Delusions In Twelfth Night

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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…

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…

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

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