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Discuss the mistaken identity in twelfth night
Analysis of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Twelfth night as a Shakespearean comedy
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Twelfth Night is a play written by William Shakespeare and illustrates themes of love and truth. In Shakespeare’s playwright of “Twelfth Night”, characters imply truths to show their love. Many characters love differently and give subtle hints to show their love. Malvolio &Olivia, Sir Andrew & Olivia, and Viola & Duke Orsino are all characters who imply their love, for their significant other. To be completely mad is never possible when you have the wits to stay out of trouble. In Twelfth Night Malvolio is a steward of Mistress Olivia and he continuously implies to his Mistress his blind love. Malvolio serves Olivia and looks over her errands and affairs. Malvolio is regarded as uptight and to have the “sickness of self-love” (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night 1.5.86) by the other servants of Olivia’s household. In a plight to cure Malvolio of his sickness Sir Toby, Maria, and Fabian create a plan to trick him into believing their mistress is infatuated by him. Maria, who is Olivia’s lady in waiting, writes a letter to Malvolio addressing him to wear yellow stockings, cross-gartered, to be rude to the other servants, and to smile excessively around Olivia. Malvolio falls for the trap and begins to go around her household in the ridiculous get up. After having a conversation with Lady Olivia she remarks Malvolio as disdainful for she “commended thy yellow stockings (…) and wish to see thee cross-gartered” (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night 3.4.48-49). This quote refers to Malvolio going around the house in his strange out fit and that Olivia truly condemns his outrageous clothing. Furthermore, Malvolio wearing the odd clothes shows that he loves Olivia and is a subtle hint of it. Secondly Malvolio shows his affectionate feelings by thrusting h... ... middle of paper ... ...o he loves and he says he loves a woman “of your complexion” (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night 2.4.27). Shakespeare once again uses dramatic irony to show how Cesario loves Orsino; by saying he loves a woman who looks similar to Orsino. In the last scene where the truth is revealed behind Cesario’s identity, she accepts her master’s decision saying “a thousand deaths would die” (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night 5.1.128). Viola truly loves Duke Orsino and implies here she would die a thousand deaths to make him happy. Implied truths are secrets waiting to be revealed. Love is a mysterious ordeal and people use many different ways to express it. In twelfth night characters imply their love through outrageous get ups, cowardly bravery, and disguise. Love can be expressed openly or in secret, although one should portray their love mainly by just expressing it boldly and sincerely.
It was thought by Orsino that she would have an intense love for him if she loved her family so much. As the play moves forward, Orsino actually meets Olivia but he loses his lust for her, and instead loves Viola ( formerly Cesario). Shakespeare also used lust between Malvolio and Olivia. Malvolio thought that Olivia had fallen in love with him (as the reader knows this was a joke being played on Malvolio). This grew into a larger ego bubble on Malvolio.
In the comedy Twelfth Night, Shakespeare embellish love in many different forms and advocates, like beauty, true meaning of love exists in the eye of beholder. Love is discern as a circle of insanity, a jokey game of ever changing love or tenderness and the cause of the strange behavior. throughout the characters of Twelfth Night, Shakespeare explores love as an obsession, an exaggeration of the mind, and a normal stander form of love. Each kind of love loss capitulate different outcome and their results are as unknown as the true meaning of love itself.
Naturally, one of the most reoccurring themes in Shakespeare is romantic love. It is perhaps not a coincidence that he put so much emphasis on this elusive and enigmatic emotion. In the Elizabethan age when he was writing, the arts were being explored more fervently, and thus raw human emotions began to surface in the mainstream culture. In Twelfth Night, love is a confusing and fickle thing, as demonstrated in the relationships between Duke Orsino and Olivia; Olivia and Viola/Curio; Malvolio and Olivia (she certainly has an effect on men doesn't she?); Duke Orsino and Viola/Curio. However, the characters seem to have a love-hate relationship with Cupid. Within the first line of the play, it is glorified: "If music be the food of love, play on..." (Duke Orsino, I:I). And while Olivia is annoyed with Orsino's affection, she craves Curio's.
William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night depicts the trials and faults of several characters’ loves. There are many downfalls and unrequited loves, and the story basically ends up in a confusing love triangle. He especially shows the many quirks of Orsino in his quest for winning the true love of Olivia. In this play, the reader can easily understand the many mistakes that Orsino makes in love.
Twelfth Night is often portrayed with contrasting themes, however, it is arguable that Shakespeare emphasises concealment and flawed characteristics in many of the characters, as a reoccurring theme. In order to entertainingly explore the potentially controversial, oppressing and uncomfortable ideas, such as sexuality or secrecy, Shakespeare delivers them in a comedic approach or concealed manner. In particular, Shakespeare uses trickery to take countless forms in his plays which is often through the humorous accidental encounters of The Comedy of Errors. Consequently, the theatrical cause and effect of these mishaps will significantly vary and impact the storyline of the play; however, it all remains on Shakespeare intentions, for example,
Twelfth Night presents us with a pompous steward who finds himself in love with Olivia, however this love is not true in the case that Malvolio only want...
William Shakespeare, an English writer in the seventeenth century. He is considered to be the most influential writer in English literature. He wrote various genres, but the common types he wrote were: Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories. Among the many plays he wrote he wrote one his most famous play, “Twelfth Night”, which he wrote during the middle of his career. “Twelfth Night” is considered to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies that he has written. In addition to it is also the only play that he wrote that has an alternate title which is called, “Twelfth Night, or What You Will”. By analyzing the themes presented in the play: Actions of love, Gender, and madness, helps show what Shakespeare conveyed about love.
When readers flip the fabric of Twelfth Night over, they discover its alternate side, an illusory world which causes audience members to question the rigidity of truth itself and the very meaning of identity. Shakespeare spins this world into a flawed reality and, through its many falsehoods, illustrates the ethereal and ever-changing quality of a quest for the self which love’s confusion both taints and enhances. The discrepancy between the audience’s knowledge and the characters’ awareness serves to further establish and increase the gap between illusion and truth, while language merges with love to create mass confusion. But amid the chaos, the characters somehow manage to mature, learning to define themselves after attaining the ability to love selflessly.
“Above my fortunes, yet my state as well: I am a gentleman” (1.5.00). The Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s this phrase said to Olivia from Viola make readers concerned and what to know more about Shakespeare’s way in developing identity and other themes in his characters. In understanding Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, one must explore the several themes that construct the play. Many take in elements of what a tragedy was like during Shakespeare’s time, while others played on the political commentary. Identity is one of the major themes explored because it’s one of the many confusing elements in the play, such as Viola playing as Cesario in order to find her brother. Exploring the themes of gender identity, love and self, danger of love and death readers will have a better understanding of the play.
Recently, I’ve been reading an intriguing play, Twelfth Night, which was written by William Shakespeare. What interests me most is the fact that there are a lot of love interests and people are always influenced facing different love situations. Duke Orsino is greatly attracted to a gentlewoman called Olivia. However, despite his attempts to court her, she rejects his approaches as she claims to be in a period of mourning for her dead brother which has been going on for seven years. Olivia forms a tight friendship with Viola, a woman who acts as a messenger for the Duke, and ends up falling in love with her. Viola, on the other hand, is totally awed by Orsino. The fact that Olivia is in love with Viola, who is in love with
In Twelfth Night the relationships are anything but romantic. Shakespeare writes from the male point of view which implies an un-easy split between love and physical charm. In Twelfth night the romance is falsely produced by selfish desire. Duke Orsino and Viola stand out from the other relationships. By questioning the relationships between the other couples, Shakespeare highlights the true love between Viola and Orsino and the fake relationship of Malvolio and Olivia which is truly based on Malvolio’s desire of a higher status , despite his status and his personality , Malvolio tries to impress Olivia by dressing up in ridiculous clothes , which does far from his aim , and repulses Olivia.
...h the idea of being in love and enjoys making a spectacle of himself. His attraction to the ostensibly male Cesario injects sexual ambiguity into his character, and reveals that genuine love does exist within his character because he allows himself for that brief scene to be exposed and vulnerable. Olivia, like Orsino likes to wallow I her own misery, and also acts absurdly by falling for Cesario within a matter of a few moments of dialogue. Olivia seems to have no difficulty transporting her affections from one love interest to the next, however, suggesting that her romantic feelings, like most emotions in the play, are not profound. In all, Shakespeare used Twelfth Night to reveal that love can be found in unlikely places; in order for love to be a genuine act it must be a selfless; and love undoubtedly requires patience and endurance through times of absurdity,.
Twelfth Night, written by Shakespeare, centers around the convoluted and shifting nature of love. The play makes a point that the ways in which love and affection are seen and shown differ amongst the different classes. Orsino and Olivia, representing the upper class, demonstrate their love in grand, impersonal gestures, whereas the upper-middle class, characterized by Viola, does so in a selfless, more personable manner. Genuine love, according to Shakespeare, is not restrained by gender. Disguise and mistaken identity are major components of Twelfth Night, which makes gender ambiguity a major theme, with Viola disguising herself as a man. This ambiguity is further amplified with the fluidity of both Orsino’s and Olivia’s sexual identity,
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.
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...