Viola

The Twelfth Night: Viola Love is the central focus of this novel. Throughout the novel, Shakespeare shows that love is a good thing, but can also be fickle, painful and cause severe suffering to the persons involved. Love is a form of feeling that attacks the victims unexpectedly. Viola, the central character of the play, has been used to effectively bring out this theme.
Viola is used by Shakespeare to show how love can be pure and sincere. In Act I (iv), Viola confesses that she has fallen in love with the Duke secretly. “ Whoeer I woo, myself would be his wife” (I. iv. 21). Shakespeare uses Viola’s feelings to show how love ‘ attacks’ people spontaneously. In describing her love for Orsino, she states that “… she sat like patience on a monument. Smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed?” (II. iv. 60). This shows how sincere her love for Orsino was. She claimed that her state was desperate for her master’s love.
Viola is also used to illustrate how violent and frustrating love can be. Although Viola, who disguises as Cesario, is in love with her master, she remains loyal to him. This makes Olivia, the Orsino’s lover, like her for her boldness, thinking she is a man. This makes Orsino accuse Viola (Cesario), of taking Oliviia away from him. This leads to a chaotic confrontation between Orsino and Viola. Shakespeare is thus able to portray the good and bad side of love through Viola.
Finally, because of her disguise, Viola is able to influence other characters in the play. She is used to highlight the kind of love men have for women and vice versa. For instance, the fact that she acts as a man, she is able to reveal to the audience the kind of love that exists between Olivia and Orsino, and the feelings they have for one another.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. “ Twelfth Night” 1601. Web 25 Feb 2014.