Elodie Grace Orkin

7th grade English

June 14th 2018
Julie Jarvis

“O Time, thou must untangle this, not I.

It is too hard a knot or me t’ untie”
(Act II, sc iii, ll. 40-41).

In the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Viola, dressed as a man

named Cesario, is describing how complicated her life is. In this scene, Viola, the
protagonist, has just received a ring from Countess Olivia and begins to suspect that
Olivia is in love with her. The fact that a woman falls in love with another women
dressed as a man is one example of the many twists and turns that adds rich
dimension to the comedy. For example, the act of disguise is one of the most
significant reasons why the play is so complex. There are many instances of disguise
in Twelfth Night; however, there are three noteworthy acts of disguise that are the
most compelling. The first instance is when Maria, a serving woman, writes a letter
to Malvolio, a steward, pretending to be Olivia. Another is when Sir Toby Belch,
Olivia’s kinsman, falsely represents the intentions of Viola and Sir Andrew
Aguecheek, Toby’s companion. Finally, the most obvious and impacting act of false
identity in the play is Viola guising as a man, Cesario. These particular acts of
disguise make Shakespeare’s play more compelling by adding humor, uncertainty,
and intrigue.
When Maria impersonates Olivia’s handwriting in a letter to Malvolio, her
hidden identity adds humor to the play. Maria decides to impersonate Olivia
because Toby, Andrew, and she want revenge on Malvolio. Malvolio had offended
them by insulting their behavior and threatening to tell Olivia, “you would not give
means for this uncivil rule. She shall know of it, by this hand” (Act II, sc. iii, ll. 121-
123). This angers the group and initially spurs their decision to take revenge. Maria
writes the letter to Malvolio, which leads him to make a fool of himself, encouraging
him to wear yellow cross-gartered stockings (both items Olivia hates), talk down to
his masters, and that Olivia is in love with him. “cast thy humble slough and appear
fresh… Remember who commended thy yellow stockings and to see thee ever cross-
gartered” (Act II. Sc v, ll 150-158). And when Malvolio reads the letter, he does
everything that is asked of him in front of Olivia, thinking he is impressing her.
Ultimately, he is embarrassing himself. Malvolio’s gullible actions add comedy to the
story by creating an uncomfortable and misunderstood situation between the two
characters. Maria’s decision to pose as Olivia adds significant humor to the comedy.
Another effective instance of mistaken identity is when Toby confuses the
intentions of Viola and Andrew. It appears Toby enjoys manipulating others just for
the fun of it. One key example of Toby’s scheming is when he starts an unwanted
duel between Viola and Andrew. Andrew has been upset because Olivia has recently
fallen in love with Viola, but Andrew wants to marry Olivia. In fact, that is the main
reason Andrew is staying on Olivia’s grounds. Therefore, Toby suggests he should
challenge Viola (dressed as Cesario) to a duel. But Andrew is not the dueling type, so
Toby offers to challenge Viola for him. By doing so, he lies by saying Andrew is a
ruthless knight. “Be yare in thy preparation, for thy assailant is quick, skillful, and
deadly” (Act III, sc. iv, ll. 233-234). Not only is Toby encouraging Andrew to pose as
a deadly swordsman, he also pushes Viola to fight against her nature. Thus,
confusing the real nature of the characters. So, Toby tells Andrew that Cesario is a
ruthless knight, “why man, he is the very devil” (Act III, sc. iv, l. 284). By forcing two
characters to fight against their will, Toby adds complication and curiosity to the
plot.
One of the most significant uses of the art of disguise is Viola as Cesario. Viola
is the first character that makes an act of disguise, and unlike most of the characters,
hers lasts through the entire play. In the second scene of the play, Viola decides to
dress as a boy so she can get a job from Orsino. Viola tells the captain of her ship to
“conceal me what I am, and be my aid For such disguise as haply shall become The
form of my intent” (Act I, sc. ii, ll. 56-58). Through out the play, Viola does not reveal
herself to the other characters. Actually, this causes quit a few mix-ups and
problems that move the forward. One of the most impactful problems is when Olivia
falls in love with Cesario. “methought her eyes had lost her tongue, For she did
speak in starts distractedly. She loves me, sure!” (Act II, Sc. ii, ll. 20-22). In this scene,
Viola/Cesario realizes that Olivia has fallen in love with her. Olivia almost never
stops to pursue Cesario/Viola. But Olivia has many pursuers herself, which leads the
characters into unwanted situations. In fact, without her act of disguise there would
be no story. Viola/Cesario is the main reason why the audience is kept intrigued.
Disguise is one of the most important elements of William Shakespeare’s
Twelfth Night. From Maria writing prank letters, Toby playing tricks on
Viola/Cesario and Andrew, to Viola dressing as a man they are all important to the
plot. Maria’s act of disguise gives the audience a lighthearted break from the main
plot and makes them laugh. Toby’s keeps the audience curios about the future of the
characters. And Viola’s is the very reason the story is interesting and even
continues. These three instances are the most impactful acts of disguise through out
the play.