How does Shakespeare make us feel about
Viola in Act 1 Scene 5?
In act one scene 5 Viola goes to deliver a message to Olivia, who is making her first appearance in the book. Shakespeare makes us feel that Viola is very desperate with her love to Orsino, with many quotes to prove this as she longs for his love. Shakespeare also makes us feel Viola (Cesario) is trapped in the wrong persona. I also think that Shakespeare makes us feel sorry for Viola, as she tries to do her duty and get the message delivered well for Orsino. However, Shakespeare also shows Viola being quite rude to someone else in one part of the scene, but as a quick thinking response for when that person is rude to her.
I think that there are quite a few parts in this scene where Viola is literally declaring her love for Orsino, but hiding it in a way to show Olivia that Orsino loves Olivia a lot. One quotation that shows this is "Write loyal cantons of contemned love, and sing them loud even in the dead of night”. This shows how desperate Viola is, and how she would not give up showing how much she loved Orsino if she got the chance. Another quote that proves this is “With adorations, fertile tears, With groans that thunder love, with sighs of fire.” This is Viola’s response when Olivia asked her how Orsino loves her. Viola replied by again, saying what she would do if she could show her love for Orsino.
I think Shakespeare does this by exaggerating the romance with his lovers in the story to create big meanings to show just how strong and passionate the love is. In this scene, it really shows Viola’s desperation for the love of Orsino. Viola’s passage shows the true love she feels compared to the love Orsino has to Olivia. Shakespeare wrote this part of the scene in a beautiful romantic poetry.
One part of the scene makes us feel that Viola is in the wrong person as Cesario, and that she isn’t able to show anyone her true love for Orsino, and receives Olivia’s love by mistake instead. A...