Organology, Infinite Semiosis, and Gender Fluidity in Twelfth Night

Abstract

William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (1599) is known for its recurrent themes of music and gender—themes that have been the focus of scholarship in various disciplines. Musicology and English literature studies have addressed these central elements of the play. Yet, while most of these analyses have been carried out within the purview of their separate subject areas, only a handful of scholars have addressed these topics in conjunction. Most notably, Marcus Tan focuses on the music likely used in the performance of Twelfth Night as a commentary on gender ambivalence.¹