Preview

Viola Character Analysis Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
914 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Viola Character Analysis Essay
Viola
She is a immensely likeable character in this play, and she does not have serious faults. Her love unlike the other characters in the play, seem to be the only form of passionate and true love, as compared to self-indulgent love sickness.
(Act two Scene four)
She pined in thought. and with yellow and green melancholy, she sat like patience on a monument. smiling at grief, was it not love indeed?
"Patience on a monument" is an allegory figure of Patience adorned on the Renaissance tombstones . With this, Viola is comparing her imaginary sister (herself, whom she concealed from Orsino, and known to Orsino as Cesario the servant boy) with a statue. This is a contrast of a living thing and a dead thing, which symbolises the passion in her love compared to Orsino's grandeur self-indulgent love, her passion being alive and burning which is silent and eternal-enduring, while his love sickness another form of "dead" love, a love which is fake and untrue, a love which only consists of himself. Using a tomb to show love, also shows that love ultimately is fatal, and brings death of the heart should the person not requite their love.

Orsino & Olivia
These two are similarly alike in
…show more content…
So that he will have an overdose of it, and will cease to desire for love anymore. In this quote, Shakespear portrays Orsino as a self-indulgent indiviual, because when you lack love you had two options- starving yourself from it, or to stuff yourself with it. With this logic in mind, Orsino decided to stuff himself with it, which shows his self-indulgence, because he'd rather stuff and lament after that he has no more love, than to starve and lament that he is hungry for love. Because of his upbringing as a noble, he does not face hardships and therefore contributes to such a hedonistic

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the book A Separate Piece by John Knowles, A group of teenage boys attend a selective boarding school in New Hampshire called Devon. Throughout the novel, the characters experience the prominent effects of World War II. From rotten apples to the disappearance of maids, the lives of boys at Devon were changing rapidly. Also, because most of the characters were on their way to turning 18, they are faced with the decision of whether to enlist or wait to be drafted.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “In 2018, we will bring real change to a new generation of women who will carry with them constant reminders that they are not only Canada’s future, but a celebrated part of our history.” (Morneau, 2016). Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced that a Canadian woman will be honoured and represented on our Banknotes. A list of women has been released and the public was asked to vote on which woman they believe should be represented on the banknote.…

    • 271 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Her character greatly affected all the characters in the novel. She was the spokes holding their family wheel together. Darl longed for her approval, while Jewel had her sitting on a pedestal. Anse, even through all his selfish, narcissistic ways, looked up to her and felt attached to her, even beyond her death. He felt like he owed her something. Her character is similar to Vardaman’s character in the sense that they are both unable to fully express themselves. Vardaman resorts to comparisons such as ‘my mother is a fish’ (pg. 84) while Addie resorts to having an affair with Whitefield.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    While reading the novel, 'My Antonia', one can very quickly notice that author, Willa Cather has much admiration for the character, Antonia. Throughout 'My Antonia', readers can conclude that Antonia is a very optimistic and inteligent girl who grows into an independent young woman. Due to such characteristics, many people could very easily find themselves admiring Antonia.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I believe that Kathleen Norris is correct when she says that "in many ways the world of My Ántonia is still with us, a neglected but significant part of America,” because we still have people coming into our country hoping to fulfill the American dream and having the country fall short of their expectations.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    She is a naïve virgin who excitedly marries a shallow rich and emotionless Marquis. She comes from a family who is not quite poor but with limited financial resources you need to get married to survive; she is aware that marquis is well endowed and insists that although she cannot resist him but does not love him; the marriage is simply how it ought to be. But, choosing to be swept away by glamour and wealth she continues to ignore the dangers. She always mentions how every time she looks at him he looks as though he is hiding behind a mask and it isn’t until the opera where she realizes one expression, lust; he sees her only as a sexual object. At the time this makes her excited due to her naivety, this is made clear when she says she recalls, "for the first time in my innocent and confined life, I sensed in myself a potentiality for corruption that took my breath away." (11 Carter) Not aware that targeted her for her innocence and how easy it would be to corrupt her young mind. Showering her with symbols of bad luck (the opal ring) and doom (Ruby Chocker) unaware that him and his staff are always maintaining a gaze upon her; waiting for her to make mistakes so he could punish her. As time goes on, the more time she spends more time with her husband the excitement fades into loneliness and feelings of oppression; always performing for her husband and being molded by all…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Of all Shakespeare's female characters Lady Macbeth stands out far beyond the rest — remarkable for her ambition, strength of will, cruelty, and dissimulation” (Traits of Lady). Lady Macbeth is usually viewed as an interesting character because of her notable traits. Her cruelty, cunning, and manipulation certainly contribute to one’s fascination with her. However, equally intriguing are Lady Macbeth’s notorious views she possesses. The unyielding views Lady Macbeth holds on manhood, womanhood, and guilt greatly affect her life.…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The reason I enjoy her character so much, is because how she goes against typical archetypes that writers tend to give a main character in this situation. Instead of being optimistic and tackling things head on, she only really cares about one thing and that is survival. While we as the reader see that she is a caring person to people close to her, she can come across as cold and distant to others. She finds peace in solitude which is something I can relate to. Throughout the course of the book and the entire trilogy as a whole she fundamentally does not change. Her main focus is survival and doesn’t not want to be the center of attention, which is something that is thrust upon her, whether she wants it or not. The reason she chose this is not for fame or glory, but a last ditch effort to protect her sister, even if it meant her life. She at this point in the story is forced to be outside her element, and try to keep the promise to her sister that she would be the winner of the…

    • 1587 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    whole play, the audience know her as a heartless evil woman, but still she manage to be a…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sheila Birling

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages

    As the play progresses, her character begins to change and she is shown as understanding.…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    After Reconstruction ended in 1877, U.S. pressed the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments but African Americans did not receiving much support. However there was a lack of economic progress relating to business and wealth. The Piano Lesson has a character named Boy Willie who is a thirty-year-old African American that is Berniece’s brother. He was a sharecropper who wanted his own land, and told Berniece to the family piano so that he could buy his own land to farm. The Piano Lesson is a 1990 play written by August Wilson, that sets in 1936.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cruel Intentions Analysis

    • 2401 Words
    • 10 Pages

    She is a manipulative girl. She’s as bad as him, and plays with boys. She doesn’t believe in love anymore, for her it is just a game. Actually this could be explained by the fact that her last love story didn’t end well and she has been rejected by him. Pain leads her to revenge, and uses Cecile to obtain it.…

    • 2401 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Twelfth Night Essay

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Self-love is one's self indulgence disguised as love in order to fulfill or satisfy one's egotism. In Twelfth Night, self-love is represented by the characters of Olivia, Orsino and Malvolio. Olivia embodies self-love which is clearly depicted in the scene where she mourns for her dead brother and she locks herself in her own world, refusing to speak to any guests until Viola comes along to deliver Orsino's message of love. After delivering her message, Olivia approaches Viola by sending her a diamond ring (Act I Scene V). This indicates the Olivia was indulging herself in the thought of love for her brother since she completely forgets about him at the first appearance of Viola disguised as Cesario. Also, in this scene, two motifs are shown in delivering messages - Viola and the diamond ring. They…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main character, Viola, hides her identity through the duration of the play by dressing as a male figure (Cesario) who is seen as her twin brother Sebastian. She disguises herself as a male in order to have a superior ranking in society by working for the Duke Orsino. This position allowed her to enjoy the great responsibility and respect…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Over the centuries many people have complained that William Shakespeare did an inadequate job of steering the readers of Hamlet to a specific interpretation of each character. Each reader is left to decide the true extent of Hamlet's evil and insane ways or to realize that he clearly is a victim of circumstances beyond his control, therefore declaring him innocent. Because of William Shakespeare's writing style, the reader receives little help in discovering who is truly innocent and who is as guilty as Claudius.…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics