Full mark essay written by an A* English Literature student analysing Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effects in A2S2 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.
I have 3A* in my A-le...
Discuss the following passage from Act 2 Scene 2, exploring Shakespeare’s use of language and
its dramatic effects [15]
As part of the rising action of ‘Twelfth Night’, Act 2 Scene 2 sees the first serious ramifications of
Viola’s male facade as her love triangle with Olivia and Orsino is firmly established, exploring themes
of love, deception and sexual identity. Through her soliloquy, the audience is exposed to the extent of
the constraints and frustrations she is enduring, highlighting the urgent need for her to reclaim her
female identity and for order to be restored; such melancholy begins to undermine the comical
elements of her disguise.
The complexity of Viola’s connection with Olivia is first demonstrated through the use of formal
jargon: “come again in his affairs… to report your lord’s taking of this”. Here, Malvolio’s language
likens Cesario’s courting of Olivia to a business transaction, stripping the act of all emotion and thus
humbling the eunuch by reminding him of his position as a mere messenger. Indeed, his
condescending manner, as revealed by the informal prose and haughty tone, suggests that this forced
decorum may be an attempt to distance Cesario from the countess due to his fear that their frequent
interactions may evoke transgression; this creates a comical irony through the audience’s knowledge
of Viola’s noble birth, as Malvolio’s subsequent attempts to assert his marginally higher status thus
appear futile and simply fuel the disorder which runs throughout the play. The humour of such gender
confusion is emphasised as the comedy begins to verge on slapstick, with Malvolio outlandishly
claiming that Cesario “peevishly threw” the ring to Olivia and mimicking this by “throw[ing] down
the ring”; by forcing Cesario to physically lower himself (“stoop”) in order to retrieve the ring,
Malvolio once again attempts to pronounce his superiority and belittles the eunuch, demonstrating an
almost possessive nature which begins to suggest that Cesario is not the only character guilty of
transgressing master-servant boundaries. Furthermore, through the introduction of the “ring”, a
symbol of romance and marriage, the responsibility for determining the outcome of the wooing is
placed upon Viola; it is at this moment that the tragedy of Viola’s disguise begins to be exposed as we
are introduced to her continuous inner conflict and guilt for prompting Olivia’s hopeless affection.
The suffering which arises from the repercussions of Viola’s male facade are further explored through
the metaphor of enchantment: “fortune forbid my outside have not charm’d her”. Here, through the
alliteration of the fricative ‘f’ sound, the extent of Viola’s alarm is clearly highlighted, suggesting that
she has finally acknowledged the gravity of her actions and the difficulties which may arise due to her
masculine exterior; this provides a stark contrast to her sense of control and pragmatism in the
previous act, suggesting that the complexity of her relationships which have been formed through her
false persona have led to her believing that fate is the only solution to the disorder. Indeed, through the
semantic field of the supernatural (“charm’d”, “wickedness”, “pregnant enemy”), Viola’s disguise is
apostrophised, presenting both she and Olivia as victims of its illusion and controlled by its evil
influence; perhaps Viola consciously wishes to separate herself from the identity she has created as
she is shameful of the delusion and transgressions it has prompted. Indeed, the imagery of hell
associated with “pregnant enemy” begins to illustrate her facade as a source of temptation and even
torture; this may reflect how her naivety deceived her into viewing her disguise as a source of refuge
freedom, rather than a position of great responsibility, which thus has resulted in both she and Olivia
experiencing the agony of unrequited love. Through the contrast between this declarative and the
interrogative tone of the previous line, the extent of Viola’s confusion surrounding her disguise is
emphasised; she appears to have lost complete control over its effects, causing the audience to be
apprehensive of the melancholy it will produce for herself and those around her.
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