Twelfth Night Compare And Contrast Essay
Devin McGowan 06/05/13
Honors English: Research Paper- Twelfth Night Period 8/9
Apples and Oranges
A Comparison of Olivia and Viola in Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night
When comparing two drastically different people, situations, or objects, they often refer to the old saying “It 's like comparing apples and oranges”. In reference to Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night, many would say the same thing of the characters Viola and Olivia. But, is that observation completely true? While both women possess characteristics that completely develop them into their own people, there are some striking resemblances in circumstance as well as mentality that help one find many similarities between the two. Both are products of their …show more content…
own environments, and the ways that they face similar obstacles are the very things that set them apart.
The Countess Olivia is introduced in deep mourning for her dead brother.
Viola is introduced as the survivor of a ship-wreck that separates her from her twin brother, whom she assumes to be dead. Do you see what I see? What I see is a similar circumstance shared between the two. Both women have lost their brothers, but deal with this heartbreak in contrasting ways. Olivia for one, is content with locking herself up and mourning to the point of ridiculousness, as pointed out by Feste and observed by readers (Shmoop). A black veil and constant crying...is she serious? On the other hand, Viola deals with her loss (though it is later proved no loss ever truly happened) in a very mature way; by moving forward and not wallowing. She has enough to deal with when this momentous heartbreak occurs (starting a new life, surviving, etc.) so she prioritizes and quickly completes her process of mourning. Obviously, both women cared deeply for their respective brothers, but dealt with their grief on different ends of the emotional …show more content…
spectrum.
The Elizabethan time period Twelfth Night was set in, the society was extremely patriarchal. This means that men were expected to strong bread-winning fathers and women were weak, chaste, and quiet mothers who do as they are told and never stray. It is to these standards that neither woman(or woman being a man) adhere. Olivia breaks this mold by proposing to “Cessario” and generally having a hold of herself without needing a man. Also, her turning down Duke Orsino and poking fun at his cliché attempts at courtship make the cracks that much more pronounced. Viola breaks this mold when she dresses as “Cessario” and becomes the man that women are all compared to. Furthmore, Cessario breaks this mold by being feminine (duh, he is really a woman) and having a blazon and emotional manner when speaking with Olivia and Orsino. Both women represent a more modern approach of gender roles in this play.
Many of the characters in Twelfth Night view Olivia and Viola(if they knew her) as opposites, so it is a wonder that Orsino is attracted to both women...or is it?
In this essay, we have discussed just a few similarities between the two women, and these obviously contribute to the attraction Orsino feels. Straying from his Elizabethan gender role, he wishes for a more outspoken woman( or woman dressed as a man...was I the only one that was a bit weirded out by the ending?) and these two definitely fill that slot. He feels mere infatuation for the women and it is quite obvious through the cliché grabs at Olivia 's heart and his reluctance to admit that he does have feelings for Viola/Cessario. If this play were set in modern times, you can bet that neither woman would want to deal with him as they are too immersed in forward
thought.
Both women, alike in dignity, prove that they are their own people while maintaining similar characteristics. Like two sides of a coin, they represent different views on similar circumstances; giving readers a better view of the presented circumstances. The regal Olivia and the clever Viola are a pair of ladies for the ages, two modern women suppressed by their time. Like an apple and an orange, both are still part of the same category. They are still fruit(or women in case you didn 't follow the attempted metaphor).
Citations
"Apples and Oranges." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 May 2013. Web. 05 June 2013.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Twelfth Night, or What You Will Characters." Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 05 June 2013.
Thomas, Heather. "Elizabethan Women." Elizabethan Women. N.p., 2011. Web. 05 June 2013.
Truman, Charlotte. "Viola and Olivia as Parallel Characters in Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night." Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2013.
"Twelfth Night Characters." Study Guides & Essay Editing. GradeSaver LLC., n.d. Web. 05 June 2013.
"Twelfth Night." SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC., n.d. Web. 05 June 2013.
Honors English: Research Paper- Twelfth Night Period 8/9
Apples and Oranges
A Comparison of Olivia and Viola in Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night
When comparing two drastically different people, situations, or objects, they often refer to the old saying “It 's like comparing apples and oranges”. In reference to Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night, many would say the same thing of the characters Viola and Olivia. But, is that observation completely true? While both women possess characteristics that completely develop them into their own people, there are some striking resemblances in circumstance as well as mentality that help one find many similarities between the two. Both are products of their …show more content…
own environments, and the ways that they face similar obstacles are the very things that set them apart.
The Countess Olivia is introduced in deep mourning for her dead brother.
Viola is introduced as the survivor of a ship-wreck that separates her from her twin brother, whom she assumes to be dead. Do you see what I see? What I see is a similar circumstance shared between the two. Both women have lost their brothers, but deal with this heartbreak in contrasting ways. Olivia for one, is content with locking herself up and mourning to the point of ridiculousness, as pointed out by Feste and observed by readers (Shmoop). A black veil and constant crying...is she serious? On the other hand, Viola deals with her loss (though it is later proved no loss ever truly happened) in a very mature way; by moving forward and not wallowing. She has enough to deal with when this momentous heartbreak occurs (starting a new life, surviving, etc.) so she prioritizes and quickly completes her process of mourning. Obviously, both women cared deeply for their respective brothers, but dealt with their grief on different ends of the emotional …show more content…
spectrum.
The Elizabethan time period Twelfth Night was set in, the society was extremely patriarchal. This means that men were expected to strong bread-winning fathers and women were weak, chaste, and quiet mothers who do as they are told and never stray. It is to these standards that neither woman(or woman being a man) adhere. Olivia breaks this mold by proposing to “Cessario” and generally having a hold of herself without needing a man. Also, her turning down Duke Orsino and poking fun at his cliché attempts at courtship make the cracks that much more pronounced. Viola breaks this mold when she dresses as “Cessario” and becomes the man that women are all compared to. Furthmore, Cessario breaks this mold by being feminine (duh, he is really a woman) and having a blazon and emotional manner when speaking with Olivia and Orsino. Both women represent a more modern approach of gender roles in this play.
Many of the characters in Twelfth Night view Olivia and Viola(if they knew her) as opposites, so it is a wonder that Orsino is attracted to both women...or is it?
In this essay, we have discussed just a few similarities between the two women, and these obviously contribute to the attraction Orsino feels. Straying from his Elizabethan gender role, he wishes for a more outspoken woman( or woman dressed as a man...was I the only one that was a bit weirded out by the ending?) and these two definitely fill that slot. He feels mere infatuation for the women and it is quite obvious through the cliché grabs at Olivia 's heart and his reluctance to admit that he does have feelings for Viola/Cessario. If this play were set in modern times, you can bet that neither woman would want to deal with him as they are too immersed in forward
thought.
Both women, alike in dignity, prove that they are their own people while maintaining similar characteristics. Like two sides of a coin, they represent different views on similar circumstances; giving readers a better view of the presented circumstances. The regal Olivia and the clever Viola are a pair of ladies for the ages, two modern women suppressed by their time. Like an apple and an orange, both are still part of the same category. They are still fruit(or women in case you didn 't follow the attempted metaphor).
Citations
"Apples and Oranges." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 May 2013. Web. 05 June 2013.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Twelfth Night, or What You Will Characters." Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 05 June 2013.
Thomas, Heather. "Elizabethan Women." Elizabethan Women. N.p., 2011. Web. 05 June 2013.
Truman, Charlotte. "Viola and Olivia as Parallel Characters in Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night." Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2013.
"Twelfth Night Characters." Study Guides & Essay Editing. GradeSaver LLC., n.d. Web. 05 June 2013.
"Twelfth Night." SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC., n.d. Web. 05 June 2013.