Character Interpretation of Viola in Shakespeare s Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night or What You Will is an interesting combination of the devastation of separation between twins, romance as each of them and others fall in love, silly comedy filled with mostly mild sarcasm and irony, and a quick-paced happy ending. ... Holding it in this respect rather than as something to be paid homage to as is typical with Shakespearean works, Twelfth Night has much in it to appeal to the sentimental, the silly, and the critical. The title "twelfth night" is usually considered to be a reference to the twelfth night of the Christmas celebration. ... Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeares “transvestite comedies. ... In Shakespeares day, all parts were played by men, so Viola would actually have been a male acting as a female acting as a male. ... Upon the second act of the play we are introduced to Viola, the heroine of Twelfth Night. As is common with Shakespeare’s female protagonists, Viola is tremendously likable. ... Once Viola accepts the fact that she must carry on after her ship wreck and the loss of her brother, she decides to go to work for Duke Orsino. ... Here, the main issue throughout the play is introduced for Viola, which is mistaken identity. ... Viola quickly becomes favored by Duke Orsino and is named his page.