twelfth night appearance vs reality
Posted by Nicole Smith, Dec 6, 2011FictionNo CommentsPrint
Many of the problems and confusions in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” are the result of gender bending episodes, many of which involve disguise and deceit of one form or another. In the most prominent examples of disguise and appearance versus reality in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare,appearances hide an important reality and sometimes actually hinder a character from developing or attaining his or her desire. Certainly, Viola in “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare is the clearest example since her love for Orsino must go unrecognized until the appearance is exchanged for reality.
Furthermore, the problems associated with deceit and reality create tension in “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare, especially in the case of Malvolio. In addition to these more explicit examples of appearances not matching reality, there are other aspects to the play that are not entirely clear in terms of gender. For example, the typical love relationships in “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare, especially between men, are often confused and somewhat ambiguous. Although by the end of “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare, the reader is assured by the marriages and heterosexual unions of the central characters, one cannot completely ignore the larger implications and suggestions made such episodes of gender bending. The comedic nature of Twelfth Night is produced as a result of these mix-ups and without them, this could easily have been a tragedy in which frustrated lovers were scorned and siblings were lost and mourned for years.
The action of “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare is driven by Viola’s decision to voluntarily conceal her identity and go to work as a servant for the lovesick Orsino instead of Olivia. In one of the important quotes from Twelfth Night by Shakespeare She tells the Captain that she wishes to become a eunuch and begs him to, “Conceal me what I am, and be my aid / For such disguise as haply shall become / The form of my
Many of the problems and confusions in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” are the result of gender bending episodes, many of which involve disguise and deceit of one form or another. In the most prominent examples of disguise and appearance versus reality in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare,appearances hide an important reality and sometimes actually hinder a character from developing or attaining his or her desire. Certainly, Viola in “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare is the clearest example since her love for Orsino must go unrecognized until the appearance is exchanged for reality.
Furthermore, the problems associated with deceit and reality create tension in “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare, especially in the case of Malvolio. In addition to these more explicit examples of appearances not matching reality, there are other aspects to the play that are not entirely clear in terms of gender. For example, the typical love relationships in “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare, especially between men, are often confused and somewhat ambiguous. Although by the end of “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare, the reader is assured by the marriages and heterosexual unions of the central characters, one cannot completely ignore the larger implications and suggestions made such episodes of gender bending. The comedic nature of Twelfth Night is produced as a result of these mix-ups and without them, this could easily have been a tragedy in which frustrated lovers were scorned and siblings were lost and mourned for years.
The action of “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare is driven by Viola’s decision to voluntarily conceal her identity and go to work as a servant for the lovesick Orsino instead of Olivia. In one of the important quotes from Twelfth Night by Shakespeare She tells the Captain that she wishes to become a eunuch and begs him to, “Conceal me what I am, and be my aid / For such disguise as haply shall become / The form of my