Twelfth Night- Disguise VS Identity

3 Pages 800 Words

Disguise in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night has many purposes. Even though disguising one's gender is a common theme in Shakespeare, some say it is instates bonding and allows a way for it to happen. It is known that it is used as a necessity for survival. In Twelfth Night, Disguise and Identity is shown in feelings, appearances and decisions. Disguise is an occasionally seen force which drives one’s mind into believing in something unrealistic. Disguise and Identity get mixed up which causes confusion. Both factors are compared in the meaning of Truth.
Viola contributes a great deal to the theme of Disguise versus Identity in Twelfth Night. Viola must bundle up her personal emotions which she has for Orsino. “Love sought is good, but given unsought is better” (Act iii, Scene I). The quotation describes Viola’s love for Orsino and her effort to disguise it causing false identity. The false identity confuses the characters’ in the novel as well as the readers. Viola’s distinct personality of her own individuality is that she is madly in love with Orsino and her effort to hide it. In Act V, Scene I, Viola reveals her hidden love for him which proves the fact that Identity overcomes Disguise. Viola has affected others by her attempt to disguise her love for Orsino which relates to what Viola went threw which was disguising her appearance to be with the one she loved.
As Cesario, Viola learns a lot about Orsino that he might not have revealed otherwise. Thinking Cesario is a normal man, which he is not, Orsino confided to him about his love for Olivia. “If music be the food of love, play on... “(Act I, Scene I). This quotation describes Orsino’s aching love for Olivia. As for her appearance, she disguised herself as a man. She wore man clothes, cut her hair, put on a moustache and pretended she had a deeper voice. She did this because she wanted to work for Count Orsino. The difference of Identity and Disguise is that if...