Orsino makes relevant comments about the relationship between romance and imagination, which significantly add to the dramatic effect of this scene. The comments ‘so full of shapes is fancy’ and ‘that it alone is high fantastical’ relate to the idea of overpowering love (‘fancy’) to that of imagination (that which is ‘fantastical’). This link is appropriate for both Orsino and the play itself as in this scene and throughout the play the question of whether romantic love has more to do with the person who is loved or with the lover’s own imagination is repeatedly raised. This enhances the dramatic importance of this scene as it allows the audience to realise that Orsino may not be in love but likes the idea of being in love, as he appears to be disappointed by Olivia’s rejections, yet at the same time a strong impression is given that he is enjoying himself. This is shown by the way he listens to music and talks eloquently about Olivia.
The depth of Orsino’s wallowing in emotion can be seen by his response to Curio’s question, ‘will you go hunt, my lord?’ He does not answer in the context which Curio means, of whether he wants to go on an actual hunt, but in a metaphorical sense that of Olivia being the object of his pursuit, the word ‘hart’ being a pun both on the word heart as well as the word for a deer. The effect of this metaphor is unlikely to be lost on the audience and is likely to encourage them to look for similar examples in the rest of the play.
The quality of the verse reflects Orsino’s character, as like him it is rich. The verse is full of imagery, an example of which is ‘receiveth as the sea’ where the sea is used as an image for his love. This phrase suggests that Orsino feels that his love can’t be satisfied, which makes him seem self-obsessed and someone who enjoys wallowing in their emotions. He also appears to be self-pitying and self-indulgent, as he doesn’t seem to be doing anything tangible about the way he feels. The critic DJ Palmer correctly describes Orsino as having ‘an unstable self absorbed passion’.
The cause of Orsino’s self-obsession is unclear in the play, although it appears that the music seems to feed and deepen his emotions. I think that the relating of this to a modern day audience is challenging. However, the approach used in the Trevor Nunn film version, where Orsino has a hunting injury and is therefore bored which suggests the reason for his self-absorption, works well because it is more convincing for a modern audience.
The Elizabethan audience might interpret Orsino’s love sickness, shown in this scene as being a form of madness. This is a theme that Shakespeare picks up on in other parts of the play, including Act 3 scene 4 where Olivia accuses Malvolio of ‘midsummer madness’. It is clear that in most cases it is love that makes the characters behave strangely. Malvolio for example, behaves in the way that he does in front of Olivia because he thinks that she loves him. Shakespeare also explores this theme again in Act 5 scene 1 where Olivia describes her own madness as ‘a most extracting frenzy of mine own’. This resulted from her feelings for Viola/Cesario, causing her to lose track of her household, particularly with regard to the way in which Malvolio was treated.
Although Orsino’s behaviour is exaggerated in this scene, the audience still empathise with him. They are unlikely to mock him because, by the nature of Shakespearean comedies, they know that Orsino is eventually destined for fulfilment. Also, although he is the romantic hero, he isn’t a comical character and there is a certain dignity about him. This is borne out in Act 1 scenes 3 and 5 where other suitors for Olivia are presented to the audience: Sir Andrew who has neither wit nor strength and Malvolio who is conceited. Only then the finer qualities of Orsino become apparent and he is elevated in the eyes of the audience. Olivia also backs this up in Act 1 scene 5 when she comments ‘I suppose him virtuous, know him noble, of great estate, of fresh and stainless youth’. This is also emphasized in Act 1 scene 2 where the Captain provides further details about Orsino whom he describes as ‘a noble duke, in nature as in name’.
Shakespeare makes this scene of dramatic importance by establishing the theme of excess, one of the plays key themes, whether this is emotional or literal. The emotional excesses, particularly those of Orsino are addressed through reference to the sea. When Orsino says ‘notwithstanding thy capacity, receiveth as the sea’, he is equating his emotions to the sea, in terms of its vastness. This is further emphasised in Act 2 scene 4 where Orsino describes his ‘passion as hungry as the sea’, where he thinks his love is so strong that it has no limit. Furthermore, in Act 2 scene 4 Feste says about Orsino that he ‘would have men of such constancy put to sea’, suggesting that Orsino’s emotions are like the tide of the sea which ebb and flow with time.
Furthermore in this scene the image of the sea as well as conveying Orsino’s emotional excess also provides a clue as to the play’s setting. To the observant, this could suggest that the play is set near the coast. Shakespeare often used the sea for thematic imagery and many of his plays are set somewhere near the sea. This may be due to the sea being able to mirror the mutability of nature. It is worth noting that the Shakespeare uses images of the sea throughout the rest of the play. An example of this occurs in Act 5 scene 1, in which Antonio describes Sebastian as a ‘wrack past hope’.
Like Orsino, Olivia also seems to experience emotional excess. In the opening scene the period of mourning is used to demonstrate this. She wants to mourn for her brother for seven years and is referred to as a ‘cloistress’ by Valentine. Another example of Olivia’s emotional excess is her feelings for Cesario, which are extreme and lead her to be unaware of what is happening to Malvolio.
Unlike Orsino and Olivia, who provide instances of emotional excess, Sir Toby is an example of literal excess as he drinks and revels too much as shown by Act 1 scene 3, just as people tended to do on twelfth night.
The theme of excess is closely linked to the character’s desire. As the play progresses it becomes apparent that virtually all the characters are longing for something. There’s the love triangle between Olivia, Orsino and Viola/Cesario. Sir Toby longs to be free from responsibility as shown by Act 1 scene 3 where he says ‘cares an enemy to life’. Even Viola in Act 2 scene 4, where she is referring to herself through use of a ‘fictional sister’, is shown to be yearning for someone. Often the characters’ desires are coupled with frustration as they long for something that they can’t have. Shakespeare makes use of this device to introduce further complications in the plot.
Music plays an important part in Shakespeare’s plays. Its use in this scene further adds to the dramatic effect. It seems to feed Orsino’s love, particularly when he states that ‘if music be the food of love play on’. This scene therefore helps to establish Orsino’s attitude to music and this is built on in other parts of the play.
In Act 2 scene 4, Orsino asks for a particular piece of music to be played and says that ‘methought that it did relieve my passion much’. This shows that he uses music to help soothe his moods. Also when he says that ‘more than light airs and recollected terms of these most brisk and giddy-pacéd times’ seems to imply that he uses music to escape into another world or time. This also shows that he prefers the old song in comparison to the fast music of the time as it reminds him of a by gone era and it helps him to escape to this golden age in his imagination.
Again in Act 2 scene 4 the lyrics from Feste’s song directly reflect Orsino’s character in that it is a melancholic song about a person dying from unrequited love, which mirrors Orsino’s love for Olivia. The song also conveys Orsino’s love sickness when Feste sings ‘I am slain by a fair cruel maid’. The song draws parallels to his detachedness from the world when it goes on and refers to ‘not a friend greet’ and ‘not a flower sweet’. This song has a strong effect on Orisno, as after listening to it, he immediately orders Cesario to go and woo Olivia for him.
In the introduction to the Aden edition the critics Lothian and Craik aptly comment that the opening scene offers us a ‘situation: the irresistible force (Orsino’s passion) opposing the immoveable object (Olivia’s self seclusion)’. This scene leaves the audience with lots of further questions before the start of scene 2. Some of the questions in the audience’s mind relate to Orsino, about who he is and will his love continue? However the main question is probably about the direction of the plot and who else is going to be introduced in order to break this apparent deadlock.
The second scene from Act 1, is probably the most important scene in the play, as it is here that Shakespeare’s substantive comedic element comes into play, that of mistaken identity. It introduces Viola, the main character in the play. Her decision to ‘conceal what I am’ and disguise herself as a pageboy is the basis of the main action of the play and provides much of the wit and double meanings found in the rest of the play.
This scene provides some of the answers that have been posed previously and also reveals further details about the plot. The audience can immediately identify Viola as the likely catalyst for moving the plot forward as well as the cause for further complications. This is proved to be correct, as at the end of the scene she decides to dress as a man in order to be able to serve Orsino. The development of the plot, gradual unearthing of Viola’s character and discovery of other details cause this scene to be of particular dramatic importance.
The dramatic effect of this scene is made all the more effective, as Shakespeare introduces Viola, the main character to the audience, without actually given a full view of her character until later on in the play. The audience are introduced to a beautiful and virtuous lady, but then learn that she will disguise herself as a man. Also in this scene, by mentioning Sebastian, it also prepares the audience for his introduction later on in the play. Thereby introducing an element of anticipation in their minds.
At the beginning of the scene Viola seems to have many things in common with the audience as she is brought into the play with no direction and she doesn’t know much about the surroundings or the situation that she finds herself in. She is washed up on a shore with the captain after a storm and acts as a mouthpiece for the audience when she asks many of their questions; ‘what country, friends, is this?’ and ‘who governs here?’ This allows Shakespeare to tell the audience that the play is set in Illyria and to give the name of the man appearing in the opening scene as Orsino.
Compared to the opening scene, this scene has a different mood and atmosphere. The first scene was almost claustrophobic, as Orsino was locked up in his passion with servants surrounding him, whereas this scene is in open air on the coast and there seems to be a sense of freedom. There is also a slight hint in it that Orsino and Viola may fall in love as at the mention of his name she quickly says ‘I have heard my father name him; he was a bachelor then’.
This scene also provides background information on Olivia, as it is here that the audience learns from the Captain that her father has ‘died twelvemonth since’ and that she is a ‘virtuous maid’ and ‘the daughter of a count’. The fact that she has been recently bereaved is likely to create sympathy for Olivia in the audience’s mind and this perhaps indicates the reason for her rejecting Orsino’s advances. To the audience, the loss of their brothers creates an emotional link between Olivia and Viola, as they are both alone in the world.
The second scene begins poignantly with Viola’s grief of being separated from her twin brother, Sebastian. This is the second reference to grief in the play and it emphasises the strange way in which the play begins, particularly as it is meant to be a comedy. However this makes this scene emotionally charged thereby adding to its dramatic importance. At first the audience are given a picture of Viola’s sorrow by ‘what should I do in Illyria? My brother he is in Elysium’. However this quickly turns into an image of hope and courage when she says ‘mine own escape unfoldeth to my hope’.
Rather cleverly, this scene allows the audience to compare and to contrast Viola’s character with that of Olivia. On the surface, there is an element of similarity between them, in that both are mourning their brothers’ loss, as both are alone in the world. It appears that Viola’s disguise and Olivia’s self-assumed cloistress role is their individual ways of coping with loss, yet these women are very different. Viola wants to become part of the world again, while Olivia desires to distance herself from the world. Viola wants to survive and her approach to be able to do this is to seek employment, despite her background, yet at the same time try and protect her virtue. Hence she becomes a pageboy, using both her practicality and intelligence. On the other hand Olivia chooses to indulge in her grief by isolating herself, possibly as a protective measure against the unwelcome advances of Orsino.
This scene also allows the audience to compare the rather fatalistic and lacking in control character of Orsino with the courageous and resourceful character of Viola. He wants to woo Olivia, however, apart from sending messages to her; he has no real idea about how to set about winning her heart. Viola on the other hand doesn’t know where she is heading, yet appears to accept the situation that she finds herself in and tries to extricate herself from it. An example of this is where she says ‘What else may hap, to time I will commit’, this shows that she believes that eventually everything will sort itself out.. Also when the Captain makes reference to Olivia, Viola quickly comes up with the idea of serving her, clearly with a view towards trying to better her present situation. This resourceful attribute of Viola’s character is further demonstrated in Act 2 scene 4, where she comes close to revealing her true identity. In order to show Orsino that women’s love can be just as strong as men’s she says that ‘I am all the daughters of my fathers house’, almost giving herself away. It is indicative of her wit and self-control that she manages to quickly change the subject.
Viola comes across as being someone who is able to hold her own and is both witty and eloquent. This becomes apparent in this scene when she says to the Captain that she will be able to serve the Duke well as she ‘can sing, And speak to him in many sorts of music’. This is supported by the Dukes comment in Act 2 scene 4 when he says to her ‘thou dost speak masterly’’. Her qualities are further demonstrated in Act 1 scene 5 where Maria uses a sailing metaphor to tell her to leave, Viola replies in kind by saying ‘no, good swabber, I am to hull here a little longer’. Her bantering with Feste, throughout the play and the manner in which she manages to overcome a difficult situation with Olivia, in Act 3 scene 3, by quickly coming up with carefully considered answers, provide further proof of these attributes.
She also comes across as being both sympathetic and empathetic towards other characters. She knows how to say the right things to the right person. Evidence of this is provided when she is able to get through to Olivia when none of Orsino’s other servants have been successful. She also builds up a good relationship with the Duke in a very brief period of time, as shown in Act 1 scene 4 where Valentine says that ‘he hath known you but three days and already you are no stranger’, and where the Duke also says ‘I have unclasped to thee the book even of my secret soul’. This demonstrates her ability of being able to interact with people and to endear herself to them. Her own experience of losing a brother perhaps allows her to understand Olivia’s feelings at the beginning of the play.
This scene also shows Viola’s generosity as she gives gold to the captain for telling her that her brother may have survived. There are many other points in the play where the generosity of her character is brought out; when she gives money to Feste after bantering with him and also in Act 1 scene 5 where she writes Orsino’s speech for him. She shows her loyalty towards Orsino as in-spite of being in love with him, she is still prepared to try her best in helping him woo Olivia. Act 2 scene 4 allows the audience to directly compare Viola’s self less loyalty with Orsino’s self absorbed passion.
There are other images of giving in the play such as Olivia giving Viola/Cesario the ring in Act 2 scene 2 and Antonio giving Sebastian his purse in Act 3 scene 3. In most cases this leads to complications. In the first instance, the giving of the ring is responsible for setting up the love triangle between Orsino, Olivia and Viola/Cesario. In the second instance, when Antonio gives Sebastian his purse this leads to confusion as Viola/Cesario is mistaken for Sebastian.
Another function of the second scene, which makes it of dramatic importance, is the introduction of the theme of disguise. In the play Viola has a literal disguise, which compares and contrasts directly with the psychological disguises worn by Orsino and Olivia. When Viola says ‘nature with a beauteous wall doth oft close in pollution’, this shows that in comparison to the other characters in the play, she is less deceived by appearances. As the play progresses, the audience is likely to identify this scene as being the start point for this particular theme.
The disguise that Viola is prepared to put on demonstrates her self-confidence and courage to the audience, particularly as this act would have been punishable in those times. She clearly thinks that she will be able to make disguise work when she says ‘it may be worth thy pains’. She says that she can sing and ‘speak to him in many sorts of music’ further demonstrating her talents to the audience.
Viola’s disguise appears to have a direct effect on the removal of Orsino’s disguise. In Act 2 scene 4 she opens Orsino’s heart and tries to tell him what love really about. She manages to get through to him, as and he stops thinking about Olivia and is interested in what she has to say. This is an example of Viola’s disguise helping to clarify other character’s confusions. Viola also seems to bring about changes in Orsino’s character as he starts to relax, particularly when in her company.
The audience sees the effect of Viola’s disguise on Olivia in Act 1 scene 5 where she lifts Olivia’s veil of mourning, which is a symbol of the latter’s psychological disguise This symbolises Viola bringing Olivia out from her detached world, into the world of the living. As the play progresses, it is seen that this causes further complications due to Olivia falling in love with Viola/Cesario. Throughout the play Shakespeare uses Viola’s disguise to create dramatic irony, which leads to both moments of comedy and pathos.
The first comical moment for the audience occurs when they initially see Viola in the disguise. This would have been amusing, as a man would be playing the part of a woman whom in turn is disguised as a man. In noting the gender confusion that seems to flow through the play, it is important to realise that for Shakespeare’s audiences, the idea of a girl successfully disguising herself as a boy wasn’t ludicrous as it might seem nowadays. In Shakespeare’s days men acted all the parts in a play. Thus, every acting company included several delicate young boys, who played female roles. The audiences were open to the idea that a young man could convincingly disguise himself as a woman, and vice-versa. Such fluidity in portraying characters of either gender adds an extra dimension to the complexity of Shakespeare’s cross-dressing characters.
Another example of dramatic irony connected to the use of disguise occurs later on in the play. In Act 1 scene 4 the Duke describing Cesario says ‘all is semblative a woman’s part’, is likely to make the audience laugh, as they know that Cesario is really a woman. There is also some dramatic irony in Act 1 scene 5 where Viola/Cesario says ‘I swear I am not that I play’.
Further dramatic irony related to the above is provided in Act 3 scene 1. At the beginning of the scene Feste says ‘send thee a beard’ to which Viola/Cesario replies ‘I am almost sick for one’. This would create laughter in the audience, as it is another reminder of her disguise. Shakespeare creates further irony when Olivia and Viola/Cesario are talking to one another. This results in fast one line responses between them and it reminds the audience of the difficult position that Viola finds herself in.
Therefore it can be seen that most of the comedy that results in subsequent parts of the play is a direct consequence of scene 2 of Act 1, thereby further demonstrating its dramatic significance.
The main moment of pathos created as a result of Viola’s disguise occurs in scene 4 of Act 2, when the duke refers to women as roses and Viola adds ‘to die, even when to perfection grow’. This is very poignant as it makes the audience sympathise with Viola. Like the rose she has grown to perfection, but as she gets older and as her beauty starts fading, her chances of winning Orsino’s heart are being reduced. Therefore her disguise is not allowing her to use her assets while she has them. A further moment of pathos in this scene is generated when Viola uses a fictional sister to describe herself as ‘a blank, my lord she never told her love’. This further emphasizes that her disguise is stopping her from telling Orsino about her love for him. The phrase ‘she sat like patience on a monument’ is personification and it creates a very sad image of Viola in the audience’s mind.
The play has many other references where appearances are deceiving, a particular example occurs in Act 3 scene 1 where Olivia falls in love with Viola/Cesario. When she says ‘o, what a deal of scorn looks beautiful in the contempt and anger of his lip’, it is clear that her love is based purely on appearance. This allows a further comparison to be made between her and Viola. In contrast to Olivia, Viola comes across as having more integrity, shown in Act 3 scene 1 where she says ‘I have one heart, one bosom and one truth’, which implies that she is not merely taken in by appearance.
Shakespeare also uses this scene to introduce the key theme of time. This causes the scene to have added dramatic importance. The reference to time makes the audience compare Viola’s attitude to time with those of the other characters. When she says ‘what else may hap, to time I will commit’ in this scene and, at the end of Act 2 scene 2 upon discovering that Olivia has fallen in love with her she says ‘o time, thou must untangle this, not I; it is too hard a knot for me to untie’, seems to suggest that she is prepared to let fate unravel things for her. Unlike Viola, who is content to go along with time, Orsino and Olivia, seem to be stuck in a bygone era and are striving to get back to it. Another reference to time, again in terms of highlighting the contrast between the characters, occurs in Act 2 of scene 3, where Maria describes Malvolio as being a ‘time pleaser’ and where Sir Toby seems to come across as someone who defies all conventions regarding time.
Most productions of this play generally begin with a storm with this scene being first instead of the opening scene with Orsino. I think this may be because today’s audience find this more appealing or it may be for practical purposes. The advantage of starting with the storm is that it clearly shows the theme of separation and it makes the image of the sea concrete. The sea seems to destroy yet renew at the same time. This links it in with Viola, as a storm at sea separates her from her brother but the storm brings her to Illyria and therefore allows her to resolve the situation between Orsino and Olivia and in doing so she also eventually finds love. The storm could also be a symbol of breaking of boundaries and coming into a new world, symbolising Viola’s breaking of ties with the old world and of her coming to the land of Illyria.
Shakespeare may have started the play with Orsino for other considerations. It may have been that it was not possible in Shakespearian times to have a storm set upon stage, therefore most of the scene settings instead were relayed to the audience through narration. Also in Shakespearian times the method of acting wouldn’t have worked well with the play starting in this way, as the acting was very dramatic in order to get the message across to the audience and therefore modern, naturalistic low-key acting methods were not possible.
From a dramatic viewpoint, I think that the two scenes analysed here are pivotal to the play and generally seem to achieve their objectives well. As well as identifying the main theme of the play of how complications of love often arise from disguises, which may hide one’s true intentions, these scenes also provide the means of how these difficulties get resolved in the play. Although the atmosphere in the scenes is quite melancholic, the audience can clearly sense the potential for comedy. The title ‘Twelfth Night’ perhaps also relates to this, as there would have been some sorrow as it was the last day of the Christmas festivities. However the subsequent scenes of the play establish its comical aspects, particularly through the use of the sub plot and the introduction of other characters.
