Twelfth Night - How does Shakespeare present the characters of Olivia and Orsino? How do their characters change during the play and what influences do Sebastian and Viola have on them?

Twelfth Night Essay

How does Shakespeare present the characters of Olivia and Orsino? How do their characters change during the play and what influences do Sebastian and Viola have on them?

Introduction

The main characters that I will be focusing on are Olivia, Orsino, Viola and Sebastian. I will write about the way that Shakespeare presents Olivia and Orsino their changes during the play and why these changes occur. I will also include the affects Viola and Sebastian have on them.

Orsino is the duke of Illyria, he would like to ask Olivia to marry him she is a rich lady with a waiting-gentlewoman Maria. She has recently lost her brother and is in mourning for him. Because of this she does not seem to be interested in any other men including Orsino. Sebastian and Viola are twin brother and sister who during the play are involved in a shipwreck and believe each other to be dead as they become separated. Viola dresses as a man called Cesario and goes to Orsino’s court looking for work.

Orsino is seen to be very much in love with Olivia. He seems to be so overwhelmed with his passion for her that he acts rather strange. The arrival of Cesario who Orsino seems to take a liking to takes his mind off Olivia but soon he is using Cesario to woo her for him. This affects the situation in a way that he clearly did not intend as Olivia regains her interest in men again but not in him but in Cesario!

Orsino becomes desperately unhappy about his failure to win the affection of Olivia. In ...

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Orsino becomes desperately unhappy about his failure to win the affection of Olivia. In a conversation with Cesario he argues that men love more than women do. Cesario disagrees and almost gives away her true identity and love. She is sent to Olivia again.

Olivia states her love for Cesario but is turned down, a love triangle forms Cesario (Viola) for Orsino, Orsino for Olivia and Olivia for Cesario.

After meeting Sebastian who she believed to be Cesario, Olivia invites him into her home. Sebastian enters in a complete daze. He is given a jewel by Olivia who now proposes a ceremony of betrothal as a step towards marriage. Sebastian thinking this strange offer is too good to turn down agrees. In the end the twins meet and Orsino and Olivia find out what is going on. Although Orsino thinks he loves Olivia this seems to be a childish kind of ‘love’ with the love letters and pathetic songs. A more adult and true type of love has developed however between him and Viola even though he believed her to be male. A double wedding is arranged Orsino to Viola and Sebastian to Olivia.

All this shows that Viola and Sebastian bring happiness to the at first sad and lonely Olivia and Orsino. Shakespeare portrays Orsino as a strong and wealthy character who is at the start of the play in love with Olivia. When he meets Viola he clearly finds her attractive but does not declare his love for her however because she is dressed as Cesario. Later though when he finds she is actually Viola he asks her to marry him. Olivia clearly likes Orsino and wants to marry her. She then finds Sebastian attractive when she meets him because he looks so similar to Orsino.