Twelfth Night Group
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Posted by suman1983 on Saturday July 12, 2008 at 8:25 AM
The predominant theme of ‘Twelfth Night’ is love and its various attitudes. The different characters of ‘Twelfth Night’ present different attitudes to love. For example, Orsino is presented as a character who is love-sick. At the end of the play therefore he can easily transfer his love from Olivia to Viola. On the other hand Olivia is presented as a character who loves Cesario, but his love is not reciprocated because it is Viola who has disguised as Cesario. Finally Viola presents patience in love. She resists her love for Orsino till the end of the story. At the end of the play all the characters come to know the original identities of the other characters of the play and the audience come to know their different attitudes to love.
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Posted by malenig on Tuesday July 15, 2008 at 8:16 AM
Typically in Shakespeare's comedies, the transforming and redemptive power of genuine (selfless) love is contrasted with the stagnant nature of self-seeking love. This contrast is vividly dramatized in "Twelfth Night," as the plot is entirely driven by the search for love.
False love is reduced to absurdity in order to elevate more dramatically the significant power of true love. We recognize immediately the shallow views of love in the following characters, all of whom are easily fooled. Thus, self-love is seen as folly.
Duke Orsino is infatuated only with the idea of love itself and views Olivia as merely the object of his infatuation. Sir Andrew Aguecheek is so absorbed in self-pity that it is impossible for him to initiate love toward Olivia. Because Malvolio is blinded by extreme vanity, his "love" for Olivia is depicted as utter buffoonery. Olivia, likewise, is motivated by pride in the search for love. Even the love between Sir Toby and Maria is self-seeking.
On the other hand, true love is elevated to the status of heroism in the characters of Antonio, who sacrifices his life to save Sebastian, and in Viola, who selflessly loves Duke Orsino. In the end, Viola's love transforms Olivia and Orsino, who repent of their foolishness.
