Masculinity is the clay atop a pottery wheel: malleable and pliant, yet unable to morph alone because it perpetually spins at the whim of another man. Although humankind has strode towards gender equality, toxic patriarchal traits from the past linger within the male psyche and sustain a set of acts passed down hereditarily, rather than manufactured internally. This influences what men anticipate of themselves, forcing them to fulfil obsolete performative criteria that create a hallucinatory vision of masculinity. Seemingly, Butler’s trope holds a mirror against the male identity, reflecting the hands which mould gender narratives across contextual and generational boundaries. During the Elizabethan era, gender expectations formed the backbone …show more content…
Traub’s simile suggests a husband “was likened to the ruler of the realm, and a well-ordered household was supposed to run like a well-ordered state.” In other words, males were expected to imitate the ruthless strength of the crown if they desired a well-oiled home fitting the pyramid’s apex. This was how one ascended the hierarchy, meaning naturalised patriarchal behaviours emanated from all successful men despite their independent upbringings. Instead of succeeding through building individual fortes, males physically fought in stone forts only because strength garnered status. And that stifled their internal masculine essence from blossoming. Orlando in “As You Like It” wrestles Charles “as others do to try with him the strength of my youth”, symbolically depicting how brawling formed a crucial test of manhood. Like a fist to the flesh, it sculpts identity. This allegory epitomises Elizabethan society’s narrow pathway towards status, and ironically, when the pastoral lifts suffocating gender acts, Orlando …show more content…
The perpetually spinning pedestal moulds males into steadfast machines, stopping at nothing to win a contest. Max and Leaper’s ruptured relationship in “Family” exemplifies rivalry evolving into toxicity. Their aggressive tone, “Why the fuck are you here?... I couldn’t play anymore. I told you”, surpasses its surface meaning and symbolises masculine performative criteria masking one’s internal identity. Max sledges Leaper after abandoning the male dream of playing professional football, but not out of concern. His natural talent made Max jealous and he cannot fathom Leaper’s reasoning upon withdrawal: “It was like the magic was gone.” Throughout childhood, Max embodied Whittaker’s remark in Tannen’s text, “You can’t feel sympathetic for someone you admire”, perhaps explaining his outrage towards Leaper’s success. And this act was passed down hereditarily from their father, who also “had no feelings at all” for him. Leaper seemingly sees through the essentialist masculine hallucinations, evident in his observance and self-reflection; however, as Winton questions, “When you’re bred for mastery… how do you find your way in a world that cannot be mastered?” Despite knowing this, Leaper’s identity is moulded by the hands of Max and his father, whose lives ironically revolve around