Shakespeares Twelfth Night - Essay Example

1 A woman must wait until she is sought out in marriage. It is not always a question of love. Shakespeare shows in the following two relationships the women have not waited for their suitors. They have spoken of love freely or have been the first to fall in love. Both Olivier and Viola had a year of mourning for the death of their respective brothers. Symbolically, each wanted to hide and deny themselves of the social context of being courted. Olivia wore a black veil and stayed hidden in her estate. She denied all the advances Orsino made. She also said she could not marry him. Viola realized that her year of mourning would also be spent hidden. Olivia would not take her. "O that I served that lady and might not be delivered to the world" (Viola,I,ii). She then proceeds to ask the capitain to dress her as a "eunuch" to the duke. Olivier was in a "monastery " and Viola lived as a "eunuch" Viola as the center of the play showed the importance of how boys dressed as women to perform. Shakespeare took it one step further to show her strength of a girl dressed as a boy who had to sway another girl to fall in love. At one point, the play takes another turn. Olivia and Viola started as a one of the many dualities. Both as they stood behind their veils were strong willed and intelligent. The Duke took a liking to Cesario. Viola had fallen in love with the Duke. Some say he understood that she was a young woman. In Scene IV, Viola describes her first love as though it was the Duke. As early as Scene V in the first Act, Viola comments on Olivias beauty but takes it as a gift from the devil. She goes back and forth from being Cesario and Viola. "If I did love you in my masters flame, with such a suffering, such a deadly life, in your denial I would find no sense…."(Viola,I,v) She is putting herself in Olivias shoes as she has lost her brother and has fallen in love with the Duke. "Love sought is good, but given unsought is better. "(Olivia,III,i) As she speaks to Cesario, let me love you first, it is not bad as it is truer love. Viola talks of female love being stronger than male love." But died thy sister of her love, my boy" (Orsino,II,iv) "I am all the daughter of my fathers house….."(Viola,II,iv) One has to ask if Orsino knows at this time the love "Cesario" has for him. 2. As Shakespeare was writing these plays, the Elizabethan "golden world" of privilege and prestige--and idleness--enjoyed by royalty and the nobility was beginning to lean in favor of an empowered middle class (merchants and manufacturers) who would eventually become the new "power elite" in the country. Using specific incidents and examples and direct quotations, examine Shakespeares attitude (gently critical, but also somewhat sympathetic) toward the nobility--and their lifestyles--portrayed within this play. Sir Andrew is a perfect example of the "golden world of idleness and stupidity. "Methinks sometimes I have no more wit than a Christian or an ordinary man has…."(Sir Andrew,I,vi) He had come hoping to marry Olivia to get out of debt. He only had 3 000 ducats to his name. Sir Toby Belch as his name implies wasted his life on wine and burped or belched throughout the play. Feste was the fool in both houses. He was intelligent, well educated as he spoke Latin and French. Shakespeares fool was present in his plays to show the irony of the time. They were still considered lower class. Sir Toby Belch marries Maria which is a change of social class. Viola called herself a gentleman but it is not know whether she came from nobility. This is an excellent example showing both she and her brother marrying higher than their social standing. "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon em." (Note read aloud by Malvolio, II, v) Maria had written this letter to Malvolvio in an attempt to trick him in thinking that Olivia wanted him as a husband. You were born in to royalty, you do great inventions in life and there are others who have it forced upon them. Malvolvio was angrier in having been born to a lower class than Olivia. He expresses his love at one point when he reads the letter then goes to Olivia in yellow stockings in which she hated yellow. He was a middle class servant though he was the head servant who thought he was capable of climbing the social ladder. 5. The following three types of irony are heavily used in this play: Dramatic irony--where the audience is aware of situations of which the characters are unaware as they speak . When Viola goes to Olivia to declare the Dukes love "Will you make me believe that I am not sent for you" (Fool,IV,i). He sees Sebastian for the first time and thinks it is Viola. This evolves into a complicated situation as Olivia is surprised that Viola (Sebastian) has finally agreed to becoming engaged. Situational irony--where "surprise" events unfold that are the opposite of normal audience expectations "The honorable lady of the house, which is she?"(Viola,I,v)Both Olivia and Maria were both veiled and Viola was either teasing or could not see the difference. At one point Shakespeare was showing that there was no class difference. The audience didnt know that Viola would not be able to see the difference between the women. The audience also didnt know that Maria was intelligent and would be responsible for the horrible trick that cause Malvavio being put away for being insane. So when Viola asked who was the lady of the house in terms of power, they both were equal. To continue with the situational irony, the trick played on Malvolio was so complicated that it showed either intelligence or planning. Such extreme emotions were shown of hatred to humiliate him and lock him up have not been seen before. Was this a conflict of class, religion, or behavior? Verbal irony--where the speaker deliberately says the opposite of what he or she means One of the most vivid scenes of verbal irony was when Viola talks about the Dukes love towards Olivia She had put herself in the place of Olivia as though she is Olivia Viola describes her first love as if it is Orsino. "Make me a willow cabin at your gate and call upon my soul within the house. Write loyal canton of contemned love and sign them loud even in the dead of night……"(Viola,I,v) "They that dally nicely with words may quickly make them wanton."(Viola,III,i)"I would therefore my sister had no name, sir"(Fool,III,i) The fool goes on to make reference that Viola works for Orsino and that he didnt care for him. He says that "sister" is only a word. One might think he is refering to the fact that Cesario is a girl. 7. Juxtaposition of opposites: "Twelfth Night: One for All and all for one" As mentioned two maidens in mourning, both hiding from men, both fell in love without intending to do so. The different bridges have been broken: the laws of mourning, the social class of nobility marrying outside their circles. Conflict in costumes is an important element. There is cross gender dressing where Viola dresses as a boy. When Orsino knows or admits that Viola is a woman, he seems to enjoy both causing the duality to continue. "When that is known and golden time convent, a solemn combination shall be made of our dear souls. Meantime, sweet sister, we will not part from hence. Cesario, come; for so you shall be, while you are a man, but when in other habits you are seen, Orsinos mistress and his fancys queen. (Orsino,V,i) Malvolio dresses in yellow stockings to change social class to come up to Olivia. "…Remember who commended thy yellow stockings, and wished to see thee ever cross-gartered…." (Maria,II,v) These were womans clothing. The Fool dresses like the priest but Malvolio was in a dark room and could not hear him. "Sir Topas the curate, who comes to visit Malvolio the lunatic." (Clown,IV,ii) Viola plays the dual role of girl to boy, Viola to Cesario. There are many misunderstandings. "So Comes it, lady, you have been mistook, but nature to bias drew in that, you would have been contracted to a maid; nor are you therein, by my life, deceived, you are betrothed both to a maid and a man." (Sebastian,V,i) He explains to Olivia that she did not make a mistake in marrying Viola as they are both virgins, their love has been transferred from Viola to Sebastian Read More