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Random Quotes From William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
and other random thoughts

"Why should I not - had I the heart to do it -
Like th' Egyptian thief at point of death
Kill what I love? - a savage jealousy
That sometimes savours nobly! But hear me this.
Since you to non-regardance cast my faith,
And that I partly know the instrument
That screws me from my true place in your favour,
Live you the marble-breasted tyrant still.
But this your minion, whom I know you love,
And whom, by heaven, I swear, I tender dearly,
Him will I tear out of that cruel eye
Where he sits crowned in his master's spite.
Come, boy, with me, my thoughts are ripe in
mischief.
I'll sacrifice the lamb that I do love
To spite a raven's heart within a dove."

- Orsino, Act 5 Scene 1

Random thoughts!

Orsino has a hidden side to him. He is more than simply a conceited and romantic character, but rather, there is a dangerous, jealous and tormented side to him that is reflected in how he handles his betrayal and his unrequited love.

Reality and Illusion is quite a central theme to the play. It's most accurately summed up in what Feste says - 'Nothing that is, is so.' Viola says, 'I am not what I am'. Every character seems to have a hidden aspect to them, just like they have a face of reality.

Viola is physically and illusion when she is guised as Cesario. Her feelings are disguised too, especially he rlove for Orsino and her sorrow over the loss of her brother. She has to conceal them to survive.

Orsino conceals his true want and desire for someone to love and care for him with his pursuit of Olivia's affections and his murmurs of unrequited love. He hides an insecurity and a hunger for someone whom he can truly love in person, not just at a distance.

Olivia conceals her desire to be wed and her dislike for Orsino's pursuit at first with her mourning. Then, she openly expresses her love for Cesario with little regard for her social position. Yet, she hides her fear and doubt when she is about to marry Sebastian - so afraid of losing his love.

Malvolio conceals his love for Olivia, as well as his self ambition 'To be Count Malvolio'. His perception of his own reality is questioned when he is locked up in the dark room, and Sir Topas torments him with the question of his sanity, creating the illusion that he is mad by insisting the room is filled with 'barricadoes' and 'celestories' that allow light to enter. Yet, Malvolio hangs on to his sanity and doesn't believe Topas. Ironically, he is the only character who cannot come to terms with the reality of his character flaws and his behavior.

Irony is also interesting. There are many examples of dramatic irony in the play. They get quite sad when you think about them, especially when Viola is discussing about love with Orsino, and she can't tell him how she really feels. There must be such great emotional torment for her to have to gthrough that. And she speaks of her 'sister', how

"She never told he rlove,
But let concealment, like a worm i'th'bud,
Feed on her damask cheek. She pined in
thought,
And with a green and yellow melancholy
She sat like Patiece on a monument
Smiling at grief. Was this not love indeed?"

That was the most ironic, because it so aptly described her predicament. Such a dark sentiment is found in the festive play of Twelfth Night.

The play definitely has two sides, one of revelry and celebration, the other of the truth and reality of man's cruelty and the bittersweet pain of love. Of course, as this is a comedy, the ending works out well for the main characters. But what could have happened if it were a tragedy, and in the end Orsino mistook the marriage as a betrayal, and cast out Viola, whilst Olivia tried to woo Viola back but was pushed away by her in her grief, and Sebastian is murdered somewhere whilst trying to free Antonio. It could have all fallen apart. It could have been a dark play. One turn of events could have turned this entire play into a tragic tale of love's labours lost.

Feste is also an amusing character. He pops up in random places and injects humour into the play, even in serious situations like when Viola and Sebastian are reunited. He attempts to sound like a madman reading out Malvolio's letter. And yet, he is by far the most sane of all the characters, calmly arguing with witty comebacks and giving shrewd assessments of all the characters through coyly subtle jests. He is also neutral, a commentator, and the only one who seems to know what is going on in the lives of the characters.

Shakespeare masterfully weaves the playful sentiments of Twelfth Night together with the darker meaning of the play. Especially in the last scene, where characters rollercoaster form sadness, to glee, to anger, and to absolution right in the end. It is like the ultimate form of anarchy and chaos, yet it brings out the true natures of the many characters in Twelfth Night. The ending song has a bittwersweet, sombre and melancholic tone which more or less encompasses the entire play. Whilst at first sounding light-hearted and cheerful, a deeper meaning of man's growth into adulthood and the general behavior and chaos created by them in the process brings out the more serious tone of the song.

Through reading Twelfth Night, many things have been revealed. Above and beyond the central themes and events, it is linked to the lives we lead and the way we think.

Threw the stars ;4:59:00 PM