MARRIAGE AND OTHER UNEXPECTED PARTIES: QUEER JOY IN CONTEMPORARY SHAKESPEARE ADAPTATION

Abstract

At first glance, Shakespeare and queer joy may seem completely unrelated. First performed in the 16th and 17th centuries (before the term “queer” as we know it existed), Shakespeare’s work has been criticized for perpetuating racist narratives, supporting white nationalism, and establishing normative ideas of the human. Queer joy, on the other hand, is a relatively new term. And essential to concept of “queer” is a position against normative ideas of sexuality and gender and a desire to build coalitions with those multiply marginalized by heteronormativity. Centering on my experiences of queer joy while viewing the Wilma Theater’s filmed Fat Ham (James Ijames’s Black, queer adaption of Hamlet) and gender-nonconforming adaptation of Twelfth Night from 2023, this thesis asks what Shakespeare can offer queer joy. I draw from seminal queer theory texts and work in queer affect studies to theorize queer joy as a survival tool for queer life. Queer joy exists alongside negativity and the inevitable struggle of living out of alignment with heteronormativity, bringing better worlds into the present and motivating resistance. Building on the work of critical race theorists on appropriating Shakespeare and Early Modern sexuality studies, I argue that it is the adaptability of Shakespeare and his existence before the institutionalization of modern structures regulating sexuality and gender that make his work useful for queer joy. Performing queer joy in Shakespeare adaptation shows that nonnormative gender and sexuality have historical precedent and have always persisted, even in times of oppression. At a time when the U.S. government is dismantling legal protections and recognition for so many, the radical persistence of queer joy in Shakespeare is more essential than ever.