... for the women in Twelfth Night, especially for Olivia, to marry within their class so as to protect and sustain their social position. Also like Hermia, Olivia is determined to love who she wants and on her own terms; for this reason she invents the excuse that she is mourning for her deceased brother when gentlemen callers come to woo her ... their condemnation of Gertrude's behavior. An alternate reading, however, may yield other possible meanings. Regardless of whether Shakespeare intended the reader to condone or to condemn Gertrude's decision to marry Claudius after the death of he...

• Word Count: 2208
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Graduate