Theme Of Deception In Orsino

To agree with the statement, disguise and deception is used widely by Shakespeare. Throughout the play we only see Viola in her disguise as ‘Cesario’. From Act 1, Scene 2, we see her planning on using the disguise of a man to serve Orsino. The interactions between her and the other characters show dramatic irony as they do not realise who Cesario actually is, however the audience does. Orsino, at the start of Act 2, scene 4 says “Now good morrow, friends; Now, good Cesario.” Orsino does not know the actual person he is talking to when he praises Cesario, just the same when he says Cesario is “semblative a woman’s part”, saying that Cesario looks like a woman. For Shakespeare’s audience there was a heightened level of irony because at that time only males were allowed to act and in Elizabethan times society was very patriarchal. Women were seen as the less dominant sex and to see female characters portrayed like this in the play, particularly Viola, gives a different impression on the audience that the female characters can have just as much comical effect as the male characters, if not more. It was a man playing a woman, in disguise as a man, providing much confusion and ironic humour. This quote shows how the ignorance of the characters make them seem more ridiculous and their actions seem more amusing (just like Orsino), making the whole play more entertaining. This quote also shows how anti heroism is used to create more comedy as Orsino’s authority is seen as a parody by his ignorance of the situation. When Orsino says ‘good Cesario’, he is showing to the audience that he believes he knows this person well, and that is why he uses the repetition of ‘good’ before Cesario and before ‘friends’. The audience, however, do know abou...

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... mad man, after his very odd and confusing words show ‘madness’. This supplements the comedy as Malvolio has now made himself seem crazy and delusional, being something completely different to what he wants Olivia to see him as, which is someone to be loved by her. Also, by saying this Olivia is unknowingly mocking Malvolio’s human endeavour- to woo Olivia, making it very funny to the audience when Malvolio’s failing attempts to flatter her are causing himself to be mocked instead. This is not dramatic irony as such, but definitely irony, as Malvolio’s words have not won her over, but made any chance of him doing so seem very doubtful. Malvolio’s deception causes his own self-deception, which as a result creates more humour for the audience and in particular the Shakespearean audience, as they found most of the comedy in Shakespeare’s plays through dramatic irony.