| shakespeare uses the comedy of viola’s disguise to explore ideas of sexuality | olivia is attracted to viola’s femininity: diana’s lip is not more smooth and rubious, all is semblative a woman’s part, thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs give thee the five fold blazonsome interpret orsino’s affection for cesario throughout the play as homoerotic desire: he hath known you but three days and already you are no stranger, i have unclasped to you the book of my secret soul, women’s hearts lack retention, their love may be called appetite but his love is all as hungry as the sea, agrees to marry viola while you are a man and still not in women’s weeds |
| CL Barber quote on sexuality within play | Olivia-Cesario, Orison-Cesario, Antonio-Sebastian… exhibit the loving and loveable qualities later expressed in love for the other sexOlivia’s infatuation with feminine qualities in a youth takes her… from shutting out suitors in mourning for her brother, to ardor for a man, Sebastian |
| the dramatic irony and confusion created by viola’s disguise | all is semblative a woman’s parta codling when ’tis almost an appleone would think his mother’s milk were scarce out of himno woman’s heart so big to hold so much, they lack retentionmy father had a daughter loved a man… she never told her love but let concealment, like a worm i’ the bud, feed on her damask cheeki am all the daughters of my father’s house and all the brothers tooif one should be prey, how much better to fall before the lion than the wolfwhat a deal of scorn looks beautiful in the contempt and anger of his lipi have one heart… and no mistress has, nor never none, shall mistress be of itif this young gentleman hath done offence, i take the fault on mewill you deny me?thou hast, sebastian, done good feature shamego with me to my house… what relish is this? or am i mad, or else this is a dreamif you mean well, now go with me and this holy man into the chantry bythree months this youth hath tended upon mehow i am beguiled…hast thou forgot thyself?a contract of eternal bond of lovewhy do you speak to me? i never hurt you?one face, one voice, one habit, two personsan apple, cleft in two, is not more twin than these two creatureslady, you have been mistook, but nature to her bias drew in that |
| Bertrand Evans quote on Olivia defying gender norms | olivia wooing cesario ‘the woman wooing the man, an incongruity in society, if not in society’ |
| DJ Palmer on effect of mistaken identity device | mistaken identity ‘becomes a fortuitous device for complicating action, but a means of exposing fantasies and secret desires nourished by those in the state of deception’ |
| differences – or lack of differences between male and female love | orsino says ‘no woman’s heart so big to hold so much, they lack retention… their love may be called appetite… mine is all as hungry as the sea’cesario says ‘we men may say more, but indeed our shows are more than our will’orsino’s love for olivia: ‘if music be the food of love play on…. so full of shapes is fancy that it alone is high fantastical… methought she purged the air of pestilence… most radiant, exquisite and unmatchable beauty’olivia’s love for cesario: i do i know not what, and fear to find mine eye too great a flatterer for my mind… by the roses of spring, by maidenhood, honour, truth and everything, i love thee’ |
| CL Barber’s view on differences between men’s love and women’s love | the fundamental distinction the play brings home to us is the difference between men and women |
| Porter William’s view on Olivia’s love for Cesario | olivia’s spontaneous love for cesario unconsciously prepares her for a happy union with sebastian |
Twelfth Night gender quotes and critical views
July 13, 2019