Twelfth Night Flashcards
Viola/Cesario
protagonist. young women of noble birth. after she’s shipwrecked, believing her brother to be dead, she disguises herself as a young man—in order to protect herself as she makes her own way in the world—presenting herself to Orsino as a eunuch. Her disguise ends up trapping her—she can’t tell Orsino that she loves him, and she can’t tell Olivia why she can’t love her back (as Cesario).
Sebastian
Viola’s lost twin brother. He’s traveling with his friend Antonio. Olivia, who has never met him but believes him to be Cesario, wants to marry him. Sebastian is not as well rounded as Viola—he seems to exist purely to fill the role of marrying Olivia.
Orsino
Duke of Illyria. Obsessed with Olivia—He’s in love with the IDEA of being in love with Olivia. Becomes fond of Cesario, who is really Viola, and so this injects some sexual ambiguity into his character.
Olivia
a Countess in Illyria. the object of Orsino’s adoration,
Malvolio
The head servant in Olivia’s household. His haughty attitude makes him the subject of ridicule and cruel jokes from Sir Toby, Maria, and Sir Andrew. He has a strong desire to rise above his social class—which he ultimately fails at—which is revealed through his reading of “Olivia’s” letter.
Act 1 Scene 1: Orsino begins the play and these are his first lines. He wants music to feed his lovesick passion, to OVERDO love, to become literally SICK with love, in order to rid himself of it. Binging on his sadness.
If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it, that surfeiting,
That appetite may sicken and so die.
Significance of Orsino’s opening lines
His sentiment applies to Olivia as well. Orsino continues to bombard her with love, but she’s mourning for her brother. She’ll be veiled for 7 years, string her brother’s memory through her tears — “eye-offending brine”
Act 2 Scene 2: Viola is talking about Olivia & how Olivia has fallen in love with a woman. This quote here highlights gendered indeterminacy. She’s a woman, disguised as a man, talking about her love for a man, and how a woman has fallen in love with her.
Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we /
For such as we are made of, such we be”
Saying that women are able to mold/manipulate because they’re inherent frailty.
Act 5 Scene 1: Orsino looks at Viola and Sebastian, and this is his reaction.
“One face, one voice, one habit, and two persons, / A natural perspective, that is and is not!
The world of Twelfth Night is governed by reflections, and mirror images. The twins, and Viola & Cesario. Orsino is observing a naturally occurring illusion.
Act 2 Scene 5: Malvolio & the letter.
‘I may command where I adore.’ Why, she may command me! I serve her, she is my lady. Why, this is evident to any formal capacity. There is no obstruction in this. And the end — what should that alphabetical position portend? If I could make that resemble something in me. Softly: M.O.A.I —
He’s reading the letter that Maria (Olivia’s gentlewoman) wrote to him, pretending to be Olivia. In the letter, “Olivia” is confessing her love for someone, whose initials are suspiciously similar to Malvolio’s. This is meant to be comical.
THEMES
Service & the master-servant dynamics.
- Both Maria and Malvolio are in servant positions within Olivia’s household. Maria is able to marry Sir Toby and escape her position as a gentlewoman, but Malvolio is not able to escape his own position of servitude. Perhaps it’s because Maria is a woman, that she has an easier time at upward mobility.
