Themes in Twelfth Night
Themes in Twelfth NightThemes in Twelfth Night
Disguise
One of the major themes in Twelfth Night is the theme of disguise. This theme, with it’s associated ideas of deception and illusion, is a main preoccupation of the Twelfth Night. Viola’s deliberate deception, disguising herself as a page, allows her a freedom of action that would be denied her as a woman. It is both a complication for her and a means to achieve fulfillment. Disguise, ironically allows Viola to, in fact, speak the truth. Because she has hidden her identity, she does have the freedom to make insightful comments on love and relationships closer to the heart of things than characters who are not as “anonymous.” Her emotional honesty contrasts with Orsino and Olivia who have created emotional lives that are “high fantastical.” Olivia’s symbolic unveiling in her conversation with Viola shows a transformation from this fantasy to a greater emotional reality. This more sincere passion has, however become more sincere as a result of their relationship with Viola; they demonstrate the contrast between public appearance and personal reality.
In public, people adopt particular roles that may contradict ourselves. The confusion of appearance and reality is obvious in the use of identical twins. Mistaken identity provides much of the complication that is essential to the plot of this play. This offers most of the dramatic irony which heightens the comedy. The mistaken assumptions made by characters about others as a result have a relevance outside the world of the play. People are frequent victims and perpetrators of deception and are frequently persuaded to accept an appearance for a truth. Every individual perceives reality uniquely and in doing so builds a complex identity that cannot be reduced to one single characteristic. False appearances are manifested in the shape of the fraudulent letter left for Malvolio and his adoption of a “disguise” to “woo” Olivia. He is changed into this false appearance which contradicts his true nature, because ambition distorts his judgment and makes him vulnerable to exploitation. Sir Toby’s false reports of Olivia’s...
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