Twelfth Night

 

 

Creative Task Article

The Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare is one of the most remarkable romantic comedy plays. The play encompasses all features of a romantic comedy; a wedding, mistaken identities, misunderstanding, and a happily ever after.  Just like all Shakespearian comedies, this one also ends with a wedding. Shakespeare has explored the concept of desire as a fickle that overrides forces strong enough to overturn the social order. The play is set in the kingdom of Illyria.  It revolves around the nobleman Orsino, Lady Olivia, Viola, who also plays Cesario, Sebastian, Antonio, and Malvolio. When Shakespeare was writing the play, there was no real place called Illyria.  In the Twelfth Night, Shakespeare has weaved together real and invented place to complete the play.

Viola is a tremendously likeable figure as she lacks no serious faults. Moreover, we can easily discount her decision to dress as a man since it sets the entire play in motion. As a character who seems like the purest of them, it was interesting and intriguing to get to know her better. As the characters' passion and love interests shift from one person to the other that of Olivia does not fickle, and as a result, she seems to be the only character that is genuinely passionate and in love. Viola has argued that her undying loves is the most remarkable aspect of herself, "how I love is what defines me, my loves for all those around me is pure and true and doesn't change, I think that is what makes me a good servant, sister, and lover nonetheless this love brings me great pain ." this is evidenced in her dramatic soliloquy in lines 14-41 of act 2 scene 2 where Shakespeare utilizes tone, diction, and personification to explain how her disguise brings about a conflict in the form of a love triangle. One might think a character like Viola has no problem since she can disguise herself successfully and nobody suspects her until she reveals herself to her brother; however, she begs to differ when she says, "I have a serious identity issue as a result of the disguise, I must be both myself and Cesario." Her mounting identity cumulates to the final scene in act 5, scene 1.  She is in a tight spot when she finds herself surrounded by people who have different ideas concerning who she is, while in the real sense, none of them is aware of who she is.
            Viola exists in a world where erotic desire can wreak havoc on the structures in society. Moreover, she is in a world where people move with speed and ease as one lovers' desires shift from one object of desire to another.  Desire hop from one person to another, and none of the characters pays any regard for social status, gender, and all other limits set by the civil society. 

Analytical essay

Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy; therefore, it is only fitting to explore the theme of love as a cause of suffering.  The plays offer a happy ending since all the lovers finally find love.  Love is a cause of great suffering in the play and is one of the most prominent themes.  The characters have a negative view of love. These characters view love as a curse placed upon them, and they cannot willingly escape. Olivia refuses to see anyone while mourning the loss of her brother, Cesario (viola) is in love with Duke Orsino, but she cannot confess her love due to her disguise. Olivia is in love with Cesario, who is not even a man.  There is also a love triangle between Olivia, Orsino, Viola. There is also Antonio's crush on Sebastian. Despite these characters finding love and wedded bliss, Shakespeare has used them to show how love can be two-sided and a great cause of pain.

The majority of the characters claim that they suffer from love, either from being in love or from unrequited love.  In many instances, Orsino has negatively described love. In one instance, he describes love as an appetite that he cannot satisfy (Act 2. Scene 5). Olivia, on the other hand, bluntly refers to love as a plague from which she suffers from.  Love becomes a source of violence in the play; in this regard, Orsino threatens to kill Cesario because he thinks his servant has forsaken him to become Olivia's lover. In the play, love is also viewed as an exclusionary factor, in the sense that at the end of the play, some characters achieve happiness and find love while others don't (Act 2. Scene 1). The character of Malvolio and Antonio do not find love at the end. Malvolio, who is deeply in love with Olivia, is forced to face the reality that he is a fool and Olivia would never love him back with the same intensity. Antonio cannot find happiness by loving Sebastian as the existing social structures do not gratify his sexual attraction to a fellow man. All these suffering and struggles brought a lot of pain to these characters and are an indication that love cannot conquer all obstacles.

            All in all, in Twelfth Night Shakespeare, has managed to show that love has two sides, one that brings pain and one that brings joy and happiness. The majority of the characters struggle with finding love; either it is too complicated or unrequited. Through this romantic comedy, Shakespeare has shown that love can cause a lot of pain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Shakespeare, W., (1788).  Twelfth Night or What You Will.