act2

In class yesterday we talked about 2 really important topics of 12th night. The first was the idea of love. I think shakespeare is sending a definite message about love through the way each of the characters falls in love. At the beginning of the play in Viola's dialog with the sea captain she inquiries about Duke Orsino. it seemed from the dialog that even before she knew him she was in love with the idea of him. I don't think that Viola was a "gold digger". What I do think is she was infatuated with titles. being that she was in the Dukes land she fell in love with the supreme authority of the land. It wouldn't have made a difference if the Duke of the land were Duke Orsino or some other Duke from down the street. Viola was already in love with the idea of the title. only after she began work with the Duke did the love manifested into a deeper fantasy. She couldn't tell him she was in love with him because she was dressed up like a man and that must have fueled her passion for him even more. bringing me to believe that Viola really was in love with the Duke and not his title. It seems to me that each character finds it better to have secret love rather then the real thing. the theme continues into act 2. It is particuarlly noticeable with Malvolio. Besides the fact that Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Maria are playing a trick on him, he was already fantasizing about Lady Olivia before he found the fake letter. So my point is that the theme of love in 12th night is really only what each character makes it.

the 2nd thing that we talked about yesterday pertaining to act 2 was role play. perfect example of this is Viola. Everyone thinks she is a man because she is dressed like one. Just like every one thinks Feste is a fool because he plays the part. what is the relevance of role playing in 12th night? I have comprised a line from act 2 to expound on my feelings of why roles are important in shaping the destiny of the characters in 12th night. the line that follows is in the fake letter written to Malvolio from Olivia. the significance of the line show great insight into the idea of role playing.


" In my stars I am above thee, but be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. "


We were talking about Feste yesterday and how he is "wise enough to play the fool." i think that is true because he knows what his role is and how far to take it. on the other hand, Viola has a very unpredictable role. how is really the fool here? Even know Feste isn't who he really is he can act that way because he knows who he really is. Feste has the option of playing many roles. Viola is trapped into pretending to be something she is not.


If the letter were truly from Olivia to Malvolio then what she was saying would be significant to the new role that Malvolio would be playing . He would no longer be a servant in Olivia's house but something much greater. This line is saying that how one presents one's self to the public eye is more important then who you are inside. That is why Malvolio gets tricked because all he cares about is titles. I think Malvolio is the real "gold digger" not Viola.