Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare.
Twelfth Night is a fantastic comedy featuring Viola and her brother Sebastian who gets separated after a shipwreck at the Coast of Illyria. Viola is lucky to have the sea captain save her life but is afraid when she cannot find her brother in the fear that he drowned. Despite being a noblewoman, the loneliness makes her want to look for a way of living, and the sea captain tells her about the lady Olivia. However, she is mourning for her family and does not want to see anyone new. For protection, Viola impersonates to be a man named Cesario and gets work at Duke Orsino’s court through the help of the captain. Orsino likes Viola, and he makes him/her cover for his service, the Duke. This essay explains the meaning of the play elaborating on the themes, conflicts, and symbolism used by Shakespeare to convey his message to the audience.
To begin with, conflict in the play where Viola mourns her twin brother being the only family is not optimistic he might be alive. Conflict enables Shakespeare to achieve the purpose of the play (Bhattacharyya 41). This is also a plot in the play that reveals the bond Viola had with Sebastian. Another conflict is when Viola pretends to be a man by the name Cesario as she believes she can only survive as a male without her brother. Additionally, conflict is seen when Sebastian returns to Illyria with his love, Antonio and Olivia mistook Sebastian as Cesario and asks for marriage which he accepts. Lastly, the love triangle between Viola, Orsino, and Olivia, which is complicated as neither Olivia nor Orsino is aware that Caserio is a woman.
Moreover, themes are strongly linked with literature, especially in poetry, making it exciting and meaningful (Hughes 136). Shakespeare reveals several themes in the play, the main theme being on the good and bad sides of love as it has both pain and joy. Orsino sends Viola to Olivia to talk to her on his behalf. Olivia, instead, falls for Cesario, which causes fights as Orsino thinks Cesario left him to be with Olivia. Orsino’s love for Olivia is so strong that he wishes and wants to satisfy, but it is not possible. Olivia, too suffers terribly for love and sees it like a plague. However, the play ends well as Viola gets married to Orsino while Sebastian marries Olivia. There is also the theme of a chaotic world as Olivia refuses to accept Orsino’s proposal since she was mourning her family and falls for Viola, not knowing she is a woman. She ends up marrying Sebastian, believing he is Cesario.
Last and not least, symbols are also used in the play to convey different messages to the characters as well as the audience (Barnard 31). Orsino sends Viola a ring to take to Olivia as a symbol of love. Also, the play starts with music, and Orsino suggests if it is the food for love, it should keep on playing. According to Orsino, music nourishes love; thus, music is a symbol of love throughout the play. When Cesario (Viola) meets Olivia for the first time, the latter asks the former to write her a love song if he/she was truly in love with her.
In conclusion, Shakespeare, in the play, uses symbolism, characterization, and several themes to show the two sides of love. The plot of the play also helps the audience to understand the pains and joys of love. Every character has a unique role in achieving their purpose in the play and making it meaningful.