People use masks to conceal what they don't want others to see. In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night characters use masks to conceal who they really are. Viola conceals herself as a eunuch to work as a servant for Duke Orsino. Malvolio tries to manipulate others to give him sympathy but begins to self deceive himself instead. Sir Andrew refuses a duel and doesn’t know how to properly introduce himself to a women. Hes not as smart and tough as he says to be. Characters in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night carefully use their masks to manipulate, to self deceive and protect others.
Viola decides to conceal herself as a eunuch to manipulate Duke Orsino into believing Viola is really a eunuch. Viola has just discovered the place she arrived in is called Illyria, she had no idea where she was after the shipwreck. “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; Thou shalt present me as an eunuch to him”(Shakespeare 1.2.53-56). Viola would like to work for countess Olivia but she is mourning over the death of her brother. Viola decides to disguise herself as a eunuch named Cesario, and work for the Duke. Viola has mixed emotions about her new look but she knows it is the right thing to do to be able to keep her true identity a secret. “Be you his eunuch,
and your mute I’ll be. When my tongue blabs, then let my eyes not see”(1.2.62-64). The sea captain she meets after she washes up on shore tells her that it is a good idea to become a eunuch. This is because Duke Orsino cannot have any female servants.The captain tells...
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...ow through with the duel. Sir Andrew was begging Cesario not to continue with the duel. He even offered Cesario his horse. His own personal belongings because he was afraid. Sir Andrew is definitely not as tough as he claims to be.
Characters in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night carefully use their masks to manipulate, self deceive and to protect others. It is proven that Viola successfully portrait herself as a eunuch. Also it is proven that Malvolio self deceives himself and tries to manipulate others to get sympathy because of this. Finally it is proven that Sir Andrew is an idiotic liar who thinks he’s better than what he really is. If you were a character in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Would you conceal yourself? Manipulate and self conceive others including yourself, or just be you?
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William Shakespeares Twelfth Night
...wants to return to her proper position. Her disguise ;nevertheless, prevents her to do so. As the duke's servant, Viola has the freedom to speak about love , but as Viola she couldn't expose this love to him
For any young female, this would be a devastating situation to be thrown into, and viola was no exception. Apart from having to deal with the loss of her brother, she also had to find a way to survive in illyria. Perhaps this is where the resilience in viola's nature is first shown instead of breaking down and mourning bitterly the death of her loved one, she immediately devises a plan to disguise herself as a male and serve duke orsino.
In William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, Hamlet pretends to act mentally unstable around Claudius (the King) and Polonius, emotionally blackmails Ophelia, and gives false information to his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet uses antic disposition, emotional blackmail, and misinformation in order to better manipulate those closest to him. This eventually causes the audience and those around him to lose trust in
‘Man is not what he thinks; he is what he hides’ Andre Malraux was a 20th century French novelist in the 1900’s who constructed this simple quotation that simply explains how characters hide things in Hamlet. Characters in Hamlet hide the truth through their actions and words. Good morning and welcome to the Shakespearean conference, I am honoured to be here to speak about such an intriguing play. Four hundred years ago William Shakespeare created another one of his famous tragedies. This was the time before democracies when people believed in witchcraft and supernatural powers. The ironic thing about these beliefs is even though we have developed into a modern democracy we still have the same moral dilemmas. The royalty were abusing their
A mask is a covering worn on the face or something that disguises or conceals oneself. All the characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet hide behind masks to cover up who they really are, which contridictes a main idea, expressed by the fool, Old Polonius, "To thine ownself be true" (Polonius - 1.3.84). All the characters share strengths and triumphs, flaws and downfalls. Instead of revealing their vulnerabilities, each of them wears a mask that conceals who they are and there true convictions. The masks brought about feelings such as fear, hatred, insanity, indecisiveness, ambitiousness, and vengeance all of which contribute to the tragic ending of the play. Shakespeare reveals the idea of the masks in the first lines of the play, "Who's there" (Barnardo - 1.1.1). "Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself" (Fransisco - 1.1.2).
When attending a masquerade, a person is expected to wear a mask. In fact, it’s looked down upon if a mask isn’t worn. But, what if for some people that mask never came off? In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, each character has constructed their own metaphorical mask that they set firmly in place every morning when exiting their bed. Each character: Nora, Torvald, Kristine and Krogstad all have masks that they put in place when speaking to each other. Throughout most of the play, it is clear that all of the aforementioned characters have multiple facades that they use when speaking to one another; often switching quickly as they begin speaking to someone else. Henrik Ibsen’s use of the masquerade serves as an extended metaphor to show the masks that the characters use in their everyday lives.
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.
As in most comedies, William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night extensively. uses disguises, masks and mistaken identities to add to the comical nature of. the play. Viola's disguise as Orsino's page, Cesario, becomes crucial to the action in the play. Without this important element, the action in the play would slow down dramatically, making the story much less intriguing.
It is also one of the themes in Twelfth Night that the play revolves around as Shakespeare makes it out to be by presenting the character of ‘Caesario’. In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare presents the obvious deception of the play that is Viola. Viola’s role in the play is purely based on the ideas of disguise and deception. She initially deceives everyone by disguising herself as a man, ‘Cesario’, in order to serve Orsino. We can see this from the quote, “For such disguise as haply shall become: The form of my intent”.
Viola, as Cesario, manages to win the favour of Orsino He truly believes that she is a he. Orsino, still convinced of my majesty, believes that he can win the love of a woman, via a proxy. By having Viola merely read the words he has prepared, he thinks that Olivia will fall immediately in love with him. But while Orsino had his head in the clouds about his love, Viola is attempting to conceal from him, her love for him.
After Duke Orsino asks Cesario (disguised Viola) to make Olivia love him, although she had stated that she would not marry for seven years due to her sadness from her brother’s death, Cesario tells him “I’ll do my best to woo your lady.” Then Viola tells the audience “(Aside) yet, a barful strife—Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife,” meaning that she has to convince another woman to love the man she loves. The exchange of words in this scene exemplifies dramatic irony since the reader now knows that a love road that connects Duke Orsino, Viola, and Olivia has formed while Orsino is clueless about the situation. Situational irony can also be withdrawn from this conversation because it is shocking that Viola is in love with Orsino. Viola’s sudden love for Orsino illustrates a universal truth about life that sometimes people fall in love too quickly without thinking far ahead.
Viola, alone in a strange land, disguises herself as a man in order to gain access to Duke Orsino's palace. She plays the role of Orsino's servant, Cesario, to be near him for she knows that he is the man who can help her in Illyria. On first hearing Orsino's name, Viola says: "Orsino! I have heard my father name him: He was a bachelor then." This reaction suggests that Viola already respects Orsino as a ruler before she begins to love him.
Viola's transvestism functions as emblematic of the antic nature of Illyrian society. As contemporary feminist and Shakespearean scholars are quick to point out, cross-dressing foregrounds not only the concept of role playing and thus the constructed or performative nature of gender but also the machinations of power. Viola can only make her way in this alien land if she assumes the trappings--and with these garments the--privileges of masculinity. Her doublet and hose act as her passport and provide her with a livelihood, a love interest, and friendship (just as Leonide's breeches allow her passage into Hermocrate's garden).
Viola/Ceasario's disguise hides most of her past: the shipwreck, her lost brother, and the fact that she is a woman. Her identity now as a man, is to move on in life and get a job. Her love for Orsino is hidden with her original identity, as though she works for him as his servant. She is a very strong character in the play. "I prithee (and I’ll pay thee bounteously)/ 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." (1.2.52-55). After the shipwreck and the loss of her brother, Viola decides to move on using a disguise as her shield. Viola’s secret love for Orsino is different than the way Olivia loves Ceasario. Olivia is in lo...
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...