Analysis

  • Analysing Viola

    At the start of the play, Viola finds herself alone: her father died when she was 13 years old and now she has lost her brother. She is in a similar situation to Olivia and perhaps this is why she tells the Captain ‘O, that I served that lady’ when she hears about Olivia’s situation. When the Captain replies that Olivia ‘will admit no kind of suit’, Viola decides to serve Orsino instead, asking the Captain to help disguise her as a young man.

    As the events of the play unfold it is important for any actor playing Viola, and anyone writing about the character, to ask:

    Why does Viola disguise herself as ‘Cesario’?

    We’ve started to think below about some of the reasons Viola disguises herself as 'Cesario'. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

    • Act 2 Scene 2: Why do you think Viola lies to Malvolio about the ring? What does her soliloquy suggest about how successful her disguise has been and how she feels about it?
    • Act 2 Scene 4: Look through Viola’s dialogue about love with Orsino. Notice how much Viola is confessing to Orsino about how she feels without revealing her true identity. How much do you think Viola might be regretting her disguise at this moment in the play?
    • Act 3 Scene 4: Look at the end of this scene where Antonio addresses Viola as if she were Sebastian and Viola then reflects on what Antonio has said to her. Why do you think Viola has so closely imitated her brother in her dress and behaviour?

    Point

    Viola is in danger as a woman with no family to protect her, so she dresses as a man for her own safety.

    Evidence

    ‘O that I served that lady / And might not be delivered to the world, / Till I had made mine own occasion mellow / What my estate is’ (Viola, 1:2)

    Explanation

    Viola suggests she would like to hide after her trauma until she is ready to face the world again. There is also a suggestion here that she is in a vulnerable position before she can access the family wealth that will give her more independence. The Captain says that after her father died, Olivia was left ‘In the protection of his son, her brother’ until he also died. In a similar way, Viola’s brother would have inherited the family wealth when their father died and would have acted as Viola’s guardian and protector. After a shipwreck it is not so easy for Viola to inherit as it was for Olivia.

    Point

    She wants to experience the freedom of being treated as a young man.

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    Point

    She wants to keep alive the memory of her brother and has deliberately dressed to look like him.

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    You can explore Viola's language further in the Language Analysis section.

  • Analysing Olivia

    As a beautiful and wealthy heiress, Olivia attracts the attention of many men who would like to marry her. In Shakespeare’s time, a woman of Olivia’s social status would have been expected to marry to form the right alliances rather than for love. Orsino is described throughout the play as an attractive, wealthy and decent man, but Olivia is confident in her rejection of him. Instead she falls desperately in love with Orsino’s young servant 'Cesario'.

    A key question in exploring the character of Olivia is:

    Why is Olivia attracted to 'Cesario', not Orsino?

    We’ve started to think below about some of the reasons for this. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

    • Act 1 Scene 5: Olivia tells 'Cesario' that she agreed to see him ‘rather to wonder at you than to hear you’. At what point in this scene do you think Olivia starts to fall in love with 'Cesario'? Which lines suggest a change in her attitude towards him?
    • Act 3 Scene 1: Look at how Olivia responds to 'Cesario' in this second encounter. Why do you think Olivia finds it so hard to accept 'Cesario’ saying 'he' cannot love her?
    • Act 3 Scene 4 and Act 4 Scene 1: Look at the short exchange between Olivia and Viola in Act 3 Scene 4. This is their last meeting before Olivia meets Sebastian and mistakes him for 'Cesario' in Act 4 Scene 1. How do Olivia's words in Act 3 Scene 4 suggest how she might respond to Sebastian in Act 4 Scene 1 when he returns her interest?

    Point

    Olivia cannot control her deep attraction to Cesario, which is based on feelings and emotions rather than practicality.

    Evidence

    ‘There’s something in me that reproves my fault / But such a headstrong potent fault it is / That it but mocks reproof.’ (Olivia, 3:4)

    Explanation

    Even though 'Cesario' keeps telling Olivia 'he' cannot love her, Olivia refuses to accept this answer and keeps asking 'Cesario' to visit her again. She knows her pursuit of Cesario may be wrong but feels she can’t help herself. This reflects an idea of love in Shakespeare’s time that love was a random emotion, creating temporary madness, like being struck by one of Cupid’s arrows.

    Point

    Olivia values her independence. She does not dislike Orsino but wants a more equal relationship than she could have with him.

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    Point

    Viola/Cesario speaks to Olivia as a person rather than an object of idealised love as Orsino does.

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    There are lots of reasons why ‘Cesario’ might be a more attractive option for Olivia. Look at the way 'Cesario' speaks to her in their first meeting, for example. How often do you think Olivia has been spoken to so honestly? You can explore more about the language of love in the Analysing the Language of Love section.

  • Analysing Sir Toby Belch

    In this video, Nick Day suggests that Sir Toby is ‘a flawed human being’ who is dependent on Sir Andrew ‘for defining his purpose in life’. What do you think that purpose might be? Sir Toby’s position in Olivia’s household is not entirely clear. Sir Toby calls Olivia his niece and he may be her uncle or he may be a more distant relative but it's clear he depends on her. The first time we meet Sir Toby, Maria tells him that Olivia is tired of his drunken antics and is not impressed by ‘the foolish knight’ Sir Toby has invited to stay. Sir Toby seems to enjoy Sir Andrew’s company and talks to him as a friend but it soon becomes clear that Sir Toby is deceiving Sir Andrew into believing that Olivia wishes to marry him.

    It is important for any actor playing Sir Toby, and anyone writing about the character, to consider his relationship with Sir Andrew, asking:

    Why does Sir Toby deceive Sir Andrew?

    We’ve started to think below about some of the reasons Sir Toby deceives Sir Andrew. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

    • Act 1 Scene 3: Look through this scene noting what Sir Toby says to Maria about Sir Andrew and what he says to Sir Andrew. What do you think might be Sir Toby’s attitude to Sir Andrew based on this first scene between them? Which lines or phrases are most useful in helping you decide?
    • Act 2 Scene 3: Look at the end of this scene, as Sir Toby and Sir Andrew are responding to Maria’s plan to trick Malvolio. Sir Andrew is involved in the deception of Malvolio but has no idea he is being deceived himself. How do you think Sir Toby feels about Sir Andrew at this stage in the play?
    • Act 5 Scene 1: Sir Toby has just a few lines in this act when he enters having been beaten by Sebastian. What might his response to Sir Andrew in this situation suggest about how he feels about his friend? Do his insults suggest a change of attitude? Is it how he has always felt? Is he lashing out because he is hurt? Or might it be something else?

    Point

    Sir Toby is only interested in conning Sir Andrew’s money out of him.

    Evidence

    ‘I have been dear to him, lad, some two thousand strong or so.’ (Sir Toby, 3:2)

    Explanation

    Sir Toby confesses to Fabian that he has been taking money from Sir Andrew. When Sir Toby deceives Sir Andrew into believing that Cesario wants to fight with him, Sir Andrew tells Sir Toby to offer Cesario his horse to ‘let the matter slip’. Sir Toby sees this as an opportunity to take the horse for himself, saying in an aside: ‘I’ll ride your horse as well as I ride you’ (3:4) which suggests he is consciously using Sir Andrew for his own gain and enjoying it.

    Point

    Sir Toby enjoys laughing at others and finds Sir Andrew’s gullibility entertaining.

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    Point

    Sir Toby is a drunk and is not really aware of what he is doing.

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  • Analysing Malvolio

    In Shakespeare’s time, how people dressed, spoke and behaved towards each other was more obviously controlled by their position in society. Malvolio is a steward, a highly trusted and important position in such a large household as Olivia’s, but he is ambitious for more and believes he could become master of the household by marrying his mistress Olivia. It is clear from the beginning of Act 2 Scene 5 that Malvolio already dreams of marrying Olivia, even before he reads Maria’s letter. Instead of having any doubts about the authenticity of the letter he is quick to believe that his dreams are coming true. ‘I do not now fool myself, to let imagination jade me, for every reason excites to this, that my lady loves me’ (Malvolio, 2:5)

    As the events of the play unfold it is important for any actor playing Malvolio, and anyone writing about the character, to ask:

    Why does Malvolio believe Olivia loves him?

    We’ve started to think below about some of the reasons why Malvolio believes Olivia loves him. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

    • Act 2 Scene 5: Look carefully through this scene at everything Malvolio says about Olivia, before, during and after reading the letter. Why do you think Maria’s letter is so successful?
    • Act 3 Scene 4: Despite the responses of Olivia and then of Maria, Sir Toby and Fabian, Malvolio never suspects that he has been tricked. What reasons can you suggest for why Malvolio is so unshakeable in his belief that Olivia loves him?
    • Act 5 Scene 1: When Malvolio is finally released and faces Olivia with the letter he still believes she wrote, what do you think might be going through his mind? How do you think he feels when the truth of the letter is revealed?

    Point

    Malvolio believes Olivia pays more attention to him than she does and has already convinced himself of some affection from her, even before the letter.

    Evidence

    ‘She did commend my yellow stockings of late, she did praise my leg being cross-gartered, and in this she manifests herself to my love, and with a kind of injunction drives me to these habits of her liking.’ (Malvolio, 2:5)

    Explanation

    Maria makes it clear later in this scene that Olivia hates yellow and cross-gartered is ‘a fashion she detests’. It seems that Olivia has complimented Malvolio on his yellow stockings and cross- garters before, perhaps out of politeness or as a joke, but that Malvolio took her seriously. Maria cleverly uses this detail to convince Malvolio the letter truly expresses Olivia’s feelings.

    Point

    He is vain and self-important, making it easy for him to imagine his mistress falling in love with him.

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    Point

    Maria’s letter is very detailed and convincing, making it possible for Malvolio to believe the declaration of love.

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    If you are interested in looking at the staging of the gulling scene, in which Malvolio receives the letter in Act 2 Scene 5, you can explore it further in the Key Scenes section.

Teacher Notes

For each of the characters on this page we’ve asked some central questions. These are great questions to explore with students in mind maps, or as class debates.

The following activities will also help you explore the characters of Malvolio, Olivia and Viola even further with students.

Who is Malvolio (2017)

This activity can be found on page 6 and takes approximately 20 minutes.

Courting Olivia (2017)

This activity, exploring Olivia and Viola’s first meeting in Act 1, can be found on page 10 and takes approximately 20 minutes.