Sixth Blogpost, Or What You Will
Throughout William Shakespeare's novel Twelfth Night Or, What You Will the theme of disguising one's identity is interweaved with the complexities of love. The twisted love triangle of Olivia, Duke, Viola, and Cesario is evermore complicated since Olivia and Duke aren't aware that Viola is shielding her true identity and is impersonating being a male, Cesario. This dynamic and the complexity of the love triangle causes each character suffering in the novel.
This romantic comedy by Shakespeare highlights the complexities of love utilizing disguise. Duke suffers from love from his one-sided affection for Olivia, Olivia is drawn to Cesario who is uninterested, and Viola is in love with Duke yet is pretending to be a male. However, it is Cesario/Viola whose courageousness, for restarting a life all on her own in the new land of Illyria, and her strong-willed personality that makes the reader believe that Viola's love for Duke pure. Viola, acting as Cesario, was willing to do whatever Duke wanted such as wooing Olivia, just to make him happy. Since Cesario and Duke had a deep bond based on trust and depth, their love triumphs the other characters lust. In the beginning of the novel, both Olivia and Duke were similar in manner. They were both overemotional and theatric. Duke was lovesick about the idea of Olivia and Olivia was devastated by her brother's death. The irony is that the one who was disguised, Cesario/Viola, is the character that forced both Olivia and Duke out of their melodramatic manners. Since this was a comedic play, the ending was happy in that the majority of the characters found love and marriage in the end of the novel.
I found that relating this theme into my service at Tunbridge Public Charter School quite challenging. The first-graders I work with haven't yet developed their hormones that affect one's behavior and decisions. I would be quite shocked if I had walked into the classroom and seen a first-grader with a similar love-sick demeanor as Duke had in the beginning of the novel. However, one way the kids in the classroom relate to Twelfth Night is their desire for fulfilling companionship and relationships with their friends and family. When discussing what we were thankful for, in preparation of Thanksgiving, most of the students mentioned being thankful for their best friend or more commonly, being thankful for one of their parents. This gratitude for such a relationship is also present in Shakespeare's novel. In the happy ending, the characters are all grateful for their loved ones and they celebrate life and liberty (with the minor exception of Malvolio).
I found this class very worthwhile and I would recommend this class (if it wasn't already a university requirement). I went into this class slightly dragging my feet because I was picturing tedious novels in which I would spend hours deciphering, however, I couldn't have been more wrong. The poems, short stories, and novels were interesting and thought-provoking with relevant topics such as image, freedom, liberty, and humanity that related to my coursework in other classes. Most importantly, this Understanding Literature class helped develop my analytical skills which I believe to be one of the most important skill sets to have both in college and in the post-graduation world.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
BLOG6
Victoria Jamiel
Dr. Ellis
Understanding Lit
20 November 2013
Romance Resolution
In the play Twelfth
Night, by William Shakespeare, the complications of love through an entangled
love triangle, deceit, and disguise reign superior in the character’s lives. One
of the main characters, Viola, disguises herself as a man, works for and falls in
love with Duke Orsino, who is in love with Olivia. Undenying passion of love can look past any disguise and
overcome any obstacle that comes in its path. Through the challenges presented
in Twelfth Night, romantic love becomes
eminent and unavoidable.
True
love cannot be forced; rather it is a result of an instant connection. Viola
found herself alone, and in need of a fresh start. She disguised herself as a
man in order to work for Duke Orsino. While working for him, she fell madly in
love with him, despite the fact that he loved another woman. After Orsino
instructed Viola to woo Oliva, she exclaimed, “I’ll do my best to woo your
lady: [Aside] yet, a barful strife! Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife”
(Shakespeare 9). Not only does Viola find herself challenged by her hidden
identity, but she is forced to woo another woman for the man she loves. This
obstacle emphasizes how deep and pure Viola’s love for Orsino is. She is
willing to put her needs and wants aside in order to make him happy. Although
it would be easy for Viola to set her feelings aside, romantic love is
ever-present and unavoidable.
Love
that is planned cannot surpass love based on instinct. In the beginning of the
play, Duke Orsino was convinced he loved Olivia. His love for her was purely
based on his selfish need for a lover. He had a strong, emotion-filled
connection with Viola (Cesario) based on trust. When faced with the rejection
his love for Olivia diminished; but when he found out about Viola’s disguise
his love was prevalent. After his discovery, Orsino professed, “…Here is my
hand: you shall from this time be your master’s mistress” (69). Orsino’s forced
love for Olivia could not prevail when faced with a challenged. His romantic
love for Viola stood the test of disguise and deceit. Regardless of obstacles
true love reigned victorious.
Thinking
back on a lecture I attended by David Yezzi last Thursday, I cannot help but
see the same theme of love conquering challenges. Although it is not as
dramatic as described in Shakespeare’s play, Yezzi’s writing career was nothing
simply handed to him. In order to become director, editor, and successful
writer he had to overcome several obstacles in order to achieve his dreams and
continue doing what he truly loved. As he spoke in font of the large audience,
I could not help but see the passion eminent in his eyes. It made me think that
no matter how hard things may seem, as long as I am doing what I truly love, it
will all be worth it in the end.
Furthermore,
this type of self-reflection and realization exhibited from both the play and
lecture has been a common reaction of mine throughout the semester. Through
both iExamens, and plays read such as “I Walk as lonely as a Cloud,” I have
realized the importance of appreciating the simple aspects of every day life
that I habitually take for granted each day. I was surprised by how simple it
is to take a step back and just appreciate the beauty of nature and those that
surround me every day.
In
conclusion, challenges are a normal occurrence in life but when faced by pure love
and passion they can be overcome. The love triangle in Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, sorted itself out based
on pure feelings. Yezzi is a successful figure known across the country for his
literature despite the obstacles along his way. Lastly, I have found love and
joy for the simple things in life even though challenged by my once
unappreciative mindset.
Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night.
London: Methuen, 1975. Print.
Blog
True or False Love
In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth night, the common theme of love
is expressed in a multitude of different ways through the main characters. The love of the Duke, Olivia and Viola will
be focused on even though Shakespeare has many characters fall in love in this
play. Though the love the three
characters have are very different from one another. The Duke’s love for Olivia is the shallowest. He sends his servants to profess his love for
Olivia instead of visiting her himself.
He just sits around all day and thinks about her. Olivia’s love is more genuine but still not
completely true because he falls in love with a woman who is actually a
man. Olivia loves Viola who is disguised
as Cesario. The last and most genuine
form is Viola’s love for the Duke. She
loves him but still travels to Olivia’s house to confess the Duke’s love for
her. She is truly loyal to the
Duke. Shakespeare’s theme of love draws distinctions
between what is true love and what is not.
The first character to express love in
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is Duke Orsino. His love for Olivia is one of the first words
we hear out of the Duke. He is talking
to Curio when he says, “O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first, methought she
purged the air of pestilence.” He is
saying that Olivia rids the air of disease because of how beautiful she
is. It is a very strong statement to
make for a person that the Duke barely sees.
We find out that the Duke sends people to express his love for
Olivia. This is why the Duke’s love for Olivia is the least genuine
love. If the Duke really loved Olivia,
he would be at her door wanting to see her face and be in her presence. He prefers to sit on rose petals and listen
to music while thinking about her. He
also faces a challenge in regards to his love for Olivia. Olivia’s brother just died and she has vowed
not to love anyone else for seven years.
This does not discourage the Duke; it makes him love her more. So this raises the question of does the Duke
only want what he cannot have. I believe
so. His behavior does not follow
traditional love because he never sees her; he consistently gets rejected and
is told she will not love anyone for seven years, which makes him even more in
love with her.
The next person to fall in love is
Olivia who falls in love with Cesario.
This love is slightly more genuine than the love the Duke has for Olivia
but still Olivia’s love for Cesario is not genuine love. First of all, Olivia is love with a woman who
is disguised as a man. Cesario is
actually a female named Viola who is dressed up and is working for the
Duke. The first time Olivia meets
Cesario is when Cesario is sent to Olivia’s house to proclaim the Duke’s love
for Olivia. Olivia falls in love with
Cesario because of the way he eloquently describes what he would do if he were
in love. The ironic part of this scene
is that Cesario or Viola is actually describing the love she feels for the Duke
and it is these very feelings that lead Olivia to fall in love with
Cesario. Cesario says, “Make me a willow
cabin at your gate, and call upon my soul within the house; write loyal cantons
of contemned love and sing them loud even in the dead of night.” Olivia feels Cesario’s deep passion and
mistakenly falls in love with a woman.
If you fall in love with the disguise of someone, then you are not
falling for an actual person and therefore it cannot be true love. Olivia sees Cesario and wants to be around
him, which is more than the Duke does but she still does not achieve genuine
love.
The last and most genuine form of
love is Viola’s love for the Duke. Viola,
who was saved at sea after being shipwrecked, decides to dress up as a man and
work for the Duke. The Duke immediately
likes Viola and sends her on special trips to profess his love for Olivia. Viola’s love is not evident until she says on
an aside, “yet, a barful strife! Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife.” Viola professes her want to be the Duke’s
wife but still goes to Olivia’s house to try and convince her to love the
Duke. Viola’s loyalty to the Duke is why
Viola’s love is the most genuine. She
wants to make the Duke truly happy and is even willing to give up her love for
him. This sacrifice Viola makes does not
just happen once but happens multiple times because the Duke sends Viola on
many trips to Olivia’s house. We also
see this is the most genuine form of love because of the way Viola described so
beautifully what she would do if she was in love. If she thinks that way about the Duke and
sees him all the time, there must be true passion behind her words and
thoughts.
So while sitting in the daily
session of mediation, I was once again faced with a conflict. I have admittedly been in, what I think was,
love once. The only thing is I am not
sure it was love because the way Shakespeare describes it you are supposed to
be together forever. So I started
thinking what form of love would fit into.
I certainly was not the Duke but then again I am not sure I was on Viola’s
level either. It was an interesting time
of thought for me, which concluded that I landed between Olivia and Viola but
leaning towards Viola more.
event analysis 6
Julia Kontos
Disguises
Shakespeare’s
Twelfth Night contains many different
characters that are under disguise. These characters show that one’s identity
can easily be changed after physical alteration. After spending a semester
attending Zen meditation, I disagree with what Shakespeare is saying about the
easiness of altering one’s identity. Weeks of meditation have allowed me to
become more self-aware and therefore become more accepting of myself for who I
truly am. I believe that there is more to altering one’s self than merely
changing physically for it is what is on the inside that is most important.
In
Twelfth Night, Shakespeare suggests
that by changing exterior features, it is easy to create a new persona and
trick others into believing it. For example, Feste the clown gets dressed up as
a priest when he goes to talk to Malvolio when he is locked up, even though it
is so dark that Malvolio will not be able to see him. By getting dressed up,
Shakespeare is making a point to say that it is not enough to act differently,
one must also be dressed/look different. This is common throughout the book –
Viola dresses up as a man in order to find a job, and Malvolio dresses in a
foolish way to win the love of Olivia. Viola could have been employed by
someone other than the Duke and Malvolio certainly did not have to dress in the
way that he did to prove his love to Olivia. Twelfth Night makes it a point to say that physical appearances are
crucial in deceiving others.
By
meditating on a weekly basis, I have become more aware of myself and who I am.
Because of this, I have realized how important personalities are. When I began
to read Twelfth Night I was struck by
the message Shakespeare says about how physical appearance is more important
than personality. To me, personality is more important than appearances -- especially in situations similar to that of Twelfth Night. I think that many conflicts could have been avoided had the characters avoided physical disguises.
Attending
Zen meditation caused me to strongly disagree with Shakespeare’s message about
physical appearances. I believe that personality is more important than
physical appearances. In this way, I believe that Feste the clown did not have
to dress up when he tried to trick Malvolio; rather, he could have only
disguised his voice, Malvolio could only hear him. Furthermore, Malvolio did
not have to put on a costume to show his love for Olivia. It would have been
more appropriate to talk to her and explain his feelings in a straightforward
manner. However, I do think that Viola’s disguise was necessary in order for
her to play the character of a man, for obvious reasons. Twelfth Night contains examples of both necessary and unnecessary physical
disguise.
This semester, I
was most surprised by how much I thoroughly enjoyed attending almost weekly
events, including Zen meditation. Initially, I was worried that it would be
hard for me to find enough time to go to events and that I would dread
attending them. However, it turned out that I began to look forward to go to
Zen meditation. It was a great way to relieve stress and relax. I am so glad to
have been forced to attend meditation, as it is something that I plan on
continuing to attend next semester.
Event Analysis 6 AJ
Alex Jordan
November 20, 2013
Event Analysis 6
Professor Juniper Ellis
Caught
Up in the Confusion
Deception is throughout Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Characters pretend to be
people they are not thus creating a huge controversial love triangle. Viola,
after a shipwreck has left her on Illyrian, takes on the persona of Cesario.
She begins to work with Duke Orsino who she in fact falls in love with.
Although Viola loves Orsino, he is in love with Olivia. Orsino sends Cesario to
deliver love letters to Olivia. This ultimately is his down all because Olivia
begins to fall in love Cesario and not Orsino. Also when Antonio needs help he
turns to Cesario thinking he is Sebastian. When Cesario acts as if he does not
know who Antonio is he thinks that Sebastian is betraying him. When Olivia
pronounces her love for Cesario she is unsettled when he does not feel the same
way. When the real Sebastian comes Olivia professes her love to him thinking he
is Cesario which creates an even larger problem. Viola is forced to reveal her
true identity which affirms Orsino’s love for her. They later will wed but due
to her disguise it created a very large problem with everyone involved.
This idea of disguises I feel is closely related to Zen
meditation. Zen meditation is all about finding your true self. It is all about
slowing things down; taking in every little detail of life. It’s about relieving
stress and finding a place where you can relax. Zen is about centering yourself
and releasing everything that has a negative effect in your day to day life. It
is about not having a mask or disguise. Zen is all about the person as an individual
and to show your true colors.
If Viola had just shown who she truly was and not try to
disguise herself a lot of the conflicts would have been avoided. Duke Orsino
may have fallen in love with her to begin with. He never would have asked her
to deliver the love letters to Olivia. Olivia never would have fallen in love
with Cesario. Antonio would not have felt betrayed if Cesario did not act in
the he did. Not being who you truly are created a large conflict in this story.
It drew people away from each other as well as made people fall in love with
people who are not who they say they are.
Overall I have enjoyed this course. It has not only
helped with my ability to read poems and short stories and grasp the concepts within
the story/poem. It has taught me to look past the surface of something. Every
situation, person, object and action all have a deeper meaning. Nothing is
necessarily as it seems. It has also made me look at themes through the
structure of the poems and stories. I have a greater appreciation of the little
things in life because this class had taught me to slow down and take in the
minor fluctuations in a day. This class had a huge impact on me and I have
grown to understand myself through each of the events as well as the poems and
stories we read. I had a great time in this course and am not looking forward
to the conclusion of this course.
Blog post 6
John Jacob
Dr. Ellis
EN 101.16
11/21/2013
What is love? Oh baby, don't hurt me no more!
In
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, we read
about a love story that consists of about half a dozen people. This complex
love triangle reminds us of the different aspects of love, and those
consequences, but it also shows us what love is. Duke Orsino is in love with
Lady Olivia, but so are about 3 other men by the end of the story, and Lady
Olivia has fallen for Cesario, who is really Viola, who loves Duke Orsino. Though,
this play does have a happy ending, it does not fail to show the faults of
love.
Throughout
Twelfth Night, we witness love from
the eyes of a few characters. Duke Orsino begins the play with a speech that
describes the consequences of love, filled with emotions for desire, and the
pain of rejection. This foreshadows the theme of love throughout the play. The
Duke is in love with the idea of being in love with Olivia. Although, he
presents Olivia with loves letters promising her many beautiful things, he
should be presenting them to her himself, not by one of his servant Cesario. In
contrast, Viola, who is Cesario, shows the readers what true love is. She
follows Orsino’s instruction regardless of her own desire for the Duke. She
does everything she can to make sure that Olivia falls in love with Orsino.
Within
the love triangle we see pain, Sir Andrew, who is a friend of Sir Toby, is seen
as not well suited for Lady Olivia, but he continues to try, especially towards
the end when he tries to woo her by challenging Cesario to a duel, and loses.
Also, Malvolio, who is a servant of Olivia is tricked by Maria who forged a
letter that supposedly announced Olivia’s love to him. When by the end of the
play, Malvolio learns the sad truth and becomes shameful for his actions and
also heartbroken. There is also a companionship love between Antonio and
Sebastian. Antonio becomes fond of Sebastian’s company through their adventures
in Llyria, but upon witnessing Sebastian marry Olivia he becomes brokenhearted
as well knowing that he will not be able to enjoy the company of Sebastian.
Love,
and the consequences of being in love, is a main theme in Twelfth Night and it brings about the emotions of what being in
love is like. Through Orsino’s selfishness we see that he does not know how to
love, but is in love with the idea of loving someone. Viola, on the other hand,
shows the selflessness of love and the humility that should be gifted towards
the significant other.
Throughout
the semester I have read many poems and stories that have actually made an
impact on my life. Though, I am not trying to degrade my previous literature
courses in the past, I just feel as if this course has caused me to reflect on everything
in my life and take it as they are, never for granted. This class has taught me
to in the words of Hague, “Make your mark on everything.” And, though it may
come with some defects and challenges, there is no need give up.
Blog Post 6
Nigel Hunter
EN 101.16
11.21.13
In William Shakespeare’s
play Twelfth Night each character is
given a specific character flaw that restricts their character from achieving
their overall goals. These personalities all collide with each other to create
the specific situation that the characters find themselves in. The Duke’s shows
signs of weakness and is too proud to be loved by Olivia. This depicted by the
way that the Duke never goes himself to see Olivia but rather thinks so highly
of himself that he can send messengers to get the same point across. Even in
rejection, the Duke fails to see it this way and rather sees himself as being
loved even more by Olivia. Olivia’s character flaw is that she is unable to get
over the loss of her brother and her melodramatics restrict her from moving on
and finding love. Viola is the only character that does not seem to have a
character flaw. Instead she has specific strengths that allow her to progress
throughout the play and eventually achieve her goals. This is depicted by the way she is able to
quickly move on from the thoughts of her brother’s death and shipwreck to be
able to provide for herself.
The Duke’s
character flaw prevents Olivia from being able to love him and look past grieving
over her brother. The way that the Duke sends countless messengers over to Olivia
best portrays this flaw because it shows that he is too proud to go himself and
also does not respect or truly love Olivia. “What would I do? Make me a willow cabin
at your gate, and call upon my soul within the house; “Viola is able to see
past the Duke’s character flaw and even conveys how the Duke should love Olivia
contrary to the way he is. Violas character strengths are able to identify the
flaws in all the other characters and bring them to light. She is the most independent
and strong character and is able to get what she desires due to these character
strengths. Violas other character strength lies within her selflessness in how
she puts the Dukes and Olivia’s desires before her own. Because of this
character trait, Viola is able to get exactly what she wants in the end being
the love of the Duke. He is able to love her because of her loyalty as a disguised
servant and can see how she put his needs over hers. This would not of been
able to happen without this key character trait.
The theme of
a selflessness character trait ties into the Wednesday scripture based lectures
that I have been going to. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I am not a religious
person and mostly use the time to mediate while trying to understand as much of
the scripture as possible. However I do know that an important aspect of religion
is selflessness and the willingness to give to others even if it may not be in
your self interest. Viola does exactly
this and is rewarded for it in the end. This is a good character trait to have
and Shakespeare shows that in the end you will rewarded for your selfless acts.
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