Twelfth Night By Shakespeare Essay, Research Paper

In Shakespeare?s plays, seeing is not always believing, and in his play Twelfth Night, the rule is no different. One of the main characters in the play is Viola, who spends most of her time dressing as the other sex. It is not necessarily Viola who has a great purpose to the play, however the gentleman that she is playing is.

We first meet Viola just after she has been rescued by sailors from a sinking ship. Although it is not mentioned at first, Viola has twin brother who she presumes went don with the ship.

Now with no family alive, Viola decides she must support herself. She comes up with a plan, in which she?ll work for Count Orsino, but not as the female Viola, but for the sake of the times, as the male Cesario.

Viola is the typical 2001 woman; only she is in the 16th century. Her disguise is indeed effective; this is proven by Olivia who falls in love with Cesario. What is so enchanting about Viola is the innocence that she brings to playing Cesario. This is why so many of the characters come to embrace and love Cesario, both as a friend and as something a little more. She is so appealing to the scandalous citizens, because she, as far as they she has no scandalous secrets to hide. Her portrayal of Cesario is so innocent and sincere that even the Duke, who is madly in love with Olivia, begins to question his true feelings for him.

It is interesting to note the contrast between Olivia and Viola. Viola displays intelligence, self-control and has a mature respect for love. Her views of love are confident, compared to Olivia who has no concept of the idea of true love. Although Viola is hardly seen as her female self, she has such an understanding of both sexes. It is this stature, which makes Viola stand out in the comparison of Shakespeare?s other female characters.