Current conceptions of gender would appear to be different from what they were in Shakespeare's time. The clear divisions between male, female and neuter are evident. We would have to go back to Shakespeare's time to try to see the different vision of gender identity. Using the play As You Like It and the characters portrayed within it you might be able to see how our concept of gender might be challenged. At first glance, the role of gender in this play seems confusing. Men playing women falling in love with men and these women pretending to be men. Men who woo the women they play and then woo the men played by these women they play. By carefully analyzing the text of As You Like It (Greenblatt, ed., PP1591-1657) we can try to dig into the characters portrayed and discover any challenges to our vision of gender identity. Throughout this essay I will point out some of the texts and criticisms that I would suggest lead to Shakespearean gender identity and this will show how this has altered over time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay I would suggest that Shakespeare explores homoerotic possibilities in several characters. A good example of this is the relationship shown between Rosalind and Celia. Rosalind is called a traitor by Duke Frederick (Greenblatt, ed., p1610) and Celia responds very quickly to try to help her. The deeper implications of their friendship seem to be underlined when Celia says (Greenblatt, ed., p1610, lines 66-70): But now I know her. If she's a traitor, well, so am I. We still slept together, Rose in an instant, learned, played, ate together, and wherever we went, like Juno's swans, yet we went paired and inseparable. This would seem to suggest that their friendship is more intimate than it appears and Juliet Dusinberre in As Some Like It says that the play rewrites the record of female desire so that women want to read it. I will return to Rosalind and Celia later in this essay. The concept of gender is also called into question by the scene in Duke Seniors' forest house (Greenblatt, ed., pp1612-1613). There are no women in the forest shelter and there seems to be no desire for them either. This seems to be a lifestyle for all men that is described as sweet. Duke Senior says (Greenblatt, ed., p1612, line 5) Here we do not feel Adam's punishment and this line alone truly indicates the absence of feminine feelings among men. You have to look at the relationship between Rosalind and Orlando and Rosalind disguised as Ganymede. To do this you need to find out the meaning behind the name Ganymede. The name Ganymede has social and literary connotations and suggests male-to-male desire. Ganymede was a young boy in mythology with whom Jupiter fell in love. The boy replaced Jupiter's wife as his mistress. In Shakespearean times the name Ganymede was used to describe a male prostitute and more specifically the name given to a young male lover of an older man. The term was fully understood at the time and I suspect Shakespeare used it to imply a homoerotic overture between Orlando and Ganymede. The idea of ​​a homoerotic relationship between the two would also be supported by Orlando's rapid acceptance of the situation. Orlando describes Ganymede as just and good and courts and flirts with him as he would with Rosalind. Returning to Rosalind and Celia, further evidence of their deep relationship can be found when they talk about Orlando (Greenblatt, ed., pp 1634-1635). They are having a deep conversation.