Shakespeare repeatedly challenges social structure through twisting traditional gender roles in Twelfth Night with the twin characters, Viola and Sebastian. Shakespeare has complicated the gender roles between Viola and Sebastian by cloaking Viola as male, not only through her dialogue (and Sebastian’s as well) but through her persona. Shakespeare chooses this idea in his writing to flow the characterization of these two perplexing individuals who washed up on shore and focused on their arrival to Illyria. From the beginning of Twelfth Night when Viola discovers Illyria to when Sebastian is rescued by an intrigued sailor and brought to Illyria, both characters use expression in their dialogue that don’t fit their gender stereotypes to exaggerate
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They are both accompanied by members of the land around Illyria, brought to the town, and are welcomed to stay. Viola immediately after realizing her situation, chose to disguise herself as a man (Cesario) and work for Orsino. Her choice battles what a woman would “normally choose” when under this sort of situation. Viola decides to take matters into her own hands and chooses that it is best to be an advantage rather than a lesser who washed up on shore. She chooses to hide any weakness presented to Orsino as a way to keep what she has going for her in Orsino’s …show more content…
Fare ye well at once: my bosom is full of kindness, and I am yet so near the manners of my mother, that upon the least occasion more mine eyes will tell tales of me. (2.1.35-38)
In the first quoted chunk from lines 22-26, Sebastian describes Viola in comparison to himself as her twin and describes her beauty and how it matches his. Already Sebastian chooses the route of beauty over bravery or some other masculine trait. In lines 35-38, Sebastian explains how his mannerisms are very similar to his own mother’s, and describes himself as full of kindness while using the word “bosom”. He features himself as a gentle and beautiful individual. Without indication of which character is which in Twelfth Night, Viola and Sebastian could be mistaken for each other easily to a reader who is unfamiliar with whose dialogue belongs to
They are both accompanied by members of the land around Illyria, brought to the town, and are welcomed to stay. Viola immediately after realizing her situation, chose to disguise herself as a man (Cesario) and work for Orsino. Her choice battles what a woman would “normally choose” when under this sort of situation. Viola decides to take matters into her own hands and chooses that it is best to be an advantage rather than a lesser who washed up on shore. She chooses to hide any weakness presented to Orsino as a way to keep what she has going for her in Orsino’s …show more content…
Fare ye well at once: my bosom is full of kindness, and I am yet so near the manners of my mother, that upon the least occasion more mine eyes will tell tales of me. (2.1.35-38)
In the first quoted chunk from lines 22-26, Sebastian describes Viola in comparison to himself as her twin and describes her beauty and how it matches his. Already Sebastian chooses the route of beauty over bravery or some other masculine trait. In lines 35-38, Sebastian explains how his mannerisms are very similar to his own mother’s, and describes himself as full of kindness while using the word “bosom”. He features himself as a gentle and beautiful individual. Without indication of which character is which in Twelfth Night, Viola and Sebastian could be mistaken for each other easily to a reader who is unfamiliar with whose dialogue belongs to