Olivia And The Fool In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

William Shakespeare had a talent for making characters that are able to be interpreted many different ways, whether in relationships, or just alone. This is shown very well in his famous play, Twelfth Night. As a comedy written for the twelfth night festivities that are celebrated around the Christmas season, it is expected to have very well liked characters to keep those watching, entertained. It succeeds in doing just that, and also succeeds in have very deep, almost tragic moments. These diverse and well-rounded characters who go through so much in such a little amount of time, all have so many different interpretations that add to the play and make it even more amazing. Two very important characters who can both be interpreted in different ways, are the aristocrat, Olivia and the fool, Feste. While separately seen as complex characters with complex interpretations, Olivia and Feste’s relationship is rarely even considered by those analyzing the play. The most obvious ways to take their relationship, are whether it is romantic or either purely a friendship. Both of these rely on how their characters are acted and fleshed out, not just how they interact. One interpretation of Feste and Olivia’s relationship is that they’re purely good friends, nothing more, nothing less. Throughout the play, the fool is shown to …show more content…
While their relationship is constantly being overlooked and not seen as important as some of the other ones in the play, their relationship is actually very important for the overall structure. Olivia and Feste have a bond that is shown through text and subtext, between Feste’s relationship with Malvolio, the songs he sings, and how Olivia interacts with him. While them being in love is the stronger interpretation, it must be swept under the rug, due to the differences between their class, and Olivia’s rising love for