Viola's use of gender imitation is intended to demonstrate how the power of love can be a method that undermines gender binarism and its importance. This gives rise to the theory of the hermaphrodite, an individual possessing both male and female sexual organs or other sexual attributes. Charles argues that the theatrical convention of cross-dressing and the androgyny it symbolizes thus calls into question the regulatory parameters of erotic attraction through the vehicle of performance, a performance which shows that gender is a party payable by no one. no matter what gender (Charles 126). Gender can be interpreted as either gender, male or female. It is not seen as sexual nor does it affect the societal rules of the Elizabethan period. Charles argues that Shakespeare's play arguably introduces models of homoerotic representation in order to disrupt this binary and show how gender identities that support such duality are enacted, performed and performed by either sex (Charles 129-130). Shakespeare's play seemingly presents examples of homoerotic representation with the end goal in mind of disrupting this binary and showing how sexual personas are maintained on stage. “…discussion of these cross-dressing performances is informed by Judith Butler's influential notion that gender role is performative…'masculine' and 'feminine' are nothing more than obligatory citations of sexual norms…provide a illusion of their own.