Adversity In Twelfth Night

Adversity reveals character; people tend to exhibit their true nature when they face new and challenging situations. Odysseus, the Greek hero of Homer’s Odyssey, and Viola, the protagonist in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, are superficially very different people; Odysseus is a veteran warrior who survives ten years of a brutal war and another ten years of hardship before returning to his native Ithaca, while Viola is a very young lady who finds herself unexpectedly alone and without family after an accident at sea. However, as Odysseus and Viola encounter new circumstances and overcome new trials, adversity brings out genuine facets of their respective personalities, highlighting more similarities than differences. In the Odyssey, the battle-hardened

Odysseus is shipwrecked multiple times on his epic journey back home from the Trojan War, and has to prevail over obstacles ranging from giant Cyclops to bewitching Sirens. In particular, Odysseus’ encounter with the Cyclops named Polyphemus is quite a calamitous event; Odysseus loses some of his shipmates and is cursed by the Cyclops, causing him to spend about a decade more at sea, because of which he eventually loses the remainder of his men.

In Twelfth Night, young Viola encounters different types of challenges, from being shipwrecked and losing her twin brother, to dealing with complex personal relationships, including her own unrequited love for Duke Orsino. When Viola is washed up on the island of Illyria, she makes the bold decision to disguise herself as a man to serve Orsino, the local count, and takes great care to maintain this deception which allows her to survive as a woman without any living male relatives. While both Odysseus and Viola demonstrate boldness in the face of sudden adversity, and both display quick thinking and wit to help them in difficult times, Odysseus’ actions reveal a rash side to his personality that repeatedly imperils his journey, whereas Viola shows self-restraint that lets her remain successfully disguised till the end of the

play.
Odysseus and Viola display ample amounts of courage in different settings throughout their respective journeys. In the Odyssey, one of the most dangerous situations that Odysseus faces is being trapped inside the Cyclops Polyphemus’ cave. In order to escape, Odysseus and his crew decide to blind Polyphemus so that he cannot see them leaving. Since Polyphemus is gigantic, Odysseus needs to rally his men to raise their courage: “‘Courage—no panic, no one hang back now!’ / And green as it was, just as the olive stake / was about to catch fire—the glow terrific, yes— / I dragged it from the flames, my men clustering round / as some god breathed enormous courage through us all” (223). With this newfound bravery, Odysseus and a few other men are able to blind Polyphemus, eventually allowing them to flee the cave and the island. In Twelfth Night, Viola shows her fearlessness in a different way. When Viola is shipwrecked at sea and washes up on the land of Illyria, she needs to find some way to survive as a woman. Viola makes a daring move by asking the captain of the shipwrecked boat to help disguise her as a man so that she can serve Duke Orsino: “Conceal me what I am, and be my aid / For such disguise as haply shall become / The form of my intent. I'll serve this duke” (1.2.56-58). With this disguise, Viola boldly works in the Duke’s court, quickly wins his confidence as his favorite page and is sent by him to woo Lady Olivia on his behalf. While Odysseus and Viola encounter new situations of different types, both characters display adequate courage to overcome the challenges presented by their respective circumstances.
Not only are Odysseus and Viola both courageous, they also share the common trait of being quick-witted; their ability to think fast on their feet helps them in difficult situations.

In the Odyssey, earlier in the encounter with Polyphemus, the Cyclops asks Odysseus where his ship is. Odysseus realizes that Polyphemus is only asking this to learn about any other men on the island that he might be able to eat. In order to protect his crew, Odysseus spins a story: “So he laid his trap / but he never caught me, no, wise to the world / I shot back in my crafty way, ‘My ship? / Poseidon god of the earthquake smashed my ship” (220). On numerous other occasions, Odysseus shows his cunning in responding to questions with lies or half-truths to protect himself. Throughout Twelfth Night, Viola too repeatedly demonstrates her ability to think on her feet. When Viola, disguised as Cesario, is sent to court Lady Olivia on behalf of Duke Orsino, she uses her sharp thinking to get past Malvolio and get an audience with Olivia: “I told him you were sick; he takes on him to understand so much, and therefore comes to

speak
with you.” After Olivia falls in love with Cesario, she subsequently confronts Viola with her affections; in this encounter, their verbal exchange is full of double meanings and witty retorts:
OLIVIA. I prithee, tell me what thou thinkest of me.
VIOLA. That you do think you are not what you are.
OLIVIA. If I think so, I think the same of you.
VIOLA, Then think you right: I am not what I am. (3.1.145-148)

In this conversation, Viola uses her quick wit and way with words to warn Olivia that her love is futile, without revealing the true reason - that Viola is actually a woman disguised as a man, Cesario. Throughout the play, both of these characters demonstrate their ability to think quickly when approached by other people.
Even though Odysseus is both courageous and clever, he has a fatal flaw of rashness which continuously provides obstacles in his journey; Viola on the other hand, manages to stay calm through difficult situations which lead her to be successful in maintaining her disguise. After Odysseus and his crew manages to escape the cave with Polyphemus and the sailors start their speedy exit from the island, Odysseus taunts the Cyclops who has followed them to the coast. While making fun of the Cyclops, Odysseus declares his name: “if any man on the face of the earth should ask you / who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus” (227). After learning Odysseus’ name, Polyphemus curses the entire crew because they blinded him: “Come here, Odysseus, let me give you a guest-gift / and urge Poseidon the earthquake god to speed you home” (227). Now that he is cursed, Odysseus wastes another decade trying to reach home during which time he loses all of his men. Viola, unlike Odysseus, keeps her emotions in check which allows her to successfully pass as a male. Orsino, on one occasion, talks to Viola about what woman she likes, since he thinks that she’s a male. Viola is very careful when she answers and does not let it slip that she is actually female even though she hints to it: “My father had a daughter loved a man, / As it might be, perhaps, were I a woman, / I should your lordship” (2.4.18-20). Because she does not reveal who she is, Viola is able to continue serving the count.