Masks In The Twelfth Night

A detailed Summary of Masks In The Twelfth Night

In Irene, Voltaire wrote, "Shakespeare is a savage with sparks of genius which shine in dreadful darkness of night." One of Shakespeare's sparks of genius was in his use of masks. These masks put characters in a sort of "darkness of night," allowing them to become someone else. They are used for imagery, so one can discover who a person is-the inside of the mask. Masks are used throughout Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to reveal character's true emotions, to carry the story and explain things to the reader, and to express the power of raw beauty. Shakespeare uses this imagery of a mask in many of his characters in the play, but mostly in two: Viola and Feste. Throughout the play the masks help the plot along. At the end, all masks are discarded for a great finale.

The perfect example of the use of masking imagery can be seen in Feste the jester. In the play, Feste shows his many personalities in the disguise of masks. Acting as a wise man contrary to his role of the fool, Feste develops one mask. He tries to "conceal [himself] for what [he] is" (I.ii.52) because he knows that if the people realize his intelligence, he will not be called upon to work. These songs Feste sings serve as symbols of a well-formed conscienc

Near the opening of the play, when Viola adopts her male identity, she creates another self, like two masks. She may decide to wear one or the other while swinging between the two identities in emotion and in character. She decides to take on this identity because she has more freedom in society in her Cesario mask, which is evident when Orsino accepts her, whereas, in her female identity she would not be. The mask of Cesario develops throughout the play. Viola's mask pulls the comedy together. First, Viola's mask serves her in getting a job to get back on her feet after nearly drowning. This mask helps other people too. The mask gets Olivia back on her feet. She escapes the mourning of her dead brother. Olivia realizes she has something to live for after seeing Cesario's mask. Falling in love with the male version of Viola works out well. The mask turns out to be a replica of something that does exist. Sebastian is there, married to Olivia, when all masks are removed. The mask, growing on Viola, shows importance all over the play. It continues to develop, and this leaves the reader an even more omniscient point of view. While Olivia, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew are clueless as to what is going on, we know about the masks. Shakespeare wanted his readers to stand by and laugh. Viola plays the right person at every point in the story to make a happy ending. She removes her mask at the perfect moment. Being both a "maid

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Approximate Word count = 970
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English