Paper Summary:

The paper suggests that Orsinio's speech in William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" is an important factor because the disorder in the play must be resolved by the conclusion. The author discusses three major issues in the play--the audience's conflicting feelings about the character of Malvolio, Orsino's feelings towards Olivia, and Orsino's love for Viola who has been dressed as a man to help Orsino Win Olivia's favor--and concludes by explaining how each of these major issues are resolved by the end of the play.

From the Paper:

"When the play opens, Malvolio is treated like an antagonist. This is not due to any malevolence on his part, but is actually attributable to the fact that he seems determined to prevent any of the other characters from engaging in any type of revelry. This immediately sets Malvolio up as the antagonist, because the play's title is "Twelfth Night", which would have given an Elizabethan audience the expectation that the play was going to feature a certain amount of Bacchanalian wild abandonment. Malvolio argues for sobriety and temperance. In response, some of the other characters make him the victim of their practical jokes. This ill-will results in a practical problem for Viola. At the play's beginning, she is accompanied by a captain. When she learns that Orsino, whom she does not know, has been unsuccessful in his pursuit of Olivia, Viola decides to dress like a boy and help Orsino press his suit. However, only the captain is privy to Olivia's plans, and Malvolio has had him arrested and imprisoned. Therefore, in order to verify Viola's claims, and to free him, Orsino has to find out where the captain is and why he has been imprisoned. When Malvolio leaves, Olivia notes that he has been abused. (Twelfth Night, V.i., 379). In response, Orsino addresses Olivia, asking her to "Pursue him, and entreat him to a peace; He hath not told us of the captain yet." (Twelfth Night, Vi., 380-381). This line makes the reader understand that, while the main characters may not like Malvolio, they acknowledge that he has been mistreated and that they must make amends to him in order for the play to reach its resolution. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. New York: Penguin, 2005.

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