FREE ESSAY ON TWELFTH NIGHT BY SHAKESPEARE

TWELFTH NIGHT BY SHAKESPEARE

In the play Twelfth Night Shakespeare shows how anyone can be blinded by love and act so
impulsively to satisfy their appetite for love, that often they fall in love with a
fa?ade rather then the person behind the disguise. Also Shakespeare also shows how people
are apt to ignore the evidence that disproves the disguise they have fallen in love with.
Almost all of the characters in Twelfth Night fell in love with a disguise; I will detail
the confusing relationships and disguises used in the play to show the blindness of
love.
Olivia is easily the largest victim to love and disguise. Olivia quickly falls in love
with Viola, who is disguised as Cesario. Olivia realizes how far from manly Cesario is,
he has very effeminate features and lack of any facial hair. Olivia disregards these
features and believes that he maybe just a eunuch. Olivia is obviously blinded by love in
this case for a number of reasons; she ignores the evidence that points to Cesario as
actually being a female. Second she justifies his features as him just being a eunuch,
but never really addresses the issue that she is in love with a eunuch who of course
would never be able to sexually please her or give her children. Whether Cesario is
really a woman or if he is a eunuch, the love that Olivia has is futile and unrealistic.
When Sebastian, Viola's brother, encounters Olivia for the first time, she believes that
this is Cesario and gains the courage to ask for his hand in marriage. Once again this is
evidence of how blinded by love Olivia is, she believes that Sebastian is the person she
is in love with when really he is a stranger and she disregards his comments about not
knowing her. Later in the play, when Viola reveals herself, Olivia's reaction to this is
very calm for she has married the disguise that she has fallen in love with.
Antonio, the friend of Sebastian, falls deeply in love with Sebastian after caring for
him for so long after the shipwreck. Antonio never considers the thought that Sebastian
may not love him back because Antonio is so focused on his love. Antonio is unrelenting
with his love towards Sebastian to the point that he risks his life by accompanying him
to Illyria, where he is a wanted man. The disguise that Sebastion wears is not one he
deliberately puts on, but one that Antonio places on him to disguise any signs that his
love may be one sided. Finally the disguise is violently torn away when Antonio learns
that Sebastian has married Olivia so abruptly.
Malvolio is deeply in love with Olivia, whom he is a servant to. He has often received
negative signals from her, but he does not pay attention to them. Malvolio receives a
note that Maria left for him as a trick and Malvolio quickly believes that it is from
Olivia to him. Malvolio is so content with the idea of Olivia finally showing her
affection for him that he doesn't question why, in the note, she asks him to act so oddly
or hear the snickering of the pranksters watching him.
There is also the idea that Olivia's power and beauty causes many to fall for her.
Orsino, Sebastian, Sir Andrew, and Malvolio all are in love with Olivia, but it may just
be the shallow love for money and beauty and not one for true love that causes this.
Sebastian agrees to marry her without ever knowing her prior to that moment, but he
immediately falls in love with her beauty and doesn't second-guess the marriage
acceptance. Malvolio is probably enticed by the notion that he is subservient to Olivia,
she is rich and powerful and to marry her would raise him from this status. Orsino
although already rich and powerful probably is interested in marrying an equally powerful
person to increase his wealth and power. And finally Sir Andrew who is also enticed by
the acquisition of money and power through marrying someone who is also beautiful. Olivia
does not use this as a disguise however her suitors never look past this fa?ade to see
the real Olivia. Although I make no inference that this fa?ade hides an evil monster I
just say that the men never look past it because they like what they see and ask for
nothing more.
Orsino may be the only exception to my thesis because he looks past the disguise of
Cesario and falls in love with Viola regardless of her dressing as a boy. When Orsino
learns the Cesario is really Viola his actions though are pretty hasty. Orsino gives no
second thought to the fact that he has fallen in love with a woman while she was
disguised as a man. Orsino is mostly happy because now his love can be accepted and
Viola, who also loves him, can happily marry.
In conclusion the characters in Twelfth Night are very quick to fall in love with the
surface disguise of a person rather than looking any further and questioning their love.
Also the characters often disregard any evidence that destroys the disguise they love.
Although this practice may often be very shortsighted in the time frame of the play most
of the characters are happy at the end.