William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy written around 1601. According to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Night for his “all-male company” (Shakespeare 1187). In which during Shakespeare’s time plays were performed by men acting both the female and male roles. The subtitle What You Will “underscores the celebratory spirit associated with Twelfth Night, the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6)” (Shakespeare 1187). Twelfth Night is about twins Viola and Sebastian who become separated in a shipwreck, thinking the other has died. Viola disguises or transforms herself (appearance, voice, and body language) into a man named Cesario. She ends up falling in love with Duke Orsino,
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When Cesario/Viola goes to deliver Orsino’s declaration of love to Olivia once again it results in Olivia declaring her own love for Cesario/Viola. The role reversal for Olivia is shown when she says to Cesario “Do not extort thy reasons from this clause, / For that I woo, thou therefore hast no cause” (Shakespeare 1222). She goes from the one being the object of someone’s affection to the one declaring the affection. Olivia is acknowledging that she has been displaying the male part of her courtship towards Cesario/Viola. When Olivia says “I woo” indicates that the Olivia has taken the place of the man as being the suitor. While the man in the situation is put in the position of the woman where they are the one to be wooed or to be desired. What Olivia is might be trying to convey to Cesario/Viola is that even though she has taken the role of being the one to woo him/her does not mean that he/she cannot woo her back. It is seen once more of Olivia stepping into the male role when she asks Sebastian to marry her thinking he is Cesario/Viola. Olivia says, “Blame not this haste of mine. If you mean well, / Now go with me and with this holy man / Into the chantry nearby” (Shakespeare 1240). Here she has reversed the gender roles again by being the one to ask for the man’s hand in marriage. Traditionally it is the man who asks the …show more content…
Viola’s guise as Cesario causes for her/him to be mistaken as her brother Sebastian when he arrives in Illyria. For instance, when Cesario/Viola is called upon to duel Sir Andrew then Antonio enters mistaking Cesario/Viola for Sebastian when he asks for his bag of money back (Shakespeare 1233). This causes for Cesario/Viola to be confused as she does not know who Antonio is although he insists that they know each other. Viola’s disguise causes for Antonio to think that his friend Sebastian has betrayed him when Cesario/Viola claims not to know who he is. The mistaken identity occurs also with Sebastian when he runs into Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Olivia. They mistake Sebastian as Cesario who actually his sister Viola in disguise. For example, when Olivia asks Sebastian thinking that he is Cesario/Viola to come to her house and he says, “What relish is in this? How runs the stream? / Or I am mad, or else this is a dream” (Shakespeare 1236). Sebastian does not know who Olivia is or have seen her before, but he seems captivated by her that he ends up agreeing to go to her house and later on accepting her proposal even though unbeknownst to Olivia that she did not approached Cesario/Viola. He questions whether he is mad or in a dream. This happens again when Sir Andrew accuses Cesario/Viola that “He broke my head across, and has given Sir Toby a
When Cesario/Viola goes to deliver Orsino’s declaration of love to Olivia once again it results in Olivia declaring her own love for Cesario/Viola. The role reversal for Olivia is shown when she says to Cesario “Do not extort thy reasons from this clause, / For that I woo, thou therefore hast no cause” (Shakespeare 1222). She goes from the one being the object of someone’s affection to the one declaring the affection. Olivia is acknowledging that she has been displaying the male part of her courtship towards Cesario/Viola. When Olivia says “I woo” indicates that the Olivia has taken the place of the man as being the suitor. While the man in the situation is put in the position of the woman where they are the one to be wooed or to be desired. What Olivia is might be trying to convey to Cesario/Viola is that even though she has taken the role of being the one to woo him/her does not mean that he/she cannot woo her back. It is seen once more of Olivia stepping into the male role when she asks Sebastian to marry her thinking he is Cesario/Viola. Olivia says, “Blame not this haste of mine. If you mean well, / Now go with me and with this holy man / Into the chantry nearby” (Shakespeare 1240). Here she has reversed the gender roles again by being the one to ask for the man’s hand in marriage. Traditionally it is the man who asks the …show more content…
Viola’s guise as Cesario causes for her/him to be mistaken as her brother Sebastian when he arrives in Illyria. For instance, when Cesario/Viola is called upon to duel Sir Andrew then Antonio enters mistaking Cesario/Viola for Sebastian when he asks for his bag of money back (Shakespeare 1233). This causes for Cesario/Viola to be confused as she does not know who Antonio is although he insists that they know each other. Viola’s disguise causes for Antonio to think that his friend Sebastian has betrayed him when Cesario/Viola claims not to know who he is. The mistaken identity occurs also with Sebastian when he runs into Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Olivia. They mistake Sebastian as Cesario who actually his sister Viola in disguise. For example, when Olivia asks Sebastian thinking that he is Cesario/Viola to come to her house and he says, “What relish is in this? How runs the stream? / Or I am mad, or else this is a dream” (Shakespeare 1236). Sebastian does not know who Olivia is or have seen her before, but he seems captivated by her that he ends up agreeing to go to her house and later on accepting her proposal even though unbeknownst to Olivia that she did not approached Cesario/Viola. He questions whether he is mad or in a dream. This happens again when Sir Andrew accuses Cesario/Viola that “He broke my head across, and has given Sir Toby a