Disguise in Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night, or What You Will was composed by William Shakespeare in 1600 as the last of his three comedies. As in most comedies, William Shakespeares Twelfth Night has widely used disguises, masks and mistaken identities to add to the comical nature of the play. In William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” the element of disguise liberates the characters to act outside of themselves in order to find love. The three characters in the play that best show disguise are the Duke Orsino, Olivia, and Viola. Orsino is the first character in the play that supports the element of disguise. He does not cross dress in Twelfth Night but he eventually falls in love with Viola otherwise known as Cesario, his page. ... Olivia is the second character in the “Twelfth Night” that supports the element of disguise. ... The last example of disguise in the Twelve Night is Violas disguise as Cesario. “Conceal me what I am, and be my aid for such disguise as haply shall become the form of my intent. ... However, there is also emotional disguise: Olivia thinks she really wants to cut herself off from the world and Viola pretends she wants Orsino to marry someone else. ... Also, perhaps Viola is in disguise herself. ... The disguise also prevents Viola from expressing her love for Orsino, it contributes to the dramatic ironies and it causes complications of mistaken identity. ... The disguise also causes mistaken identity, an example of this is when Sir Andrew goes looking for Cesario, finds who he thinks is Cesario, strikes him, the person however is, Sebastian.