What you will: Twelfth Night

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Twelfth Night is a play written by William Shakespeare and illustrates themes of love and truth. In Shakespeare’s playwright of “Twelfth Night”, characters imply truths to show their love. Many characters love differently and give subtle hints to show their love. Malvolio &Olivia, Sir Andrew & Olivia, and Viola & Duke Orsino are all characters who imply their love, for their significant other. To be completely mad is never possible when you have the wits to stay out of trouble. In Twelfth Night Malvolio is a steward of Mistress Olivia and he continuously implies to his Mistress his blind love. Malvolio serves Olivia and looks over her errands and affairs. Malvolio is regarded as uptight and to have the “sickness of self-love” (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night 1.5.86) by the other servants of Olivia’s household. In a plight to cure Malvolio of his sickness Sir Toby, Maria, and Fabian create a plan to trick him into believing their mistress is infatuated by him. Maria, who is Olivia’s lady in waiting, writes a letter to Malvolio addressing him to wear yellow stockings, cross-gartered, to be rude to the other servants, and to smile excessively around Olivia. Malvolio falls for the trap and begins to go around her household in the ridiculous get up. After having a conversation with Lady Olivia she remarks Malvolio as disdainful for she “commended thy yellow stockings (…) and wish to see thee cross-gartered” (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night 3.4.48-49). This quote refers to Malvolio going around the house in his strange out fit and that Olivia truly condemns his outrageous clothing. Furthermore, Malvolio wearing the odd clothes shows that he loves Olivia and is a subtle hint of it. Secondly Malvolio shows his affectionate feelings by thrusting h... ... middle of paper ... ...o he loves and he says he loves a woman “of your complexion” (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night 2.4.27). Shakespeare once again uses dramatic irony to show how Cesario loves Orsino; by saying he loves a woman who looks similar to Orsino. In the last scene where the truth is revealed behind Cesario’s identity, she accepts her master’s decision saying “a thousand deaths would die” (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night 5.1.128). Viola truly loves Duke Orsino and implies here she would die a thousand deaths to make him happy. Implied truths are secrets waiting to be revealed. Love is a mysterious ordeal and people use many different ways to express it. In twelfth night characters imply their love through outrageous get ups, cowardly bravery, and disguise. Love can be expressed openly or in secret, although one should portray their love mainly by just expressing it boldly and sincerely.

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