The Reinvention of Gender Identity in As You Like It from the Perspective of Gender Performativity

Abstract

This paper examines the reconstruction of gender identity in Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It based on Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity. Set against the backdrop of rigid Renaissance gender norms, the play features characters represented by Rosalind who challenge the traditional gender binary by cross-dressing and performing alternative identities. Employing theoretical analysis and close reading of the text, this paper focuses on Rosalind’s adoption of the male persona “Ganymede”. And it explores how repeated gendered performances reconstruct self-identity and reshape power dynamics and emotional expression. The study suggests that gender is not a fixed biological essence but is continually constructed through social acts and performative behaviors. Although the characters ultimately revert to traditional social structures like marriage, the process of performance underscores the fluidity and plasticity of gender identity as well as its tension with societal norms. This analysis offers a contemporary theoretical perspective for understanding gender issues in Shakespearean drama by uncovering both the agency and limitations of performativity in the reinvention of identity.