Twelfth Night Group

Question:

flower-hottie
flower-hottie
Student
High School - 9th Grade

In what ways is Viola loyal?

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Posted by flower-hottie on Sunday February 8, 2009 at 5:32 PM and tagged with cesario, loyal, loyalty, olivia, orsino, shakespeare, twelfth night, viola.

Answers:


  1. robertwilliam

    eNotes Editor

    Viola's loyalty is tremendous, I think, to Orsino. She is, from very early in their relationship, madly in love with him, but she chooses not to say anything - and she still agrees to carry out her duties of pleading his love for another woman, Olivia.

    And, she does such a good job in pleading Orsino's love that Olivia falls in love with her, thinking her a boy (as per her disguise).

    Viola's loyalty extends beyond mere professional loyalty, though. In the unusual last scene of "Twelfth Night", Orsino, maddened with love for Olivia, and furious that Olivia is in love with "Cesario" (really Viola), announces that he's going to murder Cesario so that Olivia can't have what he wants. And look at Viola's response:

    ORSINO
    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.

    VIOLA
    And I, most jocund, apt, and willingly,
    To do you rest, a thousand deaths would die.

    So desperate is she to free Orsino from his unhappiness, Viola would even give up her life. That's loyalty - beyond loyalty!

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/twelfth-text/act-v-scene-i?start=2

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    Posted by robertwilliam on Monday February 9, 2009 at 2:47 AM