Abstract This paper studies Viola, the protagonist in William Shakespeare's comedy "TwelfthNight". The paper examines Viola's disguise as Cesario, focusing on the themes of self indulgence, disguise, self deception and identity. The paper also looks at how Shakespeare uses the comedic vehicles of disguise and mistaken identity to make Viola an even more intricate character.
From the Paper "Viola is a young woman born into aristocracy whose ship is wrecked in a storm, causing her to wash up on the shore of Illyria. Believing that her brother, Sebastian, is dead, Viola disguises herself as a young man who she names "Cesario" and becomes a page to Duke Orsino. Viola falls in love with Orsino, while Olivia, the woman Orsino is courting, falls in love with Cesario. Hence, Viola finds that her clever disguise has trapped her, as she is unable to tell Orsino that she loves him, and she is also unable to tell Olivia why she, as Cesario, does not and cannot love her. Viola's predicament is the central conflict in the play."
Abstract This review analyzes the different types of love that the characters of "TwelfthNight" undergo in their attempt to find love. The paper relates that the various characters in the story experience or show fabrications of love, lustful infatuations, and true conventional love.
From the Paper "There are various types of love experienced by the characters in Twelfth Night, along with the consequences that are created. The various individuals show fabrications of love, infatuation, as well as conventional love. At the end of the last act, Sebastian and Viola are reunited and their personalities in this scene allow all the puzzle pieces (i.e. mistaken identities) to fit together. The masks and disguises are ultimately removed and the characters can now follow their own identity, gender, and love interests."
Abstract In this article, the writer points out that many scholarly articles and studies of 'TwelfthNight' tend to downplay the literary importance of the play by categorizing it as a genial and charming play. The writer maintains that there is not anything inherently abominable about being either genial or charming, but these two words do not do justice to Shakespeare's deceptively "light" play. 'TwelfthNight' is not a tragedy, but this does not prevent Shakespeare from exploring, through comedy, several fundamental themes of human existence: love, grief, and desire. This paper analyzes Shakespeare's exploration of these existential themes as they appear in 'TwelfthNight' and argues that the playwright, through comedy, unveils the ludicrousness and inappropriateness of extravagant and sentimental emotion.
From the Paper "The question and the man who asks it barely register in Orsino's mind, but he is quick to pull out his readily available stock of conventional wisdom as soon as he breaks his reverie, and responds to Curio's question with a trite metaphor on love and hunting. No wonder, then, that the servants show signs of impatience and restlessness: their master is luxuriating in a state of complete self-absorption, and the outside world (or the beings that inhabit it) have ceased to exist. Of course, this matters not at all to the extravagant Orsino, as he is completely clueless as to what transpires around him and simply lacks the energy (in the manner of all love-sick gentleman) to engage in hunting or other depleting physical activities.
"Olivia, too, embodies these same characteristics, and it is perhaps unfortunate that the two do not make their own happy ending. Similarly to her determined pursuer, Olivia's emotional "disorder" reveals itself through her conversations with Cesario. The reader knows, before even encountering Olivia, that she is in mourning for a beloved brother. "
Abstract In this paper, the use of disguise in TwelfthNight and King Lear are similar in their usage of various behaviors, costumes, and gender roles that are exchanged to discover the real truth through hidden identity. The paper discusses The Earl of Kent's use of disguise of Caius; contrasting with elements of disguise in TwelfthNight that offer a comedic gender role reversal for the men and women involved in love intrigue.
From the Paper "In this drama study one can compare and contrast the various uses of disguise that arise within Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and King Lear. By realizing the depth and scope of romantic love within the comedic Twelfth Night, Shakespeare intertwines various aspects of relationships that are disguised through gender roles. In contrast to Shakespeare's comedies, King Lear offers a tragic point of view through disguise, which involves the role of power and leadership, which drives King Lear to madness. In essence, by comparing and contrasting the theme of disguise in both tragedy and comedy, one can evaluate how Shakespeare enacts these crucial factors within a textual analysis."
Abstract This paper examines William Shakespeare's comedy "TwelfthNight" and comments on the social context of Elizabethan society and the degree to which revenge is taken upon Malvolio. It looks at how Shakespeare makes fun of the Puritans, whose Christianity opposed the festivities so loved in Elizabethan society in "TwelfthNight" through Malvolio, the stuck-up steward that is totally opposed to fun as festivity. It analyzes the various forms of revenge as devised by Maria, Olivia and Sir Toby and discusses whether their actions do indeed go too far.
From the Paper "Madness is a continuing theme throughout the play of Twelfth Night. Maria, Sir Toby and Fabian try to trap Malvolio in madness by acting in such a way as to convince him that they are right. Olivia, already distressed by Malvolio's actions towards her, believes that this might be true. In Elizabethan times, it was thought that to cure a mad person, they should be shut in a dark room until their sanity returned to them, and this is exactly what the plotters do in Act 4, scene 2. They treat Malvolio as though he is actually mad, and Feste joins the scheme, disguising himself as curate Sir Topas to torment Malvolio with his quick-witted tongue."
Abstract This paper discusses how "TwelfthNight" is a powerful vehicle for teaching its audiences several important lessons and how the play draws people in because it is an entertaining romantic comedy, complete with cross-dressing and the titillating misunderstandings that derive from the cross-dressing. It argues that the lessons are made more accessible because they are conveyed by characters and actions in a romantic comedy, frequently in a comic way, than they would have been if the lessons were simply stated in a didactic way.
From the Paper "In Shakespeare's time, his plays provided entertainment and often comedy to people who had far less access to entertainment than we do in our time, with our highly commercialized and ubiquitous entertainment industry. His plays were therefore much enjoyed, and any lessons he intended were keenly listened to. This is the first reason why the comic antics portrayed in Twelfth Night would have been likely to communicate the lessons Shakespeare intended - simply because the play would have been so greatly enjoyed. It is a classic romantic comedy, dealing as it does with the never-failingly-interesting topic of romance, and providing the audience with a satisfying happy ending. "
Abstract This paper argues that contemporary critical perspectives on the sexual politics of Shakespeare's "TwelfthNight" can be expanded by exploring the theme of incest in the play. Although there is no literal incest in the play, erotically charged relationships between brothers and sisters structure the themes and plot of the play and remain unresolved at its end. Using the work of Freud, Judith Butler, and Marjorie Garber, the paper argues that "TwelfthNight" suggests a revision of the psychoanalytic theories of incest.
From the Paper "Arguments about the destabilization of desire and identity through cross-dressing are important ones. I would like to add to this discourse, however, by proposing that the sexual politics of Twelfth Night might be much more radical than has been widely recognized by queerly-inclined critics. Twelfth Night is a play that begins with two women consumed, excessively, by grief for their dead brothers, a play whose most touching and "believable" representation of love is that between brother and sister, a play whose desires can only be channeled into normative heterosexual order through an intricate reassigning of positions and replacement of a sister by a brother and a sexual love by a (supposedly) familial one: in short, it is a play structured and driven by incest."
Abstract This essay will argue that Shakespeare's use of this device in "TwelfthNight" is much more complex and significant than in "Comedy of Errors", as it is central to the theme of blurring gender roles in the play. As will be seen, Viola's transvestite impersonation of the male Cesario creates a site of gender confusion that challenges our understanding of the major characters and, in a broader sense, subverts the audience's certainty as to the nature of love and the permeability of gender lines.
Abstract This paper explains that William Shakespeare illustrates in "TwelfthNight" that love is not always joyful but also can cause pain, turmoil and frustration. Orsino, Viola, Malvolio, and Olivia, the author points out, are characters that demonstrate the power and lack of power over love. The paper presents examples from this comedy by which Shakespeare demonstrates the ways that love is complicated and beautiful at the same time.
From the Paper "From this opening scene, we become aware of the tone of the play as well as see what the power of love can do. For instance, Orsino loves love. In fact, he may love the idea of love too much. His feelings for Olivia are over the top - so much so that he seems like a raving lunatic. If he were living today, he might stalk her. His intensity, however, is critical because it allows us to see the influence that love, or what we think to be love, can have over us."
Abstract Madness in Shakespearean plays has distinct and multiple meanings and purposes. On one level, the madness of insanity is clearly felt in the tragedies like "Lear". On another, madness is also felt in the frenetic pace of impossible situations and comedic errors in judgment as is found in "TwelfthNight". Madness is, then, both tragic and comedic. But, it is much more than that. Madness represents a loss of control, of being borne by unnatural impulses, drivesa nd, perhaps, voices. Being mad is to not be yourself, it is to have lost touch with humanity, with life and with reality. The mad are excused from the rules of man and at the same time, tragically bound by them. For some, in madness is found freedom. Lear is wrapped, tightly, within a horrible prison created by his inability to see through the duplicitous daughters and embrace the one person in his life that loves him enough to refuse him. His madness, in the end, is what sets him free of the binds that his daughters and his pride had him in. The madness, however, is like the release from an intense and long-term drug addiction, it is horrible to watch, but leaves Lear in a better state afterward, free of poisons. Madness also allows otherwise straight-laced, bound by social rules (which were oppressive in Elizabethan England), to freely express inner passions, make mistakes and be fools in the eyes of others without fear of recourse, as is the case with nearly every character in "TwelfthNight". It is the purpose of this paper to examine the nature of madness in the Shakespearean context, how it plays out in both King Lear and TwelfthNight, and the meaning behind the madness in both works.
Abstract This paper examines the purpose of mankind in William Shakespeare's time, looking specifically at the character of Malvolio ("TwelfthNight"),in order to emphasize the importance of character flexibility in the changing world. The paper examines how the character of Malvolio shifts from a man who holds the respect of others to a comic figure, but his downfall occurs because he follows his societal role too strictly and cannot learn to shift mindset and attitude, a characteristic that marks the successful protagonists, Viola, Olivia, and Orsino. The paper shows that in "TwelfthNight", Malvolio is set in his decision to win Olivia's hand, but he fails due to his inability to adapt to new situations, revealing Shakespeare's view that a man who cannot alter himself to fit new situations will not be able to succeed.
From the Paper "From the beginning of the story, Malvolio entertains the idea of becoming husband to Olivia, as when he daydreams, "Maria once/ told me she did affect me; and I have heard herself/ come thus near, that, should she fancy, it should/ be one of my complexion" (II.v.22-6). Malvolio sees himself as a fit suitor for Olivia, and is determined to act in ways that he believes will win her hand. As a Puritan, many of Malvolio's characteristics are serious and somber, his natural dignity and grave conduct preventing him from joking and outwitting others. Believing Olivia to be a state of honest mourning, he views his similarly serious demeanor to be appropriate to win her trust, and eventually her hand. The first appearance of Malvolio reveals his inflexible nature; after the Clown tries to win back Olivia's favor, Malvolio insults him and is in turn mocked. Olivia explains to him, "To be generous,/ guiltless, and of free disposition, is to take those/ things for birdbolts that you deem cannon bullets" (I.v.91-3). Malvolio cannot take any matters touching him lightly, because he is set in his ways and unable to adapt. Rather than dodging criticisms and jokes as Olivia suggests, Malvolio turns to insults and reveals his immovable nature. His somberness is suited to fit Olivia's state of mourning, but as Olivia moves towards a normal life again, Malvolio's somber attitude grates on her nerves and a complete outward change is needed to keep her interest."
Abstract "The TwelfthNight" is an example of how a play can function both as theatrical performance, and as literature. The TwelfthNight is a play based on gender impersonation and openly mocks the assumptions about feminine and masculine behaviour or expectation. This paper focuses on Viola, and Olivia, as they are so clearly designed to complement and contradict (even through the names, which are different arrangements of the same letters.) As Viola impersonates the young man with whom Olivia has fallen in love, the differences in how Viola manages to speak as a man are as varied as Olivia's relations for speaking as a woman in relation to men.
Abstract This paper examines how William Shakespeare's play "TwelfthNight" can be seen as comedic social commentary on love and marriage amidst the backdrop of a renaissance ducal court, such as those that predominated in northern Italy. It discusses how the play, about a young woman who disguises herself as her brother in order to gain favor with the court results in confusion and how by using Viola as a plot device, Shakespeare calls into question traditional conceptualizations of romance, as well as gender relations and the significance of titles. It shows how Shakespeare has a lot of fun playing with this mixed-identity, gender-bending premise. It outline the plot of the play and provides an analysis of the main characters.
From the Paper "Malvolio is self-involved; full of "self-love," as Olivia noted in Act I; he believes himself to be irresistible to a young woman like Olivia, despite the fact that he is an old servant. Maria, Olivia's servant, decides to play a trick on him by forging a mock-love letter from Olivia. Before he reads the letter, he entertains a fantasy about being married to Olivia, and getting to strut around Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, due to his imagined rise in station. Malvolio's thinking out loud gets him in trouble; the party decide that Malvolio is being a perfect "turkeycock," which is a good image to describe Malvolio's pride. Maria and Feste, the canny court fool of Olivia, continue to torment Malvolio through the play, as the old servant is somewhat of a running joke who is unable to match wits with Feste."
Abstract This paper is written about the characters in Shakespeare's play the TwelfthNight. A set of twins that look exactly alike with the major difference of one being a girl and the other a boy embark on an adventure when their ship is wrecked.
Abstract This paper analyzes the play, "TwelfthNight" by William Shakespeare and, specifically, discusses the severe treatment of Malvolio in the play. It examines how Malvolio is a servant who desperately hopes to rise above his station in life and how he does not gain the sympathy of those around him because of his haughty and prudish attitude. It argues that, even though Malvolio is not the most congenial character, he does not deserve the severe treatment he receives during the play.
From the Paper "It is here that the character of Malvolio really begins to flesh out for the audience, and even for the other characters. He is one of the most well rounded characters in the play, and as he struggles to overcome his servant status, he not only becomes more pitiable, he becomes more human. Who has not had some kind of cruel practical joke played on them like this, and who has not hoped to better themselves in life? Malvolio may be obnoxious and disliked, but he is not cruel or evil, and he is treated badly by those around him when he really did little to deserve such treatment. If anything, Malvolio has just shown that he has ambition, and his ambition overshadows his good sense."
