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Grace Cahill

Evans Jarnefeldt

UHON 3540

8 March 2017

Twelfth Night Character Analysis

In Shakespeares play Twelfth Night, each characters love for a fellow character

creates a series of complicated love connections that will later culminate in a relatively

happy outcome for all involved. However, Shakespeares use of his character Viola, who

remains true to her original desire to be with Duke Orsino instead of falling for another

character, highlights her fellow characters fickleness with what they truly want in life

and love. Therefore, Viola acts as a beacon of truth and honesty with ones self in the

play. Her interactions with Duke Orsino and Olivia towards the end of the play serve as

the best examples of the other characters fickleness and Violas steadfast nature.

Viola interacting with Duke Orsino at the end of the play is one instance of Viola

remaining true to herself and her fellow characters changing what they truly want in their

life. Throughout the play, Duke Orsino only wants to be with Olivia and uses Viola

disguised as Cesario to relay his messages of love to her. On one of her first trips to see

Olivia, Viola claims, My lord and master loves you: O, such love Could be but

recompensed, though you were crown'd The nonpareil of beauty! (Act 1, Scene 5) While

relaying Duke Orsinos messages, Cesario becomes a trusted servant of Duke Orsino

and is heavily relied on. However, at the end of the play Duke Orsino is quick to sentence

Cesario (Viola) to death for marrying Olivia. Through this ordeal, Viola is confused,
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but is willing to do what Duke Orsino desires because she is his servant and she believes

this is what she must do to keep Duke Orsino happy. This instance of Duke Orsino seeing

Viola as a trusted ally and friend to seeing her as a threat to his happiness and desires

while Viola continues to stay true to making Duke Orsino happy even if it means dying,

demonstrates one instance of Viola remaining true to herself, while other characters

change their mind and their desires.

Similarly, at the end of the play after it is revealed that Cesario is actually Viola

and that Sebastian and Viola are brother and sister, Duke Orsino realizes his feelings for

Viola. He then states, And since you call'd me master for so long, Here is my hand: you

shall from this time be Your master's mistress (Act 5, Scene 1). From the beginning of

the play Viola has desired to be with Duke Orsino and spent the entirety of the play

serving him. So after Viola is sentenced to death and then is told that she is going to be

Duke Orsinos mistress, illustrates the fickleness of Duke Orsino and the unchanging

actions of Viola.

Violas interactions with Olivia are also a clear indicator of Violas steadfast

mindset and nature. From the beginning of the play, it has been known that Olivia had

been refusing suitors and Duke Orsinos advancements because of a loss she had

experienced and is still grieving from. As the Captain explained to Viola at the beginning

of the play, A virtuous maid, the daughter of a count That died some twelvemonth since,

then leaving her In the protection of his son, her brother, Who shortly also died: for

whose dear love, They say, she hath abjured the company And sight of men (Act 1,

Scene 2). But, when the dashing young Cesario came to relay Duke Orsinos love
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messages, Olivia found herself falling in love with him more and more after each visit.

Olivia states, Cesario, by the roses of the spring, By maidhood, honour, truth and every

thing, I love thee so, that, maugre all thy pride, Nor wit nor reason can my passion hide

(Act 3, Scene 1). Olivias shift from not wanting any sort of relationship for years to

falling for Cesario in a matter of days demonstrates a clear shift in this characters

mindset. Meanwhile, Viola, disguised as Cesario, continues to ignore Olivias advances

and stays true to her original task of relaying Duke Orsinos messages. This instance of

Olivias changing nature and Viola remaining true to herself and her desires continues to

demonstrate how her characters role in the play is to be the honest and truthful character

to reveal the other characters inability to decide what they want.

Furthermore, in the final scene when all the characters come together, Olivia and

Duke Orsinos drastic changes in their desires only further suggests their fickleness. For

example, Olivias mindset changes from loving her new husband Cesario (Sebastian), to

hating Cesario (Viola) for saying that they didnt get married, and finally to loving both

Viola and Sebastian. This change after change after change that Olivia makes is simply

another instance of her characters inability to decide what she wants for herself and what

her true feelings are as opposed to Violas truthfulness with herself. On the other hand, as

explained above, Duke Orsino switches from seeing Cesario as an ally to a threat to a

wife. Duke Orsino and Olivia both change their minds multiple times throughout the

play, implying that they are unable to determine what they want for themselves in life and

love.
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Throughout the whole play, the character Viola had one objective: dissuade Duke

Orsino from marrying Olivia. From the beginning, Viola had feelings for Duke Orsino

and wanted to be with him, so she gained Duke Orsinos trust and becomes one of his

favorite servants. She continues to relay Duke Orsinos love messages to Olivia and

subsequently fights Olivias advances, all to please her true love Duke Orsino. Violas

steadfast nature reveals the other characters fickleness in their decisions of what they

want and who they love. Therefore, Violas function in the play is to illustrate the other

characters inability to choose what they want and to follow through on these desires. Her

character stands as the only one who knew what they truly wanted and was able to obtain

it.

The actor who would play Viola would need to play the part honestly and without

hesitating on the underlying meaning. From the beginning of the play, Violas intentions

and feelings were evident. Because of this, I do not think that too much energy should be

invested in determining some ulterior motive that her character might have. She is

supposed to be a breath of fresh air for people who desire order and honesty in

comparison to the other characters disorder.

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Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night, http://shakespeare.mit.edu/twelfth_night/full.html