In the play Twelfth Night, the main theme that drives the plot is delusion. Many characters in this play experience a form of self-delusion, and this allows them to be fooled by others. As Lydia Forbes states, “...those who know themselves have an advantage over those who do not” (476). As Elias Schwartz describes it, “Everyone in the play is to some degree foolish, and everyone is to some degree fooled” (510). Self-delusion from the main characters is dominant throughout this play, and these characters that are either lovesick, in love with themselves, or otherwise out of touch with reality are easily manipulated by grounded characters. Twelfth Night demonstrates delusion by having certain characters triumph over their self-delusion and find …show more content…
love, while others’ self-delusion leads them to misery. This play demonstrates the spirit of “The Twelfth Night Feast of the Epiphany”, where the world is turned “topsy turvy”, servants and masters trade places, and the jester is named the “Lord of Misrule” (Williams 193).
Similar to this celebration, many characters wear physical or psychological masks (Williams 193). For example, Duke Orsino is deluded by believing he is in love with the only woman who won’t have him. Orsino’s “love” for Olivia is self-destructive and unstable (Salingar, 124). Orsino tells “Cesario” about this form of love in this passage: “Unstaid and skittish in all motions else / Save in the constant image of the creature /That is beloved… For, boy, however we do praise ourselves, / Our fancies are more giddy and unfirm, / More longing, wavering, sooner lost and worn Than women's are,” (Shakespeare 1211). Salingar states that Orsino’s delusional love for Olivia seems to be without a clear object, impossible to satisfy, to the point of death (124-125). Forbes says that Orsino thinks he needs Olivia so desperately he cries out for the heart to kill Olivia rather than lose her (479). Further, Viola tricks Orsino by disguising herself as a man, but it is done with a purpose. Lydia Forbes states that “He is a good man and worthy of her, but temporarily so confused by a romantically far-fetched notion of love that he would not be able to appreciate her in her own feminine dress… Since [Viola] has apparently heard of Orsino as a potential husband, she becomes a …show more content…
page in his household, to see for herself whether he might fill the bill” (477-478). After Viola begins to work for Orsino, she falls in love with him and agrees to “woo” another woman out of that love. Duke Orsino eventually forms a relationship with Viola disguised as Cesario, essentially ignoring a potential wife hidden in plain sight. In this way, Orsino falls in love with Viola in her disguise, letting himself become devoted to her without “the erratic passions he associates with love of woman” (Forbes 479), forming an intimacy with “Cesario” that he wouldn’t have been able to form if he knew she was a woman (Schalkwyk, 92). At the end of the play, Orsino realizes his love for Viola when he loses his deluded obsession over Olivia (Forbes 479). Viola achieves her desire to marry Orsino through her disguise and deception. Like Orsino, Olivia wears her own psychological mask, according to Porter Williams: she deceives herself into believing she is overcome with grief, “determined to renounce love and grieve seven years for the loss of a brother” (193). When Viola, dressed as Cesario, comes to declare Orsino’s love to Olivia, Olivia is charmed by Cesario and allows herself to be further deluded by falling in love with “him”. As Viola puts it, “Poor lady, she were better love a dream… What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!” (Shakespeare 1206). Viola denies Olivia’s love; however, when Olivia meets Sebastian, she offers the same love, and he accepts. This requires a great suspension of disbelief from the audience, but Lydia Forbes explains the mistake thus: “When Olivia mistakes Sebastian for "Cesario", she is seeing the same spirit in both. Her eye is not stopped at the surface by any probable difference of height and voice. She did not fall in love with a physique” (480). This shows that Olivia allows herself to be deluded by both Viola and Sebastian. Porter Williams argues that when Sebastian accepts Olivia’s hand, Olivia is “now most truly herself and yet most completely deceived” (194). This shows a difference between her and Orsino’s delusion: Orsino is finally happy when he takes away the delusion, but Olivia is finally happy by continuing an unwitting delusion. Williams states that the error Olivia in falling in love with Viola is what leads her to give herself away generously to Sebastian, and he argues that Olivia already loved Sebastian before meeting him because she learned to love him through Viola (197). In this way, Olivia’s mistakes through her delusion have a positive impact on her instead of a negative one. Williams goes on to say that Viola uses Olivia as well as Orsino; however, with Olivia, Viola teaches her a lesson about love and her own self-deception (198). Viola tells Oliva: “...you do think you are not what you are” (Shakespeare 1222). According to Williams, this “teaches Olivia all she needs to know about herself and her waste of time” (198). This demonstrates that Viola helps Olivia triumph her self-deception and end up happy with Sebastian. Further, many of the side characters experience delusion and are manipulated just like the main characters.
For example, Maria, Olivia’s manservant is able to take advantage of Sir Toby and achieve her goal of marrying him. According to Lydia Forbes, Maria engineers the series of events: pretending to gratify Sir Toby’s desire for revenge on Malvolio, she gets him so out of favor with Olivia that he marries Maria just to stay in the household (477-478). In this way, the side characters mirror the main characters with delusion and deception. Salingar states that Sir Toby is essentially a parody of Orsino, drinking Olivia’s health until he is “drowned” (133). This parody amplifies the theme of delusion in this play (133). According to Forbes, Maria knows herself, her abilities, and her ambitions (481). Forbes says that it is Maria that proposes writing a letter to Malvolio, telling him to behave in a ridiculous way (481). After Malvolio is imprisoned for madness, Toby remarks that he is: “now so far in offense with my niece that I cannot pursue with any safety this sport to the upshot” (Shakespeare 1238). This comes to the end of Sir Toby stating that he made “Maria forge the letter to Malvolio-and married her in ‘recompense’” (481). This shows Maria using Sir Toby for a husband, and Sir Toby unbeknownst to her plan. Like Viola with Orsino, Maria, who knows herself and is not taken away by delusions and fantasies, has an advantage over Sir Toby, who is taken away by
drunkenness. Another character that is deluded throughout the play is Sir Andrew. Salingar argues that Sir Andrew is also a parody of Orsino, instead being a model of “gentlemanly indecision, [hoping] to woo Olivia without speaking to her, and [attacking] Viola from jealousy” (133). Sir Andrew is a coward and has “no more wit than a Christian” (Shakespeare 1194). In trying to woo Olivia and attacking Sebastian, he finds Olivia another husband instead (133). In this way, Sir Andrew deludes himself, is deceived by Sir Toby, and does not triumph in the play because of this. Perhaps the most deluded character in the entire play is Malvolio. According to Elias Schwartz, characters like Orsino, Olivia, and Sir Toby are all foolish, yet they are all loveable and even redeemed by an awareness of their own affectation (509). Schwartz states that the factor that makes Malvolio the “enemy” is a lack of this quality- a lack of self-awareness, rather a lack of sense of humor (509). Forbes argues Malvolio’s self-love, ambition, and lack of imagination leads him to overpresume that ends in his grief (482). According to Salingar, Malvolio grows an egotistical fantasy about marrying Olivia, which helps him become the victim of a cruel joke engineered by Maria, ends up helping Maria get a husband (132). Malvolio, like Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, is striving for something false- in Malvolio’s case, a “would-be ‘politician’” (135). Porter Williams argues that Malvolio’s vanity, just like Sir Toby’s drunkenness and unkindness and Sir Andrew’s foolish limitations, show how far he falls short in human relationships (199). All of this shows Malvolio’s delusion: he differentiates himself from the other deluded characters by having a desire, specifically a desire for Olivia, but rooted out of egotism and ambition instead of false love. Olivia even states, “O, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio, and taste with a distempered attitude” (Shakespeare 1199). This shows that Malvolio is the most deluded, focusing on only himself, which leads to his own embarrassment and imprisonment. To conclude, many characters in this play are fooled, mainly because they are out of touch with reality, from either love, egotism, or their own ignorance. Other characters end up having an advantage over those characters, achieving those characters’ love and hand in marriage. In this way, some characters triumph over their delusions while others are led to misery because of it. In the end, most of the characters are left happy, concluding one of Shakespeare’s great comedies. Works Cited Forbes, Lydia. “What You Will?” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 4, 1962, pp. 475–485. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2867993. Accessed April 17, 2018. L. G. Salingar. “The Design of Twelfth Night.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 2, 1958, pp. 117–139. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2867233. Accessed April 17, 2018. Schalkwyk, David. “Love and Service in ‘Twelfth Night’ and the Sonnets.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 56, no. 1, 2005, pp. 76–100. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3844027. Accessed April 17, 2018. Schwartz, Elias. “Twelfth Night and the Meaning of Shakespearean Comedy.” College English, vol. 28, no. 7, 1967, pp. 508–519. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/374434. Accessed April 17, 2018. Shakespeare, William. “Twelfth Night”. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. 9th ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 1189-1250. Print. Williams, Porter. “Mistakes in Twelfth Night and Their Resolution: A Study in Some Relationships of Plot and Theme.” PMLA, vol. 76, no. 3, 1961, pp. 193–199. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/460349. April 17, 2018. Accessed April 17, 2018.
His inflated ego has lead him to misinterpret Lady Olivia’s feelings for him-or rather, her lack of feelings. Although he already has the notion that he should end up with the Lady, he is fooled by Sir Toby, Maria, and Sir Andrew, believing Olivia feels the same for him. The tricksters deliberately write a letter indirectly addressed to Malvolio, divulging “Olivia’s” hidden love for the steward. Without giving much thought to the credibility of this discovered letter, Malvolio follows its enclosed instructions, unwittingly earning the real Lady Olivia’s disfavor (2.5.91-195). “This and his continuous disapproval of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew's drinking, earn him their hatred and he quickly becomes their pawn in a complex romantic ruse” (Review at Absolute
In William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, the use of mistaken identity and role reversal communicates that gender roles and social class are constructed illusions that trick people into having unrealistic expectations about how they are supposed behave.Viola crossdressing as Cesario in the play challenges traditional views of how a woman of her status should act.The differences between the accepted clothing for an individual emphasizes gender roles and social hierarchy in society. During the Renaissance, “ the idea of two genders, one subordinate to the other, provided a key element in its hierarchical view of the social order and to buttress its gendered division of labor” (Howard 423).
In Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare, gender identity and alternative sexualities are highlighted through the depiction of different characters and personalities. In the play, Viola disguises herself as a man thereby raising a merry-go-around of relationships that are actually based on a lie rather than actual fact. Viola attracts the attention of Olivia since she thinks that Viola is a man but even more fascinating is the fact that Orsino is attracted to Viola although he thinks that she is a man. In another twist Viola is attracted to Orsino and has fell in love with him although their love cannot exist since Orsino thinks that Viola is a man.
In addition, Maria plays the role of the lady in waiting who essentially doesn’t do anything for herself except take orders. Later on the reader soon realizes that, Maria is a strong witty character that takes matters in to her own hands. Maria developes a strategy, first she goes for the messed up drunken Sir Toby and her goal is to straighten him out. Maria confronts Sir Toby about his drunkenness, “That quaffing and drinking will undo you: I heard my lady talk of it yesterday” (1.3.128). Sir Toby begins to take notice in Maria. Maria begins to plot with Toby to bring down Malvolio (the condescending butler) as a practical joke. Through the process of plotting against Malvolio with Toby, Maria develops a back bone something she was not known for with Olivia. Maria took the lead in the plotting and Toby starts taking her orders, “Observe him, for the love of mockery, for I know this letter will make a contemplative idiot of him” (2.5.18-19) As a result of the jokes success, Mari...
One of the most analyzed plays in existence is the tragedy Hamlet, with its recurring question: "Is Hamlet’s 'antic disposition' feigned or real?" In truth, this question can only be answered by observing the thoughts of the main characters in relation to the cause of Hamlet real or feigned madness. In the tragedy Hamlet, each of the main characters explains Hamlets madness in their own unique way. To discover the cause behind the madness of Hamlet, each character used their own ambitions, emotions and interpretations of past events. Characters tried to explain Hamlet's "antic disposition" by means of association to thwarted ambition, heartbreaking anguish, and denied love. In the workings of their thoughts, the characters inadvertently reveal something about their own desires, emotions and experiences to the reader.
Madness. Though to most it seems like a simple betrayal of the mind, the use of madness throughout Hamlet, by William Shakespeare creates a sense of not only the breakdown of the mind, but a breakdown of society. In the play, two main characters give into madness, one is a faked, and one is all too real. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, chose to act mad in order to confuse Claudius. Ophelia on the other hand, goes insane due to an accumulation of many factors, such as isolation, distrust, and grief.
As prescient and insightful as this evaluation may seem after considering the outcome of Twelfth Night’s romantic pairings, it reads as a very shallow perspective rather than any sort of wisdom – to the Duke, love is never permanent, lasting, or constant (just like the nature of the tides, it always changes). Duke Orsino has no concern whatsoever for Olivia’s feelings of grief after the loss of her brother – she is merely an object of his desires at the moment, and as his eventual courtship with Viola proves, he is extremely fickle in his affections. (Even before Viola’s disguise became apparent, Orsino showed some signs of attraction to the male Cesario – this raises a few questions about exactly how far his romantic indecisiveness
make him think he is mad and they also make Olivia think he is mad
In 12th Night by William Shakespeare, Sir Toby Belch’s and Sir Andrew Aguecheek’s sexist treatment of Maria characterizes them as boors. Toby advises Andrew to “front [Maria], board her, woo her, assail her,” treating her like an enemy ship to attack rather than an actual person (I.3.51). Besides this, the audience already knows Toby wants Andrew to marry Olivia and may even be interested in Maria himself, yet he still encourages Andrew to pursue Maria as a means of proving his manhood. These actions lie in stark contrast to those of higher class men such as Orsino, who pursues Olivia only with sincere, albeit shallow, affections. Shakespeare juxtaposes these two men in their amorous connections to distinguish the high class from the unmannerly,
Twelfth Night consists of a large number of love triangles, however many characters are too indulged in love that they are blind to the untrue, and the weakness of their relationship, they are deceived by themselves and many people around them ( ex. Malvolio is tricked by Sir Andrew, Feste ,Sir Toby and Maria),but there are certain incidents where the love is true and two characters feel very strongly about one another. In the play, Viola and Orsino have the most significant relationship. The way they interact with each other causes the complexity on which the play is all about, their relationship turns from strangers to friends then lovers .In the First Act Viola is not honest with Orsino because she disguises herself as a male servant named Cesario in order to get closer to the duke. Orsino. Orsino quickly trusts Cesario and sends him to Olivia to declare Orsinos Love for her, the girl he most dearly loves. This quick bond is the fast example of their relationship. At the beginning of the play, Viola thinks her brother (Sebastian) is dead (after they’re deadly boat crash, where they get separated) when actually he is alive and thinks she is dead, Viola always seems to have a part missing from her which shows her bond with Sebastian is strong, and a part of her but in a brotherly/sisterly way rather than a proper relationship like viola and orsino, At the end of the play they meet and both fall in love , Viola with Orsino and Sebastian with Olivia.
Twelfth Night or What You Will is one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies. It has been performed hundreds of times and adapted into a number of modern films. The main plot of the play follows Viola, a girl who is rescued from a shipwreck and enters into the service of the Duke Orsino disguised as a man. Rising quickly in his estimation, Viola begins delivering messages of love on his behalf to Olivia, a noble woman who has no interest in Orsino’s advances. Over the course of the play Olivia falls in love with the disguised Viola, Viola falls in love with Orsino, and Viola’s twin brother Sebastian, who supposedly died in the shipwreck, returns. Following Sebastian’s return the twins are mistaken for each other, leading to both misunderstanding and marriage in the final scenes of the play. Alongside the main plot of Twelfth Night is an almost equally prominent subplot involving Malvolio, a servant of Olivia, who falls in love with her and who falls prey to a prank planned by the other members of the household who despise his abhorrence of fun. In the article “The Design of Twelfth Night” by L.G. Salingar, Salingar examines the plot and structure of the play and addresses the significance of the subplot. The purpose of this essay is to examine both evidence from the play and articles from other authors, with a focus on Salingar, who have written on the subject in order to determine the purpose of the subplot. In his article, Salingar comes to the conclusion that the purpose of the subplot is to provide a comic mirror of the main plot while amplifying the main themes of delusion, misrule and festivity. Salingar presents a solid argument, however he has neglected another lesser but significant element of the sub-plot which illustrate...
William Shakespeare's, Twelfth Night has many themes, but appearance vs. reality is the theme that illustrates a different picture from two perspectives, there are many characters behind their masks and disguises. Some are hiding love behind these disguises and some are trying to show their love through a different disguise. They both still being servants are using disguise differently. Malvolio, servant of Olivia, falls in love with the trap (the letter) thinking his lady likes him, and to show his love he uses a different appearance to express it. Viola, servant of Orsino, falls in love with him, but secretly, not wanting to express her love for him, because of her disguise as her barrier for that case. Viola/Ceasario is wearing a disguise and secretly loves Orsino. Malvolio, on the other hand, is also a servant but still changes his appearance to express love for the great lady Olivia. This essay will prove that disguises and appearances are symbolic of the characters named Viola and Malvolio and are differently used for both.
Love however, is the source of much confusion and complication in another of Shakespeare’s comedies, Twelfth Night. Men and women were seen as very different from each other at the time the play was written, they were therefore also treated in very different ways. Because of this Viola conceals her identity and adopts the role of a man, in order to better her safety whilst being alone on the island, and to get a job at Count Orsino’s court. In the play Shakespeare uses the gender confusion he has created from obscuring characters identities to explore the limits of female power and control within courtship, and their dominance within society. Violas frustration surrounding her inability to express her feelings to the Count because she is a woman is an example of the limiting rules of courtship which were upheld at the time. (Aside) ‘yet, a barful strife! Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife.’ Here she is already expressing her anxiety and emotion at being a woman, and having to keep her emotions hidden from those around her. She longs to be able to express her love as a man could, and in her disguise as Cesario she finds an opportunity to vent her feelings for the Count, but concealed as his words and towards Olivia. Viola is unaware of how her words may sound to Olivia because she is aware of their gender boundaries however Olivia isn’t and soon falls for Cesario. Because Olivia is a Lady and head of the household, and especially how she lacks a father figure, she has a lot more freedom in courtship. Duisinberre comments on this saying, ‘...Viola and Beatrice are women set free from their fathers, and their voice is that of the adult world.’ This is seen when Olivia immediately takes the dominant role in her and Cesarios relat...
Throughout Twelfth Night, disguise and mistaken identity works as a catalyst for confusion and disorder which consistently contributes towards the dramatic comic genre of the play. Many characters in Twelfth Night assume disguises, beginning with Viola, who disguises herself as a man in order to serve Orsino, the Duke. By dressing his protagonist in male garments, Shakespeare creates ongoing sexual confusion with characters, which include Olivia, Viola and Orsino, who create a ‘love triangle’ between them. Implicitly, there is homoerotic subtext here: Olivia is in love with a woman, despite believing her to be a man, and Orsino often comments on Cesario’s beauty, which implies that he is attracted to Viola even before her male disguise is removed. However, even subsequent to the revealing of Viola’s true identity, Orsino’s declares his love to Viola implying that he enjoys lengthening the pretence of Vio...
A supposedly noble Duke Orsino is suffering due to his unrequited love for the Lady Olivia. The Lady Olivia, however, is also suffering due to the recent deaths of her brother and father. Her way of mourning them involves her hiding behind a veil or disguising herself from the truth and refusing male company: 'But like a cloistress she will veiled walk, And water once a day her chamber round With eye-offending brine'. Disguise creates confusion when a character named Viola becomes shipwrecked in Illyria, a place previously unknown to her. She has been warned of the dangers of being alone in Illyria and decides that it is best if she disguises herself.