What are the main themes in Viola's monologue from Twelfth Night?

I left no ring with her. What means this lady?

Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her!

She made good view of me, indeed so much

That sure methought her eyes had lost her tongue,

For she did speak in starts distractedly.

She loves me, sure! The cunning of her passion

Invites me in this churlish messenger.

None of my lord’s ring? Why, he sent her none.

I am the man. If it be so, as ’tis,

Poor lady, she were better love a dream.

Disguise, I see thou art a wickedness,

Wherein the pregnant enemy does much.

How easy is it for the proper false

In women’s waxen hearts to set their forms!

Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we,

For such as we are made of, such we be.

How will this fadge? My master loves her dearly,

And I, poor monster, fond as much on him,

And she, mistaken, seems to dote on me.

What will become of this? As I am man,

My state is desperate for my master’s love.

As I am woman, now, alas the day,

What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!

O time, thou must untangle this, not I.

It is too hard a knot for me to untie!

This important monologue is delivered by Viola at the end of Act II scene 2 as she has just had a ring delivered to her by Malvolio that he claims she tried to leave with his mistress, Olivia. When she thinks about this confusing occurrence, Viola suddenly realises that Olivia has fallen in love with her outward disguise as Cesario. This speech can be used to support two of the key themes in this wonderful comedy.

The first is that of appearances vs. reality. Cesario does not in fact exist. Viola is trapped inside her disguise, and fate has decreed that Olivia falls in love with her male disguise. The irony of this situation is not lost on Viola, who says "She were better love a dream" and feels pity for Olivia. This situation also however is rather cruel for Viola, for she is trapped by her male disguise, and just as she is unable to declare her true feminine identity and try to win the love of Orsino, so she is unable to reveal herself to Olivia to relieve her suffering.

Secondly, note the way that love causes us to suffer. From the very start of the play, when we see the love-sick ramblings of Orsino, love is something that causes us pain and consternation. Olivia, in her "distracted" expressions, shows the way that love conquers our judgement and reason, leaving us open to pain and suffering as a result. Because of her love, Viola anticipates Olivia engaging in "thriftless sighs" that will cause her pain. Where love is, the play seems to suggest, suffering will not be far behind.

What are the literary techniques used in this passage from Twelfth Night?

I left no ring with her. What means this lady? Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her! She made good view of me, indeed so much That sure methought her eyes had lost her tongue, For she did speak in starts distractedly. She loves me, sure! The cunning of her passion Invites me in this churlish messenger. reet. She doesn’t want Orsino’s ring! Orsino never sent her a ring. I’m the man she wants. If that’s true, which it is, she might as well be in love with a dream, the poor lady. Now I understand why it’s bad to wear disguises. Disguises help the devil do his work. It’s so easy for a good-looking but deceitful man to make women fall in love with him. It’s not our fault—we women are weak. We can’t help what we’re made of. Ah, how will this all turn out? My lord loves her, and. poor me, I love him just as much. And she’s deluded enough to be in love with me. What can possibly fix this situation? I’m pretending to be a man, so my love for the Duke is hopeless. And since I’m a woman—too bad I’m a woman—Olivia’s love for me is hopeless as well! Oh, only time can sort out this mess. I can’t figure it out by myself!

Have you got this quote from a Shakespeare Made Easy site or something? It is clearly not the original. I would say that you might want to think about not relying exclusively on such versions and studying such guides as this alongside the original, as this will really help your comprehension of Shakespeare's language.

Anyway, this quote is said by Viola after her first meeting with Olivia and then after Malvolio has been sent after her with a ring, saying that Viola had left it with Olivia by accident. I would argue the main technique that is used in this passage is irony. Let us remember the hopeless situation that Viola finds herself in. She is in love with Orsino, but because she is disguised as a man, she is not able to declare that love. What is more, as Orsino's trusted servant, she is charged with declaring Orsino's love to Olivia, who now has fallen in love with her in her disguise as Cesario. The irony of this situation is immense, as Viola herself declares when she thinks about the situation she is in and how only time is able to untie this very complicated knot.