t Note to TWELFTH NIGHT, 1.4.34




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Twelfth Night,
Act 1, Scene 4, line 34.

Note to Twelfth Night, 1.4.34, "a woman's part"

It may seem strange to us that Orsino thinks that "Cesario" would have the best chance of capturing a lady's heart. After all, "Cesario" is a boy who looks and sounds like a woman. Perhaps the reason is that the ideal of male attractiveness was much more feminine in Shakespeare's time than it is now. Cute guys are still attractive, but they don't wear lace and high-heel shoes, with few exceptions.

Frank N. Furter