during this time period. ... Works Cited "Harlem Renaissance Authors" Encarta.com. 21 July 2002. ... Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America Harry N. ... "Chapter 9: Harlem Renaissance-An Introduction." ...
This African-American cultural movement became known as "The New Negro Movement" and later as the Harlem Renaissance. ... The Harlem Renaissance has long been considered by many to be the high point in African American writing. ... The Harlem Renaissance transformed African-American identity and history, but it also transformed American culture in general. ... In Harlem in the 1920's many people, both African-American and white, attended vaudeville shows, dramas, and Broadway plays performed by African-Americans. The Harlem Renaissance reflected a desire to display the culture of African...
The other kind of homoeroticism within the play arises from Rosalind's cross-dressing. ... In drawing on the motif of homoeroticism, As You Like It is influenced by the pastoral tradition, which typically contains elements of same-sex love. ... Twelfth Night is not without its own homoerotic subtext. ... Another homoerotic scenario occurs between Olivia and Cesario. ... As with many of the other master/servant relationships in Shakespeare's plays, Sebastian has a similar subtle homoerotic experience with his servant Antonio. ...
Across the culture spectrum (literature, drama, music, visual art, dance) and also in the realm of social thought (sociology, historiography, philosophy), artists and intellectuals found a new way to explore the historical experiences of black America. ... So, it caused the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance. ... So how whites got attentions for the Harlem Renaissance? ... For example, in the book "Refined Racism: White Patronage in the Harlem Renaissance" stated "At the time of the Harlem Renaissance, that "renaissance" would never have progressed beyond Harlem with...
I would suggest that Shakespeare explores homoerotic possibilities in several characters. ... The idea of a homoerotic relationship between these two would also be backed by the speedy acceptance by Orlando of the situation. ... Shakespeare has, I would suggest, deliberately woven in homoerotic potential throughout this play. ... She goes on to point out that transvestism was widespread in this period as it was in the Renaissance. ... He suggests that this line refers back to the renaissance myth of Orpheus who established an all male community. ...
History "The Renaissance" The renaissance was a period of time during the 1300's when Italy changed. The Renaissance spread throughout Western Europe, reaching its height in the 1500's. ... Renaissance artist gained work by attracting the support of a rich patron-a noble, a king, of even a pope. ... In the city of Florence, the rich and powerful Medici family became the most famous renaissance patrons. ... Renaissance art explored the physical world and the individual's role in it. ...
Renaissance didn't happen overnight; rather it took place gradually following the Middle Ages. ... The society during Renaissance often dealt with individualism and secularism. ... However, literature's not the only way to show the humanism of the Renaissance. The arts had differences between the Mid-Ages and the Renaissance as well. ... The main theme of arts in Renaissance was realism, besides humanism. ...
The Renaissance began in northern and central Italy. ... Drama: Since the middle ages the only kind of drama people ever saw was the mystery play, in which local people would act out stories from the Bible in the streets of their town. ... Many Renaissance works of art show subjects taken from the bible. ... Renaissance sculpture went a step further! ... One of the most famous poets during the Renaissance is John Milton. ...
The Renaissance The Renaissance was a new age when people became less concerned with the mysteries of heaven and more interested in the things around them. ... We can learn how the Renaissance began and flourished in the Italian city-states, we can also learn how France was influenced by the Italian Renaissance, last but not lease, how the English monarchy promoted the Renaissance in England. One thing we can learn from the Renaissance age is learn how the Renaissance began and flourished in the Italian city-states. ... The second thing we can learn from the Renaissance is how France wa...
