Masculinity, Femininity and Simone Benmussa’s Singular Life of Albert N

masculinity, Femininity and Simone Benmussas Singular Life of Albert NobbsThe semiotics of traditional theatrical phase reinforce an oppressive patriarchal system. The physical body becomes the catalyst by which gender is assigned and expected. This emphasis on the body is amplified in the theater. Simone Benmussas playact The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs, adapted from the short story by George Moore, deals with issues of femininity and masculinity and how these are portrayed within the theater as well as how theater is formed by the traditional patriarchal gaze. This play also deals with issues of class and how class status is intrinsically tied to gender, gender performance and sexuality. through the example of this play it is seen that a form of theater which creates and maintains the woman as subject rather than object (as Sue-Ellen Case proposes) cannot be truly realized until the performative record and many issues inherent in masculinity are acknowledged and processed. Here also is an excellent case study of how the politics of the theater are deep rooted in body politics and gender essentialism. All of these factors contribute to the plays overall complexity in matters surrounding and pertaining to the performative nature of masculinity and the manner in which masculinities are brought forth on stage and how that differs from femininity on stage. One of the central themes of theatrical form is identity and the catalyst by which identity is formed is the body. In using the body as the site of formation of individual identity, women are uniquely identified with their anatomy and specifically the move of their anatomy that differ from that of men (Callaghan 30). Because women are thus defined by their relation ... ... femininity and female masculinity are brought under scrutiny. Works Cited Butler, Judith. grammatical gender Trouble. parvenue York, Routledge. 1990Callaghan, Dympna. Shakespeare Without Women Representing Gender and Race on the Re naissance Stage. New York, Routledge. 2000Case, Sue-Ellen. Towards a New Poetics. from Feminism and Theater. New York, Methuen. 1988Gardiner, Judith Kegan. Introduction. from Masculinity Studies & Feminist Theory. (also ed.) New York, Columbia University Press. 2002Halberstam, Judith. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. from Masculinity Studies & Feminist Theory. ed Judith Kegan Gardiner. New York, Columbia University Press. 2002Hopkins, Patrick D. Gender Treachery Homophobia, Masculinity, and Threatened Identities. Kano, Ayako. Acting Like A Woman in Modern Japan Theater, Gender, and Nationalism. New York, Palgrave. 2001