SHAKESPEARES AS YOU LIKE IT: A POSTMODERN STUDY OF GENDER

William Shakespeare in As You Like It highlights the gender roles in the society. Gender is developed by society. It is not natural.The society assigns roles to distinct gender. This study investigated the gender roles present in As You Like It and deconstructs the specific gender roles through the postmodern study of gender. This study focuses on the distinctive roles associated with the dressing style and language of man and woman. This study also investigates the presence of homosexuality. Besides, this study explores the shifting nature of identity and androgyny. This is a qualitative study which is explorative in nature. Analytical and close- reading method have been used to conduct the research. Besides, critical discourse analysis has been applied. William Shakespeare reveals the difference in the roles performed by gender through the disguise of Rosalind. The dressing style of man gives Rosalind the power to act as a man. The discourse differs in case of man and woman. The acts like homosexuality which are not approved by the society cannot be performed freely. Besides, the disguise of Rosalind and her subsequent actions portray the presence of androgyny and the idea that gender is not fixed. Shakespeare subverts the stereotypical performances of gender through Rosalind.