.
Much like Orsino, Olivia brings much amusement to the play. She comes off as someone who is grief-stricken because of the death of her brother. We later discover that she is bored and that she really desires to love. Olivia wears a metaphorical mask possibly for different reasons. One likely reason for her behavior is the fact that she is not interested in any suitors that live in Illyria. She exudes affection towards Viola because she is uncommon and for the fact that her affections are not returned. Still properly an actor in comedy, Olivia quickly changes from the character who has confused herself with a socially attractive mask to one which society has imposed on another (Summers, 1955). .
Viola is in a situation where she has no time for love nor grief-in-idleness. She is in a foreign land all by herself. All that she possesses are wit, intelligence and the friendship of the Captain. Although she has lost a brother just like Olivia, she does not have the luxury for conventional mourning. Olivia's mourning is quickly exchanged for hope that, since she was saved, maybe her brother was as well. Viola felt like she needed to know what her estate was before she decided to go to the "new world."" By this action, we are reminded that society often requires a mask, neither for the relief of boredom nor the enjoyment of action, but merely for self-preservation (Summers, 1955). It is interesting that Viola chooses to impersonate Cesario from necessity, but later plays her part with undisguised enjoyment. Although Viola does a great job pretending to be Cesario, she never lets us forget about the biological distance between the two. Sebastian is the reality of which Cesario is the artful imitation. He does not assume any disguises. Viola and the residents of Illyria have assumed the disguise for him. When Sebastian enters the play, he is the object of our laughter. It is so not because he has confused himself with an improper mask, but because he kept insisting on his own identity when the rest of the characters insisted otherwise.
