The Use of Deception in William Shakespeares Twelfth...

The Use of Deception in William Shakespeares Twelfth Night Deception is a key theme in William Shakespeares Twelfth Night. The characters must use deception to obtain good things, escape bad situations, or to play cruel hilarious ticks on other people. One example of deception is when Viola clothes herself in mens clothing in order to obtain a job under the Duke of Illyria, Orsino. During another scene Sir Andrew, Fabian, Maria, and Sir Toby Belch trick Malvolio into making a fool of himself. A third example of deception is when Feste the jester disguises himself as Sir Topas and taunts Malvolio. Each of these scenes and characters helps depict the different uses of deception. The first example of deception is†¦show more content†¦Olivia mistakenly proposes to Sebastian. Despite the fact that Sebastian has never met Olivia, he accepts the marriage. After the Duke discovers Violas gender, he falls in love with her and they wed. A second example of deception is the cruel trick that Sir Andrew, Fabian, Maria, and Sir Toby Belch play on Malvolio. Maria, Olivias lady-in-waiting, writes a note in her mistresss handwriting saying that Olivia falls for men who wear high yellow stockings and smile all the time. Sir Toby says: He shall think by the letter that thou wilt drop that they come from my niece, and that shes in love with him. (Shakespeare, 157) The conspirators then place the note in Marias garden, a place where Malvolio surely will find it. They do this to Malvolio because he had ruined their rambunctious fun the night before. Malvolio finds the letter and reads it: ...cast thy humble slough, and appear fresh. Be opposite with kinsman, surly with servants...Remember who commended thy yellow stockings, and wished to see thee ever cross-gartered . (Shakespeare, 139-145) Later, Malvolio confronts Olivia and she thinks he is insane. Malvolio gets put in a cage and becomes isolated for his behavior. Far a third and final example of deception, Feste disguises himself as Sir Topas to further annoy Malvolio. Maria asks Feste to dress up in a gown and hat and put on a long beard, to disguise himself asShow MoreRelatedEssay about Deception in William Shakespeares Twelfth Night775 Words   |  4 PagesDeception in William Shakespeares Twelfth Night In William Shakespeares comedic play, Twelfth Night, a recurring theme is deception. The characters in the play used deception for a variety of purposes. Violas use of deception involves her disguising herself as a man in order to obtain a job with the Duke of Illyria, Orsino. On the other hand, Maria, Olivias servant, writes a letter to Malvolio in Olivias handwriting to make Malvolio act foolishly because of his love for Olivia. 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