Please choose among the following questions and weigh in with your thoughts at least once.
What motifs do you see in Twelfth Night that echo those of other comedies we have read or that you have seen or read previously?
What elements here seem unique or different to you?
How does this play present gender roles? How much seems to you like a modern interpretation of the filmmaker, and what from Shakespeare’s time?
What ideas about love surface here? Whose love do you see as most real? Most realistic?
What do you see as the purpose of disguise in the play? Does Viola really need to be disguised at all? What does she gain from her identity as Cesario?
The use of disguise in this play serves in a similar sense as the confusion with identities in comedy of errors. If we didn't have disguise, there would be no play. Beyond this relatively straightforward concept, also I think that contextually, it was an important choice that Viola made to disguise herself. In this Shakespearean time period, we have definitely seen patterns regarding gender wherein the women are considered or put themselves into roles that are inferior to men.
ReplyDeleteViola arrives in this foreign land with whom her own home country is at war, the only woman, pretty much on her own (despite the few people who survived with her). Disguise serves as a protection from this potential isolation or oppression she would face as an alien and a woman with no man by her side.
It seems it would be much more difficult to get a job as a woman in this situation, so becoming a man gives her more flexibility and stability. She is treated in a different way as a man, which allows her to become a more integral part of the Allyrian society.
I think that love is shown as a twisted struggle in this film/play. I think that the love Viola has for Orsinio is the most real love seen in this play because it is the most "tortured" love, which I think Shakespeare like to present in his plays. Olivia's love for Viola/ Cesario is also tortured in a way because she seems absolutely infatuated with someone who does not return her feelings. But since there is really no real chance of that love happening, it seems less "real" or honest. I think this pertains to the realistic side of the story, because we get to see Viola's complete experience, whereas Olivia only sees her as a man; so we know that Olivia's love of Cesario will never truly become anything real. I think love is presented in this play as lust and struggle. Violas/Cesario's scenes with Orsinio always seem so tension filled with lust, although Orsinio still thinks that Viola is a man. I feel like this play is centered around Shakespeare's definition of love.
ReplyDeleteDisguise plays a huge role in this play. It adds a lot of comedy when Viola gets another woman to fall in love with her. This engages the audience because we know something that the actors do not. It is hilarious to watch all of the characters get fooled again and again. This makes the comedy very enjoyable and interesting all the way to the end.
ReplyDeleteIn Twelfth Night, Shakespeare uses gender confusion and reversal to explore the nature of romantic love, including what sort of love is most “real” and what sort of love is most “realistic.” (I’m interpreting “real” as most true and “realistic” as conventional and accepted by society.) I see “real” love as intimacy, i.e. a free and open sharing of thoughts and feelings by two people who truly know each other and who are willing to put each other first. For true love to exist, there must be a breaking down of the natural barriers between two people that are created by fears of rejection, pain, and loss. Two people must make themselves vulnerable in order to achieve “real” love, and this is exactly where Viola’s disguise functions. Generally, there is a far larger barrier to intimacy between a man and a woman than between two people of the same sex because men and women are simply different. This difference results in a striving for dominance, such as exists between Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and between Kate and Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew. In Twelfth Night, gender confusion and reversal breaks down the natural barriers to intimacy between Viola and the Duke and between Olivia and Sebastian.
ReplyDeleteThe Duke perceives Viola as a fellow male, so he is able to open up to Viola in a way that creates intimacy between them and leads to “real” and “realistic” love. Subconsciously, however, he is sexually attracted to her femininity from the very beginning.
DUKE ORSINO (TO VIOLA)
Thou know'st no less but all; I have unclasp'd
To thee the book even of my secret soul. (1.4)
On the other hand, when Viola interacts with Olivia, Olivia instinctively feels more comfortable with Viola without understanding that the reason is Viola's female nature. Viola is able to speak to Olivia in such a way that touches her feelings because, as a woman herself, Viola truly understands what Olivia wants to hear.
OLIVIA
Why, what would you?
VIOLA
Make me a willow cabin at your gate,
And call upon my soul within the house;
Write loyal cantons of contemned love
And sing them loud even in the dead of night;
Halloo your name to the reverberate hills
And make the babbling gossip of the air
Cry out 'Olivia!' O, You should not rest
Between the elements of air and earth,
But you should pity me! (1.5)
Viola’s words have such an impact on Olivia because Viola is describing how she, as a woman, would like to be wooed.
Perhaps Shakespeare is saying that an initial unrealistic illusion, a sort of intoxication, is necessary to overcome the barriers to love. In both instances, "real" love that results from a quasi-same sex relationship is transferred to a more "realistic" opposite sex relationship. Given that fact that this love is based on illusion, somewhat so in the case of Viola and the Duke, and completely so in the case of Sebastian and Olivia, one wonders whether the "realistic" love will be sustainable.
Love is portrayed in Twelfth Night as an idea that many characters are eager to achieve, but in many cases those who feel real love are often cast aside by the story. To begin, take the character of Duke Orsino: Orsino seems to be less in love with Olivia and more in love with the idea of having her, using language and his own dramatic personality to romaticize his 'need' for Olivia to love him. However, Orsino's devotion to the Dutchess is proven to be weaker than he previously claims as soon as he learns that his 'man', Cesario is actually a woman. In fact, he almost immediately jumps into Viola's arms, completely forgetting his 'pain' and 'suffering' that Olivia has caused him.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, characters whose love seems more organic, most notably Malvolio and Antonio, are basically given nothing by the play's end (in some interpretations, Antonio winds up imprisoned by Orsino). Malvolio's devotion to Olivia feels real, as his love is something that he manages to hide for a great deal of the play, leading me to believe that he genuinely does want Olivia but is ashamed to admit it. In the end, of course, Malvolio is humiliated and vows revenge on all the main characters before storming off, showing that for his real love, Malvolio is made a fool and, perhaps, even more of a bitter man than he was at the play's start. Antonio, for me, has the most realistic love of the entire play. While the homosexuality of the character is of course ambiguous, his devotion to Sebastian is very real, as he displays valiance and sacrifice of his own best interests to protect him. Just like Malvolio, Antonio is cast aside at the end of the play, managing to again not fit into the happy ending that the leads get to enjoy.
Overall, my point in this is that the people in the play who actually love suffer for what they feel. Antonio and Malvolio are obvious examples of this, but even Viola goes to enormous lengths and troubles to please the man she loves, risking all manner of conflict and hardship to remain in Orsino's company. Orsino and Olivia, in contrast (no coincidence that they are the most entitled characters of the play), love simply because they wish to. Essentially, they are in love with the idea of being in love, and jump at opportunities for romance that are pushed right in front of them (Olivia with the dashing young 'gentlemen', Orsino with the illustrious dutchess and later Viola). They do not actually suffer for what they feel, and therefore their love is not as genuine.
12th night seems different from other comedies in the way that the story seems more realistic than others. In Comedy Of Errors, the entire plot seems ridiculous. Although the plot of 12th Night requires a stretch of imagination to work, the moments of utter confusion (that are so prevalent in COE) are boiled down to one scene at the end of the play. Also, the general feelings in COE seem unformed and unrealistic, while the feelings of lust, jealousy, and despair seem reasonable in 12th Night.
ReplyDeleteCompared to Merchant of Venice, these comedies are starkly different. The main plot line in MV is about Shylock and Antonio, while in 12th Night, the main plot is about the complicated love lives of the main characters.
Tyler, I think you make a lot of good points. I heartily agree with almost everything. But I'm not entirely sure that Malvolio is any more genuinely enamored of Olivia than she is of Sebastian; after all, in the monologue immediately before he finds the false letter, his vision of love with Olivia centers primarily around the material gains he would net from being Olivia's husband. I found it even less romantic than Bassanio's reasons for marrying Portia. Of course, Malvolio (like Bassanio) changed his speeches to be about Olivia once he was actually courting the maiden. He suffered more from being thought mad than from unrequited love in my opinion, however.
ReplyDeleteOne wonders if Orsino did not protest too much in his love for Olivia; it's clear that his attraction to Cesario is intense and sudden. He confides everything in her, he expresses great fondness toward her, and he even speaks lovingly of the femininity of her body (suggesting that he is either trying to reassure himself that he really is straight, or he is attracted to Viola because he subconsciously knows she is female). His unexpected infatuation with a man must unnerve him. He seemed relieved upon learning Cesario's true identity.
It's Olivia's reaction that I found most strange; she accepts Sebastian so easily, and harbors no resentment about his trickery. After all, he decided to wed her on a whim, without truly knowing her. She assumes that Sebastian is just like Viola, except male. But much of Olivia and Viola's rapport came from the empathic understanding of Olivia that Viola had as a woman. I'm not at all sure that this relationship will work out well for them.
From the Shakespearean comedies that we have seen, the wise fool is a common motif. Generally, this character responds to his master's insults or accusations with a series of witty repartees. These responses often contain an insightful point or a clever linguistic construction that illuminates "the fool's" intelligence. However this function served different purposes in Twelfth Night and Comedy of Errors. In Comedy of Errors, it was simply to provoke the master to attack the fool, thereby granting more opportunities for slapstick comedy. In Twelfth Night, Feste, who appears to be one step of the game, gives tantalizing clues to the main characters about what's going on. His advice could be used to resolve things, but it generally just causes greater confusion.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, mistaken identity is also a very common motif in Shakespearean comedies. This generally occurs when one twin, who does not know of the others existence, is mistaken for the other twin. Each twin is held responsible for the other's actions, but is unable to resolve the situation because he/she can not put it in a greater context. For example, when Adriana confronts Antipholus S in the market, she condemns him for his lateness and infidelity. Antipholus S, on the other hand, has no idea who this woman is; he is forced to take responsibility for his twin's actions, and as a result, is extremely confused about why this “crazy” lady is calling him her husband. In a similar way, Olivia accuses Viola, who's dressed as a man, of marrying her. Understandably, Orsino is infuriated that his own squire would betray him and marry the woman he wants. In actuality, it was Viola's twin Sebastian who had married Olivia. Viola has no idea what's going on. In some sense, we, as the audience, are able to laugh at the twin's misfortune because it does not stem from his/her own fault or guilt. If that character had actually been evil or deceitful, this would be more like a drama; we would feel like the play should end with some sort of justice. However, by being able to sympathize with their misfortune, we are able to laugh at it.
I think that in this play, love is represented as an extreme, unrealistic caricature and an element that above everything contributes to the comedic aspects of the play. Malvolio's display of his love for Olivia clearly crosses the line between admiration and obsession, and in a very comedic fashion. The characters also seem to fall in love with little to base their decision on- Duke Orsino loves Olivia from afar; Olivia loves Cesario after one meeting and despite her clearly being a girl, and then suddenly love sebastian when he appears, who seems to immediately love her back. Shakespeare's exaggeration of love serves a comedic and somewhat ridiculous aspect of the play.
ReplyDeleteAs Torie mentioned, without disguise and mistaken identity, there would be no play. In many ways, the issue from which much of the plot arises (in this case, mistaken identity) must be somewhat trivial to allow this play to be comedic. If the problems that the characters are addressing were serious, the audience would have a much more difficult time laughing at the characters.
ReplyDeleteWe also saw mistaken identity as a catalyst for comedy in The Comedy of Errors. However, the comedy that resulted from mistaken identity in Twelfth Night was related primarily to sexuality. It is also similar to The Merchant of Venice in its ending. Both plays end with marriage for the “likeable” characters and misfortune for the antagonist. One interesting thing to observe from a modern perspective is how this misfortune can be perceived in both plays. In Twelfth Night, it’s easy to laugh at Malvolio as his character exists solely to be the butt of all jokes. Shylock, on the other hand, is a much deeper character; the reason that his misfortune could be seen as comedic was a result of the anti-Semitism at the time it was written. However, in a modern context, it’s difficult to look at Shylock without feeling sympathy.
I think that specifically, Viola's disguise is what gets Orsinio to confide as deeply as he does in "Cesario". I have a hard time believing that he would do the same if Viola came to him in her natural form, although it certainly is possible. The problem with this idea is the society in which the play is set; I don't think Orsinio would naturally be open to opening himself up to a woman (especially to a woman he doesn't know all that well) in his position of relative power. I think if she tried getting him to know her and trust her as a woman so she could get a job, she would try and try and the results would come very slowly, if at all. I think her "role" as a young, inexperienced man makes it a lot easier for Orsinio to relate to her; Orsinio feels that he can trust Cesario and that he can even give him some life lessons by working through his problems. Also Cesario gives Orsinio a great perspective on his love issues because in actuality he's a woman-she knows what Olivia must be thinking and how to advise Orsinio. I think this whole thing would only work if Viola came to Orsinio in the form of a somewhat feminine man. Also, in terms of the things Viola gains from being around Orsinio, she gets to know the real him on a very deep level. Orsinio has nothing to hold back if he confides in another man he is comfortable with-thus Viola is experiencing all of Orsinio, her love. That is what sets the stage for their relationship, and I don't think it could be what it is at the end if things happened in another way.
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