| Introduction | The play of William Shakespeare Twelfth Nightis one of his most performed pieces. The romantic comedy tells the story of a woman who disguises herself as a man and thus changes the foundations of gender roles and romantic relationships. The central themes explored in the piece are love, disguise and deception, and gender confusion. |
| Techniques | Apart from it, literary techniques, which were used by the author to explain it, include monologue, metaphor, enjambment, repetition, personification, rhetorical question, and others. |
| Body Paragraph 1- Love | |
| Theme/Idea | Twelfth Nightpresents the significance of love as a mighty force with its own will, which constitutes one of the main themes of the poem. Apart from it, the love of a man and a woman is different, as shown in the example of Orsino and Viola’s unrequited feelings. If the former appears to be more passionate and determined, the latter pretends to be sensitive and loyal. |
| Quote 1 | If music be the food of love, play on. Give me excess of it, that surfeiting, The appetite may sicken and so die (Shakespeare, 2019) |
| Analysis | With these monologue lines, Duke Orsino opens the play, showing his suffering because of his unrequited love for Olivia. He encourages musicians to play, suggesting that an abundance of music can fill his hunger for love and unquenchable passion (Twelfth night, William Shakespeare, n.d.). The excerpt provides an example of the application of metaphor. In particular, Orsino compares music to the food of love. Apart from it, these lines demonstrate the literary technique of a soliloquy, in which the character expresses his opinion, sharing his thoughts about love with the reader. |
| Literary Techniques | Metaphor and soliloquy |
| Quote 2 | We men may say more, swear more, but indeed Our shows are more than will, for still we prove Much in our vows, but little in our love (Shakespeare, 2019) |
| Analysis | These lines are spoken by the main character of the play, Viola, disguised as Cesario while talking with Duke Orsino. Viola refutes his prejudices about woman love, stating that although men express their love through more powerful ways, it can only remain in words. She knows from her experience of love for Duke Orsino that female love is sensitive and faithful (Twelfth night, William Shakespeare, n.d.). Shakespeare uses a variation of enjambment, the contre-rejet, in which the beginning of a sentence captures the end of the previous verse. It creates a feeling of metric speed in conveying Viola’s thoughts about love. In addition, the lines demonstrate the repetition, which involves the use of the word “more” multiple times to create an effect of clarity and memorability. |
| Literary Techniques | enjambment, contre-rejet, and repetition |
| Body Paragraph 2- Disguise and Deception | |
| Theme/Idea | Disguise and deception often lead to undesirable consequences, as shown in the play by Viola’s example. It can happen even if it occurs for a useful purpose: to protect against attack or violence and to create more security due to disguise as a man (Twelfth night, William Shakespeare, n.d.). However, it can be misleading, thus becoming the main cause of the unintended damage. |
| Quote 1 | Disguise, I see thou art a wickedness, Wherein the pregnant enemy does much (Shakespeare, 2019) |
| Analysis | The lines recount how Viola learns of an unexpected turn in Lady Olivia’s affection for Cesario and realizes her disguise’s unintended consequences. Thus, Viola understands what her deception is worth to her, as her actions and intentions are constantly misinterpreted (Twelfth night, William Shakespeare, n.d.). This quote is essential because Viola openly reproaches deception and disguises as an evil force capable of causing unintentional damage and deceiving. Shakespeare again uses the soliloquy to express this sense of the play. Viola shows a revelation to the audience by expressing her attitude towards disguise. Apart from it, the lines show an example of the use of personification by Viola’s address to the inanimate notion of disguise as to a person. It creates expressiveness and imagery to better convey the thought of the harmful effects of deception. |
| Literary Techniques | Soliloquy |
| Quote 2 | Cesario, come, For so you shall be, while you are a man, But when in other habits you are seen, Orsino’s mistress, and his fancy’s queen (Shakespeare, 2019). |
| Analysis | In these lines, Orsino appeals to Viola when she has already revealed her true identity. He says that once Viola removes her disguise, she will become his fancy’s queen. This phrase is essential because Orsino’s referring to Viola as Cesario hints that he loved Viola more in her disguise than in her real life. It represents another example of the pernicious outcome of deception. Shakespeare uses antonomasia’s literary technique, replacing Viola’s name with phrases such as “Orsino’s mistress” and “his fancy’s queen.” This change to a characteristic helps emphasize the charm of Orsino by Viola’s disguise |
| Literary Techniques | Antonomasia |
| Body Paragraph 3 – Gender | |
| Theme/Idea | Gender is one of the most discussed and prominent topics in the play. Its confusion has become one of the consequences of Viola’s masculine disguise and deception to all her surroundings. As a result, Olivia falls in love with Viola in a man’s guise of Cesario. While Viola herself has feelings for Duke Orsino but cannot tell him about it for a reason of her disguise |
| Quote 1 | I left no ring with her. What means this lady? Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her! She made good view of me (Shakespeare, 2019). |
| Analysis | The quotation describes the case when Olivia sends Malvolio to Viola with a request to return the ring, which, however, she never left. Viola realizes that it means that her masculine appearance has led to gender confusion and has caused Olivia to fall in love with her. These lines demonstrate the use of the literary technique of the rhetorical question. Asking what Olivia means, Viola already knows the answer ahead of time. The interrogative form is used to more vividly express Viola’s feelings that gender confusion was the reason Olivia fell in love with her |
| Literary Techniques | Rhetorical question |
| Quote 2 | My father had a daughter loved a man As it might be, perhaps, were I a woman, I should your Lordship (Shakespeare, 2019) |
| Analysis | The resulting gender confusion is the consequence of Orsino not knowing that he is talking to a woman about the different attitudes towards the love between a man and a woman. He asks Viola how she knows about a woman’s heart (Twelfth Night quotes, n.d.). Viola, disguised as Cesario, tells Orsino a fictional story of a sister in love to demonstrate the fallacy of Orsino’s prejudices about female and male love and implicitly express her feelings for him. Shakespeare uses the literary technique of paradox in these lines. The assertion that if Viola were a woman seems silly and contradictory to Orsino; however, it contains a hidden truth. It helps the author to describe the gender confusion, which has formed in the plot. |
| Literary Techniques | Gender confusion |
| Conclusion | To summarize, the play William Shakespeare Twelfth Nightfocuses on several central themes, including love, disguise and deception, and gender confusion. Love is presented as a mighty force with a will of its own. Apart from it, the author pays attention to the fact that female and male love is different in nature. The play teaches that disguise and deception can cause unintended damage and deception. In particular, it leads to gender confusion among the characters in the play. All of it helps explain by multiple literary devices such as monologue, metaphor, enjambment, and others. |
Reference List
Shakespeare, W. (2019) Twelfth Night. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster.
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Twelfth Night (n.d.). Web.
Twelfth Night quotes (n.d.). Web.
Twelfth night, William Shakespeare (n.d.). Web.