Heavener 1

Cheyenne Heavener

ENGL 342

25 November 2019

Bi-ola Viola

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night or What You Will was likely first performed in February

1602. The origins of the play are closely linked to the twelve days of Christmas that was

celebrated during the Restoration. The twelve days were all days in which the common folk

could cast off the serious roles they had to play. The fool could become a king, and a king could

become a barkeep. There would be fooling, drinking, hilarity, and all-around revelry.

The play did not appear to be very popular during the Restoration, even with its

superficial themes of revelry. The Cambridge Shakespeare says “[a]fter the two performances of

Twelfth Night noted at court in 1618 and 1623, there is no record of any performances until

Samuel Pepys saw three revivals (1661, 1663, 1669) in London following the restoration of the

monarchy and the reopening of the theaters” (1174). Interestingly, though, this play is thought to

be among Shakespeare’s most popular and “…finest comedies…” (Brevington). The play has

grown in popularity, beginning around 1740 when it was revived and “establish[ed]…modern

actress as ‘stars.’”

It is possible that the play originated as an English version of the Italian play

Gl’Ingannati (The Devieved) which was written by Nicolo Secchi in 1547. The play follows

roughly the same path as Twelfth Night. There is a young woman who:
 Heavener 2

disguises herself as a page in order to be near the man she loves, finds herself wooing

another on his behalf an in turn becomes the object of that woman’s desire. There is a

twin brother, who arrives after many years’ adventures to look for his sister…and is

willingly seduced by the Olivia-Figure…. (Cambridge University p. 435).

A few scenes are uncannily familiar to Shakespeare’s, though, which give credence to the idea

that he did see Gl’Ignannati at one time or another. Another major influence for his piece is

‘Apolonius and Silla’ which made up “part of Barnabe Riche’s popular book published in

1581…Riche his Farewell to Military Profession….” (448). This fits in with many claims

throughout history that Shakespeare was influenced by the works he read, saw performed, or

heard. Though an interesting point, it is not the focus of this paper to delve into the details of

Shakespeare’s authenticity or originality. The focus of this paper is, instead, to dive deep into the

bisexuality exhibited by Viola especially, as well as the rest of the cast.

Since one of the plays many themes is a focus on gender and sexuality, it is fitting that

women began flocking to the roles of Viola and Olivia. The exploration of the two primary

female rolls became a new way form of expression. In Shakespeare’s time, all roles were played

by men, regardless of the gender portrayed. So, Viola would originally have been played by a

man who played a woman who played a man. The intricacies of the role would have opened up

worlds of possibilities for young women looking for a way to get onto the stage, as well as

looking for ways to explain the heart of a woman.

Some of the other themes present in the play are that of language and its double-ness, and

as talked about in the Cambridge Shakespeare, “myths and metamorphosis” (759). The

juxtaposition of Puritans and clowns is also prevalent throughout the play, as evidenced by
 Heavener 3

Malvolio and Feste who have a tenuous relationship at best. And another theme constant

throughout is that of music.

For the purposes of this essay, three film versions of the play will be examined.

Historically, the play ends with Olivia pairing off with Sebastian, Viola with Orsino, and Maria

with Toby. This leaves Feste, Andrew, Malvolio, and Antonio alone on the stage with no

coupling. Each rendition looked at here has ended in this same fashion, though Dr. Peter

Meidlinger at Drury University swears (during class discussion) there has been a live theatrical

version in which Olivia reaches out her hand to Viola—and she takes it. This version allegedly

ends with the two women walking off the stage together, leaving the rest of the party quite

stunned. Since this version could not be readily found, it is simply being noted as an interesting

and fun way to interpret the ambiguous ending left to us by Shakespeare, likely intentionally.

The earliest version we will explore premiered in 1970 and was directed by John Sichel.

This version is the strictest with the script material. Joan Plowright starred as Viola/Cesario and

performed the character as one who keeps a veil of melancholy about her at all times. It could be

argued that she does this primarily because she mourns the supposed death of her brother and

because Orsino is dramatically melancholic as well. All the characters are seen together in the

music scene. Viola is dressed as Cesario already and watches as Orsino has his musicians play

music below the window of Olivia’s house. It is here that he says his famous first words, “If

music be the food of love, play on…” as he watches Olivia through the window.

Cesario, as Viola has become, is very serious in her suit to woo Olivia for Orsino. She is

upset at the idea of not being allowed to present his praise of her. When she sits without

invitation and begins telling how she might woo Olivia, her desire for Orsino is obvious on her

face. The only thing that this scene lacks is tension. It is not easy to see Olivia fall in love with
 Heavener 4

Cesario. It seems more likely that she pities Viola and a love for which ‘he’ pines. The scene

moves quickly, too. It is over too fast. This seems to be something very common in this version.

When the two women are together again in their second scene together, it moves rapidly, too.

Cesario avoids eye contact with Olivia, even when she falls to her knees before her.

The interesting thing with this version of the play is that the affection the characters feel

for their same-sex counterparts is very apparent. Orsino is in constant contact with Cesario, at

one point he has his hand on Cesario’s heart as Feste sings his song. Antonio and Sebastian are

also touching frequently. Antonio’s affection for Sebastian is obvious throughout the short scene

they share.

All through the play, Cesario remains stoic and quite calm. ‘He' rarely takes up with the

same revelry or lightheartedness as the other attendants and servants. In the showdown scene,

Cesario shows very little facial expression as ‘he’ is being accused of marrying Olivia behind the

back of his master. Cesario shrugs up against a pillar to hide from the accusation. When

Sebastian shows up, Viola again has very little expression on her face.

An interesting staging moment happens when Feste approaches with Malvolio’s letter.

Sebastian moves away from Olivia and back toward Antonio. Viola moves next to Orsino. This

leaves Olivia all alone in the center of the stage. This indicates her position as master of the

situation with Malvolio. It also indicates the affection shared by Antonio and Sebastian. When

the scene ends and everyone moves back into Olivia’s courtyard, Feste steps in front of her as if

he is actively attempting to stop her. He is shut out from the rest of the party, becoming a viewer

and ceasing to be a participant.

 Heavener 5

In John Gorrie’s 1980 version starring Sinead Cusack and Felicity Kendall as Olivia and

Viola respectively, a lighter and more fun approach is taken. Kendall’s Viola smiles through

most of her lines, jests with the fool, and is moving in her passion. Her sadness and anger at

losing her brother is evident and she deeply wants to work for Olivia. But her suggestion to work

for Orsino is taken up quickly, and we see her smile for the first time. She keeps that upbeat,

hopeful view throughout.

Viola as Cesario is happy to Orsino’s sad. He thinks he is deeply depressed, and Viola

smiles most of the time. The two are juxtaposed beautifully, each conveying a specific emotion

without regards to the other. Orsino clings to his self-made despair while Viola refuses to fall

into the sadness she felt on the shore.

The physical affection in this version is plain. Toby pulls Maria into his lap and kisses

her soundly. Feste lays his head on Olivia’s lap while she pets his hair and he puts his hand on

her leg. Orsino touches Viola often as well, grabbing her arm as he says “boy…”. Toby and

Andrew are also seen being openly physical with one another when Toby rubs Andrew’s legs

during the caper scene. This in itself separates this version from others.

Kendall’s Viola could be argued to be an empath. When Viola leaves after her attempt to

woo Olivia for Orsino, she is upset that she does not return that love. She seems very sad that she

will be leaving Olivia’s love alone. Viola herself feels incapable of returning her affection at this

point. This is another stark difference in other versions watched for this essay. Perhaps one of the

best things she does during the play is to mess her hair up when she is feeling frustrated. When

she first does this (“like Patience on a monument…” (2.4 ll. 111.)), Orsino makes a face as she

leaves the room. This could be the moment he realizes he is in love with Cesario.
 Heavener 6

The final film version is Trevor Nunn’s 1996 film which stars Imogen Stubbs and Helena

Bonham Carter as Viola and Oliva respectively. This version creates an atmosphere of less

comedy and more tension. Viola is visibly in love with Orsino, which is compounded upon

during their conversation about Cesario’s love life. Olivia is more somber at the same time as she

is vulnerable and almost desperate for a very specific type of love.

Each film does well with the material, and each presents different parts of the play in

different lights. With this in mind, however, no version allows much movement outside of the

established social order. This is especially apparent with gender and sexuality.

Viola’s decision to dress as a man (out of self-preservation) is the catalyst to the rest of

the play. Had she not, who can say how the play might have ended. But, she did. And in doing

so, she is given the opportunity to experience the world as a man would. With a woman’s mind

and a man’s appearance, she is able to walk the world with a freedom she has never felt before.

But in that freedom, she must find a way to live, and does so by employing herself as a page for

Orsino. She does this because she has been told that Olivia will accept no suit while she is in

mourning for her dead brother. Ironically, her task from Orsino is to woo Olivia for him. This

shows the respect or lack thereof that each of these characters have for Olivia’s wishes. Viola

understands the pain of losing a brother and chooses to give her space to grieve rather than to

attempt to work for her anyway. Orsino, on the other hand, dismisses her wishes and incessantly

sends messengers to Olivia, hoping to erode her staunch standing regarding his proposal.

This respect for Olivia’s wishes is evident in 3.1. When Viola realizes that Olivia will

never accept Orsino, no matter how frequently he sends messengers with elegant and flowery

prose of her praise, she responds “…Never more / Will I my master’s tears to you deplore” (152-

3). She knows now that Olivia has fallen in love with her and could not possibly love anyone
 Heavener 7

else. “Yet come again…” Olivia responds. And, of course, Viola does out of respect for the two

people she is caught between loving.

It is important to note that Viola tells both Olivia and Orsino that she is not who she

claims to be. But the person she chooses to tell first is Olivia. This occurs the first time they meet

in 1.5. Olivia is attempting to understand Cesario who does not seem to be playing by any of the

rules of society. She answers “…I swear I am not that I play…” (171). Though it is a veiled

confession, it is there nonetheless. Viola feels more comfortable in the presence of Olivia than in

Orsino’s, though she has spent three months with him up to this point. Comfortable, at least, to

drop a hint that she is not Cesario.

The next moment in which she reveals something of her true self is to Orsino as she tells

him of her “sister.” “I am all the daughters of my father’s house, / And all the brothers too…”

(2.4 ll. 117-8). Orsino takes this to mean that Cesario’s sister did die from pining after a man she

loved. Orsino is more concerned with answering his own question than he is in determining the

true meaning in Viola’s words.

The final moment she tells of her female self is once again to Olivia, who proclaims that

she can love no other but Cesario. “…I have one heart, on bosom, and one truth, / And that no

woman has, nor never none / Shall mistress be of it, save I alone…” (3.1 ll. 149-151). In this

moment, Viola is so overwhelmed that she is failing in Orsino’s suit that she cannot realize that

Olivia is the one who loves her for the person she is.

Olivia falls for Cesario the moment ‘he’ calls her proud to her face. The only person, up

to this point, who has ever had the gall to tell her she is being foolish or proud is Feste the fool.

Viola knows how women want to be talked to, but she does it with the confidence of a man. She
 Heavener 8

is able to tell Olivia she is being proud because the male appearance gives her right to (especially

during this time period, when it was much more acceptable for men to be considered superior to

women). It’s this forward honesty that pushes Olivia into love with Cesario. This is a love of a

person for who they are, rather than what they could be or what they represent. Viola doesn’t

realize her affection until she is given “back” the ring by Malvolio (who embellishes upon what

Olivia has told him. “Come, sir, you peevishly threw it to her…” (2.2 ll. 12).). She feels bad for

Olivia because of her, what Viola deems, misplaced love.

In 3.1, back in Olivia’s garden, she says to Cesario “Give me your hand, sir…” (ll. 96).

Viola concedes as they walk through the garden. This is another instance of Viola slowly

acquiescing to what she is feeling toward Olivia. This affection is slower, built upon mutual

respect of each other, and counters the social construct they are confined within.

The argument for which person Viola loves can be made more within the way in which

she speaks, rather than in the words themselves—they are ambiguous and vague, leaving way for

different interpretations. For example, in 3.4 Olivia begs Cesario to ask for anything as she could

refuse nothing of ‘him.’

Olivia: …What shall you ask of me that I’ll deny,

That honor, saved, may upon asking give?

Viola: Nothing but this: your true love for my master.

Olivia: How with mine honor may I give him that

Which I have given to you?

Viola: I will acquit you (3.4 ll. 189-193).

 Heavener 9

If the actress playing Viola were to say “I will acquit you…” in a vehement way, then it might

suggest that she is more upset at Olivia’s refusal to love Orsino. However, were the actress to say

the line in a more demure, saddened way, it could be argued that that Viola is more frustrated by

confines of the world she lives in. She knows she is a female, and society dictates that she cannot

be with another woman. This is a moment wherein Viola is questioning if that is a societal norm

to which she wants to conform. Again, if the actress said “Nothing but this: your true love for my

master…” harshly or accusatory, then that Viola would likely want nothing more than for Orsino

to be happy. But if she said it in a resigned sort of way, it could be argued that she is still feeling

the constrictions of the world she lives in.

The way in which Viola answers Orsino in 5.1 can also be argued either way. Orsino

orders Cesario away with him, and the following exchange occurs:

Viola: And I most jocund, apt, and willingly

To do you rest a thousand deaths would die.

Olivia: Where goes Cesario?

Viola: After him I love

More than I love these eyes, more than my life,

More by all mores than e’er I shall love wife.

If I do feign, you witnesses above,

Punish my life for tainting of my love.

Olivia: Ay my detested, how am I beguiled?

 Heavener 10

Viola: Who does beguile you? Who does you wrong? (5.1. ll. 125-132)

Viola begins with proclaiming that she would die “a thousand deaths” for Orsino—and do so

happily. But when Olivia cries out that she has been wronged, her happiness to go with Orsino

shifts into concern for Olivia’s well-being. Once again, though, this scene can be played

differently. To fit within the heteronormative structure that is present in this time period, Viola

could mock Olivia for saying that she has been wronged. After all, she knows she has done

nothing to be considered wrong by anyone. But this could also be played with Viola becoming

soft as soon as Olivia grows distraught. She is caught, always, between two possible loves. She

knows she should love Orsino, for he is a man and she is a woman. But her affection of Olivia

keeps her from leaving immediately with him—she stops and inquires after who has hurt Olivia.

And that is a sign of true respect, friendship, and affection.

This play is one of ambiguity and intentional vagueness. Shakespeare is a master of that.

Twelfth Night or As You Will can end in a variety of ways. The Cambridge Shakespeare talks of a

version that ended with Feste introducing himself to Antonio after the other couples have paired

off. Meidlinger alluded to version in which Olivia stretches out her hand to Viola who takes it.

The ambiguity goes hand-in-hand with the bisexuality and exploration of sex and gender each of

these characters experience. Viola, in particular, wrestles with a love of two very different kinds

of people—most strikingly different is their gender. The text can be pulled in either direction—

toward a queer reading, or toward a more heteronormative reading. Though, with the growth of

feminism and queer theory, this play will likely shift dynamics as it has done since its inception.

We can only hope that it will do so in a way that includes the bisexual and gender fluid

community, especially since these types of characters are obviously apparent in the play.
 Heavener 11

Works Cited

Ake, Jami. “Glimpsing a ‘Lesbian’ Poetics in ‘Twelfth Night.’” Studies in English Literature,

1500-1900, vol. 43, no. 2, 2003, pp. 375–394. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4625073.

Bevington, David. “Twelfth Night | Play by Shakespeare.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 July

2014, www.britannica.com/topic/TBevington, David. “Twelfth Night | Play by

Shakespeare.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 July 2014,

www.britannica.com/topic/Twelfth-Night.

Crane, Milton. “Twelfth Night and Shakespearian Comedy.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 6, no.

1, 1955, pp. 1–8. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2866046.

Gorrie, John. Twelfth Night. 1980.

Nunn, Trevor. Twelfth Night. 1996.

‌Shakespeare, William, et al. Twelfth Night or What You Will. Cambridge University Press,

2017.

Shakespeare, William, et al. “Twelfth Night.” The Norton Shakespeare, W. W. Norton &

Company, 2016, pp. 733–797.

Sichel, John. Twelfth Night. 1970.

Slights, William E. “’Maid and Man’ in Twelfth Night.” The Journal of English and Germanic

Philology, vol. 80, no. 3, 1981, pp. 327-348. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27708834.