What is Love? Shannon L. Alder (author of 300 Questions novels) being the sage she is, has her own concept on unrequited love itself: “Every broken heart has screamed at one time or another: "Why can 't you see who I truly am?". Her idea of the mindset belonging to those suffering a desire-filled heart, which connects to the theme of love in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. His depiction of affection takes place in the 1600’s, centering around siblings Viola and Sebastian crash near Illyria in their boat along with their crew. While Sebastian is presumed lost, Viola is alive and left to pose as a man (Cesario) to protect her own identity. She, in disguise, is to woo Countess Olivia on behalf of Duke Orsino, where complicated feelings
…show more content…
In the midst of a prank gone too far, Malvolio finds himself daydreaming about a reality where he and the Countess are together and he is no longer of lower status: “To be Count Malvolio!” (No Fear Shakespeare: Twelfth Night 2.5.2-7). Malvolio appears to be very in love with (the idea of) Olivia and plays it out in his mind, and then he finds a planted note leading him to believe his feelings are mutual, truly beginning a long journey for Malvolio of extreme displays of passion and mental abuse. There are many situations in the piece where Viola is in positions of emotional pain, but overall for a majority of the story, she has to be a wingman of sorts for her love while never revealing her true self. Imagine the self-control needed to hide not only how she felt but who she was to the person she felt most comfortable with in this difficult time. Also for poor Viola, she must converse with Olivia often while the Countess conveys her feelings to a person she believes to be a man (Cesario). Both characters are put in such a difficult position, having to respect the other’s feelings while still having personal desires. In these times of suffering, no character is successful in coming to a point of closure or control, and not until the very end do anyone have sense of …show more content…
Viola, who truly lead the novel, found great bliss with both being reunited with her brother Sebastian (whom she loved as family) and matched with her romantic love Duke Orsino: "Your master quits… your master’s mistress” (5.1.15). While Viola found what she truly desired, Olivia had her expectations almost met as well. The Countess stumbled upon a perfect Viola replacement, brother Sebastian, whom she seemed to be almost content to be with. Though neither can really be sure this pairing is in either of their best interests, it seems to work for the time being as they both do not have a better option and already married each other. On the other end of the spectrum lives Malvolio, who basically was mistreated from start to finish. The prank had been revealed to him, and he was left embarrassed and heart-broken with a twinkle of revenge in his eye: “I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you” (5.1.17). These three levels of outcomes are quite different and are not all that satisfactory. In the power of suffering and blind obsession, characters allowed love guide them until the end, for better or for
In the midst of a prank gone too far, Malvolio finds himself daydreaming about a reality where he and the Countess are together and he is no longer of lower status: “To be Count Malvolio!” (No Fear Shakespeare: Twelfth Night 2.5.2-7). Malvolio appears to be very in love with (the idea of) Olivia and plays it out in his mind, and then he finds a planted note leading him to believe his feelings are mutual, truly beginning a long journey for Malvolio of extreme displays of passion and mental abuse. There are many situations in the piece where Viola is in positions of emotional pain, but overall for a majority of the story, she has to be a wingman of sorts for her love while never revealing her true self. Imagine the self-control needed to hide not only how she felt but who she was to the person she felt most comfortable with in this difficult time. Also for poor Viola, she must converse with Olivia often while the Countess conveys her feelings to a person she believes to be a man (Cesario). Both characters are put in such a difficult position, having to respect the other’s feelings while still having personal desires. In these times of suffering, no character is successful in coming to a point of closure or control, and not until the very end do anyone have sense of …show more content…
Viola, who truly lead the novel, found great bliss with both being reunited with her brother Sebastian (whom she loved as family) and matched with her romantic love Duke Orsino: "Your master quits… your master’s mistress” (5.1.15). While Viola found what she truly desired, Olivia had her expectations almost met as well. The Countess stumbled upon a perfect Viola replacement, brother Sebastian, whom she seemed to be almost content to be with. Though neither can really be sure this pairing is in either of their best interests, it seems to work for the time being as they both do not have a better option and already married each other. On the other end of the spectrum lives Malvolio, who basically was mistreated from start to finish. The prank had been revealed to him, and he was left embarrassed and heart-broken with a twinkle of revenge in his eye: “I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you” (5.1.17). These three levels of outcomes are quite different and are not all that satisfactory. In the power of suffering and blind obsession, characters allowed love guide them until the end, for better or for