Veiling and Unveiling: The poetics of Disguise in Shakespearean Drama

Author(s)	Mr. Digvijay Bapurao Bachhav
Country	India
Abstract	The device of disguise represents one of William Shakespeare’s most sophisticated and enduring theatrical strategies. Far exceeding its classical origins as a mere facilitator of comic misunderstanding in the works of Plautus and Menander, Shakespeare’s deployment of masks, gender swapping, and mistaken identity evolves into a complex mechanism for exploring the fluidity of identity, the performative nature of social roles, and the profound dissonance between external appearance and internal reality. This expanded analysis traces the arc of this device across the Shakespearean corpus, arguing that disguise functions not only as a catalyst for plot and a source of comic chaos but as a central thematic lens through which the playwright interrogates the conventions of gender, the foundations of justice, the nature of political legitimacy, and the very essence of human perception. From the romantic forests of Illyria and Arden to the perilous heaths of Britain and the political arenas of Vienna and Scotland, this paper examines how Shakespeare’s characters don masks to survive, to love, to critique, and to rule, ultimately demonstrating that the act of concealment becomes the most potent vehicle for the revelation of truth.
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On	2026-04-03

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