Oedipus the Queen: Cross-gendering Without Drag

Abstract

All roles on the Athenian stage were played by men. It has been generally overlooked in this context that the sex/gender system of ancient Athens was not the same as our own. I provide a new framework for understanding the tradition of transvestite theatre in Athens by looking at three moments when Sophoclean heroes are made feminine. Each of my texts demonstrates an understanding of cross-gendering that is not linked to homosexuality and establishes a broader semantic range for the practice of cross-gendering than does modern drag performance.

Publisher

Johns Hopkins University Press

Publication Date

3-1-2003

Publication Title

Theater Journal

Department

Classics

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/tj.2003.0033

Keywords

Theater--Greece--Athens, Transvestism--Greece--Athens, Sex role--Greece--Athens

Language

English

Format

text

Link to Full Text

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