Full mark essay written by an A* English Literature student analysing Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effects in A3S4 of Twelfth Night.
This style of question is found in Section A of Paper 1 in OCR A-level English Literature and covers both AO1 and AO2.
Please feel free to l...
Discuss the following passage from Act 2 Scene 2, exploring Shakespeare’s use of language and its
dramatic effects [15]
As part of the falling action of ‘Twelfth Night’, Act 3 Scene 4 sees the unification of the main and
sub-plots as the repercussions of Viola’s disguise reach their peak, exploring themes of deception,
mistaken identity and even madness. This scene sees the arrest of Antonio, an honest character, which
presents a stark contrast to the comical consequences of disguise elsewhere in the play and evokes
pathos; Viola’s hope for Sebastian’s survival begins to hint at a potential resolution.
The depth and purity of Antonio’s servile devotion is first demonstrated through the semantic field of
religious worship: “relieved him with such sanctity of love, and to his image… did I devotion”. Here,
the captain testifies to the integrity of his love and demonstrates the powerful connection he shares
with Sebastian; such authenticity provides a stark contrast to the complexity of the love triangles
elsewhere in the play, all based on disguise and performance, and thus emphasises the cruelty of
Viola’s disguise as he is led to believe his love is unrequited. Indeed, his “devotion” to Sebastian’s
“image” introduces imagery of idolatry, illustrating the level of respect he has for his master and the
extent of his loyalty as he is willing to lower his class to the position of a mere servant to preserve the
bond between them. However, such unconditional love may instead illustrate an overlap of servitude
and romanticism which gives a dynamic of homoeroticism; by viewing Sebastian as a “god”, Antonio
is presented to possess qualities of a Petrarchan lover and introduces aspects of fantasy to their
previously natural, realistic relationship. Indeed, the contrast between their social status and moral
standing, with Sebastian as a “god” and Antonio as a lowly sinner, begins to suggest that there is
actually a distance between these two characters and the captain is humiliated by his failure to realise
this sooner; this gulf is epitomised in the sense of betrayal demonstrated in his parting words.
The suffering which arises from the apparent disloyalty of ‘Sebastian’ is clearly explored through the
subversion of the previous religious imagery: “the beauteous evil are empty trunks o’erflourished by
the devil”. Here, the derogatory oxymoron “beauteous evil” highlights the collision between the
reality and fantasy of love and the disruption of harmony caused by Viola’s male facade; by labelling
Sebastian as “evil”, dramatic irony is created as Sebastian is arguably innocent during these
repercussions of mistaken identity and it is actually Viola’s disguise which is wicked. Indeed, the
“empty trunks” add to this irony, as while Viola shares her brother’s “beauteous” appearance, she
lacks both the personality and affection for Antonio which formed the foundations of their
relationship. By using a heroic couplet, the depth of the captain’s emotion is highlighted and
juxtaposes the emotionless (“empty”) Sebastian; it seems that Antonio believes his love was
superficial and the connection they had with each other has been lost. Indeed, the theme of appearance
associated with “beauteous” and “o’erflourished” implies that he believes Sebastian simply used his
assistance to enhance his standing in Illyria and wishes to discard him now he has been given the
opportunity. Furthermore, the use of the name, “Sebastian”, may illustrate the captain reminding this
master of his identity as perhaps he believes that he is acting like a new person; the exclamative
emphasises his disgust at this change in character.
However, while the captain’s situation appears hopeless, Viola's fortunes seem to increase here as she
faces the possibility of reuniting with her brother, with Antonio’s naming of “Sebastian” providing the
first explicit evidence that he is alive. The need for a resolution is highlighted in her soliloquy as she
confesses “I my brother know yet living in my glass”; it seems that the purpose of her cross-dressing
was to memoralise Sebastian, however in becoming his perfect double, she introduced the source of
all confusion in the play. Indeed, the metaphor “glass” suggests a fragility and weakness which could
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