Twelfth Night Ironies
In this excerpt of Twelfth Night, Viola, ever still disguised as Cesario, has a discussion with Orsino about Orsino’s supposedly undying love for Olivia, and for that matter the nature of love in itself and all of its benevolence and perplexity. Viola listens to Orsino talk of his quandary to his young, unwise servant; then Viola interrupts Orsino’s melodramatic cries for sympathy with secretly concealed meanings of how Cesario has a sister who was in a similar predicament. Cesario’s sister was in love, but hid her feelings to the one whom mattered. Orsino, though, demonstrates selfish characteristics, as he is interested in what Cesario has to say for a few minutes, he quickly turns back his own longings, and the scene ends with Orsino sending Cesario to try and woo Olivia for Orsino’s behalf, yet again.As there are many obvious ironies in this passage, such as Viola’s facade as Cesario, and the love triangle between Olivia, Viola and Orsino, there are many underlying ironies as well. One that I find particularly humorous is how Orsino refers subtly to women, overall, as lesser beings then men, and how Viola, with an intelligent head on her shoulders, manages to look past his references of women’s less significant f
eelings and still loves him. As Orsino states, “no women’s heart/ So big, to hold so much; they lack retention./ Alas, their love may be called appetite/ No motion of the liver, but the palate”(II.IV.105-108) is severely demeaning to women as a whole. Orsino says that no women’s heart can hold in their love, ergo ‘they lack retention’. I took this line, and the following, as if Orsino was saying that women play with men’s hearts, and are not true or faithful to them. He says that, to women, love is a casual thing, and is not taken seriously. Whereas Orsino’s whole being racks with love for Olivia, he uses the mouth as the area to exemplify how serious women’s feelings are for men, as if all women care about is sexual activity from the opposite sex. This I find comical, because it is often reverse of what is stated. So as Viola and Orsino continue to revel in each of their ongoing ironic depressions, the plot grows thicker as the story carries on. Paradoxes are revealed later on, and although a main character switches identities completely, the overall persona of each Viola and Orsino remains the same. Viola remains naïve, yet somewhat intelligent, and Orsino remains selfish and hypocritical. Each to his own, however I would have really enjoyed seeing Olivia and Orsino end up together… they deserve each other. However, a character analysis on Olivia is another story. Viola, on the other hand, is very intelli
Some topics in this essay:
Viola Orsino,
Sebastian Olivia,
Orsino Orsino’s,
Besides Orsino’s,
Whereas Orsino’s,
Viola Cesario,
Olivia Orsino’s,
Olivia Orsino,
Night Viola,
love olivia,
viola orsino,
,
olivia viola,
selfish hypocritical,
die love,
orsino remains,
sister love,
women’s feelings,
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Approximate Word count = 971
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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