Deception In Twelfth Night
The legendary military strategist Sun Tzu once said that “ all warfare is based on deception.” However, in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, all comedy comes as a result of deception. Various characters play misleading roles create the chaos and dramatic irony that gives air to the play. In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare uses Feste, Malvolio, and Viola to demonstrate the theme that people’s appearance and status do not necessarily coincide with their true nature in order to provide conflicts, complications and confusion for the comedy.
The presence of Feste, the fool, introduces complications and humor. In name, Feste serves as a fool to the aristocracy and lives to entertain the upper-class. In reality, Feste acts as the wisest and most knowledgeable …show more content…
Without her presence, the story would fall apart. The fact that she plays a male role sets up the dramatic irony the comedy needs. This dramatic irony gives extra meaning to Viola’s hints to Orsino that she loves a person “of his complexion” and adds humor to ordinary dialog(II.iv.31). In the beginning of play, this same dramatic irony allows for the love triangle to develop and complicate the plot. Moreover, Viola faking the role of a twin causes great confusion among the other characters. Antonio’s conversation with Orsino exemplifies this. When Antonio tells Orsino about Viola, Orsino scoffs at his claims: “thy words are madness”(V.i.98). The confusion caused by Viola appearing to be her brother leads to humorous misunderstandings. These same misunderstandings help build to the climax in scene V. Needless to say, the tension, humor, and suspense needed to power the plot comes from Viola acting the part of a male.
Characters with deceptive appearances in Twelfth Night fuel the comedy, disputes, and chaos that creates a beautiful comedic play. From Viola to Feste to Malvolio, Shakespeare creatively uses characters to put together a funny and entertaining tale. Although people often consider deceiving appearances to be harmful, this light-hearted tale tells a different story. Are there any other opinions about the role deceiving appearances play in the
The presence of Feste, the fool, introduces complications and humor. In name, Feste serves as a fool to the aristocracy and lives to entertain the upper-class. In reality, Feste acts as the wisest and most knowledgeable …show more content…
Without her presence, the story would fall apart. The fact that she plays a male role sets up the dramatic irony the comedy needs. This dramatic irony gives extra meaning to Viola’s hints to Orsino that she loves a person “of his complexion” and adds humor to ordinary dialog(II.iv.31). In the beginning of play, this same dramatic irony allows for the love triangle to develop and complicate the plot. Moreover, Viola faking the role of a twin causes great confusion among the other characters. Antonio’s conversation with Orsino exemplifies this. When Antonio tells Orsino about Viola, Orsino scoffs at his claims: “thy words are madness”(V.i.98). The confusion caused by Viola appearing to be her brother leads to humorous misunderstandings. These same misunderstandings help build to the climax in scene V. Needless to say, the tension, humor, and suspense needed to power the plot comes from Viola acting the part of a male.
Characters with deceptive appearances in Twelfth Night fuel the comedy, disputes, and chaos that creates a beautiful comedic play. From Viola to Feste to Malvolio, Shakespeare creatively uses characters to put together a funny and entertaining tale. Although people often consider deceiving appearances to be harmful, this light-hearted tale tells a different story. Are there any other opinions about the role deceiving appearances play in the