Julie Tagg| Think and Write for CSEC English A and B

In William Shakespeare’s comedy play “Twelfth Night”, the main characters share a common weakness: they are self-deluded. This theme is prevalent throughout the play, as the characters’ self-deception leads to many of the conflicts and misunderstandings that drive the plot. Duke Orsino is a character who deceives himself about love. He wrongly believes that love is all about feelings, music, sweet flowers, and romantic dreams. His famous line, “If music be the food of love, play on…” demonstrates his misguided beliefs about love.

Countess Olivia

Countess Olivia is another character who is self-deluded. She poses like a nun and clings to her love for her dead brother, deceiving herself in the process. However, her character changes quickly when Sebastian responds to her advances. Malvolio is another character who is deceived by his own sense of self-importance. He believes that a Countess would actually allow herself to fall in love with a servant, or even that he is a lovable type of fellow.

Sir Andrew

Sir Andrew is yet another character who is self-deceived. He loses a lot of money and gains some head injuries when he deceives himself into thinking that Olivia would look twice at a fellow like him. He also mistakenly believes that he is clever and can win a duel. Some critics have even suggested that Viola is deceived when she assumes that the way out of her problems might be to disguise herself; this decision leads to her experiencing a great many problems.

Sebastian

However, some characters are not self-deceived. Sebastian knows very well who he is, but he is willing to play along with Olivia’s plans, knowing that marriage to a Countess is not a bad option for a man who has lost everything in a shipwreck. Viola is not self-deceived either, except for the possible mistake of taking the disguise. She does not indulge in self-pity, but with skill and resourcefulness, she makes a life for herself after the shipwreck. Sir Toby and Maria are not deceived either. They love fun and are determined to have as much of it as they can, along with “cakes and ale.” They are certainly irresponsible, though.

Antonio

Antonio is another character who is not self-deceived. He is deceived by Cesario’s disguise and believes he is speaking to Sebastian, but he is never self-deceived. He is generous and valiant, much more a knight in shining armor than Sir Andrew can ever dream of being. The Clown is the only character who shows wisdom, despite his official job of playing the fool. His pithy comments and the content of his songs show him to be full of sound common sense.

Love

Love is the main focus of all Shakespeare’s comedies, and in “Twelfth Night,” as elsewhere, he explores different types of love. Love between a man and a woman is seen in the relationships between Sebastian and Olivia and between Orsino and Viola. Notice that they are not able to achieve happiness until all posturing is set aside. The love between Antonio and Sebastian is the love of friends (although some critics see it as more than this). On Antonio’s part, love shows itself in his generosity and in his willingness to put himself in danger to protect his friend, true friendship indeed.

The love that we see between Sir Toby and Maria is yet another kind of love – no particular romancing there, but we get a sense that they will enjoy each other and have a life filled with fun. Poor Malvolio is “sick of self-love,” according to Olivia. He thinks he is in love with the Countess, but in truth, he is only in love with himself and the thought of promotion.

Foolishness and Self-Deception

The central theme in the play is the foolishness of self-deception and the importance of self-knowledge. Supporting that theme is the “carpe diem” motif: the idea that life, youth, and beauty are fleeting, so those who are wise will “seize the day” and enjoy what life offers. Shakespeare draws on a few literary and folk traditions in this play, but all point to the same theme: the relationship between reality and romantic ideals. One romantic notion that developed in the Middle Ages (we know it through the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table) is the notion of chivalry – valorous knights riding to the rescue of any victims of wrongdoing. Sir Andrew and Sir Toby are parodies of that ideal. However, while the pair of knights fail to live up to the ideals, those ideals are not dead: they live on in Antonio and Sebastian.