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40). Switching The Gender Role Of Dominance And Rapier Intellect, Rosalind Is ...

40).
Switching the gender role of dominance and rapier intellect, Rosalind is composed as Ganymede, able to manipulate Orlando's affections as she/he pretends to be Rosalind in exchanges with the exiled oldest son. Orlando is manipulated constantly, made into the weaker of the two parties both emotionally and intellectually. Throughout this unconventional exchange, Orlando is the only one to reveal his emotions candidly; Rosalind, through her alias Ganymede, remains aloof and protected, never divulging fully her intentions, identity, or emotions despite being able to do so (and indirectly capitulating on the circumstances to reveal herself, albeit to an unwitting Orlando). Among the primary issues in the private exchanges is the reasoning Rosalind had behind her failure to reveal herself to Orlando. For all means and purposes, Rosalind could have divulged her true identity. It is here that Rosalind's sexually-maligned ways transgress gender boundaries. After all, Shakespearean women such as Rosalind must retain their disguises because of exigencies of the plot; however, what is Rosalind's rationale in maintaining the façade of Ganymede, when she could have just as easily declared herself to be Orlando's ‘Heavenly Rosalind' (Garber 1992, p .168). At the point of Rosalind/Ganymede's education of Orlando, he had already admitted to being smitten with Rosalind with the full intent of marriage. Rosalind would not have presented such a transgression if her duplicity was out of necessity rather than free volition. Garber continues, positing those critics interested in the question of Rosalind's motive seem in general to agree that disguise is a free action for Rosalind and that her double role allows her to be at once caustic and caring, tender and tough (Garber 1992, p. 169). Orlando's fumbling mannerisms and clumsy approach to romance renders him incapable of further pursuit of a relationship, thus precipitating Rosalind's metamorphosis into Ganymede. It is almost as if Orlando becomes the more effeminate of the two, having to practice his conversations with Rosalind through her alter ego. Orlando is nervous, unsure, and not at all in control of his own composure. Rosalind is thus perhaps not the guilty party in sexual transgression; it is a debatable assertion that she merely assumes Ganymede to fill the void of the male-female necessity in Shakespearean plays left by the uncharacteristic actions of Orlando.


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