Twelfth Night Research Paper

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Shakespeare uses juxtaposition of his characters in the Twelfth Night in order to show his view on love. Viola and Olivia are both similar and different in terms of love. One the one hand, Olivia is a strong, arrogant women. Olivia seems to think that she is better than everyone else. On the other hand, Viola is a positive, devoted and outgoing when it comes to love. They are both strong women in terms of love. In other words, both Viola and Olivia don’t allow others to influence their decisions when it comes to love. Throughout the play we’ve come to terms that opposites attract, which is essentially what Shakespeare view on love is.
When Olivia is first introduced the play she comes off melancholy. Olivia is hopeless when it comes to love. Olivia …show more content…

How now (1.5:284-288). Her taking a risk at love with Cesario comes from her loving and passionate side. Olivia is a very confused character when it comes to love. In the beginning of the play she goes from mourning the death of her father and brother for seven years, to meeting Cesario and still not being interested in love. To falling in love with Cesario so quickly. “Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions and spirit do give thee five-fold blazon. Not too fast! Soft, soft! Unless the master were the man. How now? Even so quickly may one catch the plague” (1.5.297-301). Olivia goes from shutting off love to falling in love over night? Olivia seems to be very confused when it comes to love. To top it off marrying Sebastian simply because he resembles Cesario. This makes Olivia come off as a confused woman in the aspect of love.
In The Twelfth Night, we can see that Viola is a responsible servant, clever and selfless. Viola is selfless when it comes to love. Viola says, “Too well what love women to men may owe. In faith, they are as true of heart as we” (2.4:116-117). It is evident that Viola is genuine. Basically Viola is saying when women are really in love it is true and deep. This shows Viola’s genuine

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