Viola
Twelfth Night - Acts I-IV
FEELINGS
BEFORE
"And what should I do in Illyria?/ My brother he is in Elysium" (Shakespeare 5).
Viola is devastated by the loss of her brother, and does not know what to do with herself.
"O that I served that lady,/ And might not be delivered to the world / Till I had made mine own occasion mellow,/ What my estate is" (Shakespeare 7).
Viola feels that she no longer has an identity without a brother, and seeks something to do that may help her rediscover or even reinvent that identity. She decides that the best way to start that process is to find work, and decides to keep her true self a secret until she has paved the way for herself.
Quote
AFTER
"Even such and so / In favor was my brother, and he went/ Still in this fashion, color, ornament,/ For him I imitate. O, if it prove,/ Tempests are kind, and salt waves fresh in love!" (Shakespeare 69).
Viola realizes that Sebastian may have survived after all. Her hope is restored and she is optimistic rather than in mourning.
"To woo your lady. Yet a barful strife!/ Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife" (Shakespeare 14).
Viola finds her job serving the duke to be full of emotional obstacles she was not expecting. She becomes in charge of wooing Olivia in Orsino's favor, but this proves difficult for her.
CAUSE
When challenged to duel with Sir Andrew in Act IV, Antonio steps in, declaring his love and allegiance to Viola, thinking Viola is Sebastian. When Antonio asks Viola to return his purse, it is clear to her that he mistakes her for someone else, and that that person is very likely her brother Sebastian.
Viola, upon serving the Duke, falls almost immediately in love with him. However, Viola cannot express her true feelings because she disguised herself as a boy so she could earn the position of the Duke's servant in the first place.
Subtopic
BEHAVIOR
BEFORE
"Conceal me what I am, and be my aid/ For such disguise as haply shall become/ The form of my intent. I'll serve this duke... What else may hap, to time I will commit" (Shakespeare 7).
At the beginning of Act I, Viola has no other intentions for wanting to serve the Duke. She seems to simply want work, and is willing to see where that takes her. Viola keeps her disguise up as Cesario and impresses Orsino with her servitude, which leads to him entrusting "him" with his more romantic matters.
Quote
AFTER
"Say that some lady, as perhaps there is,/ Hath for your love as great a pang of heart/ As you have for Olivia. You cannot love her./ You tell her so. Must she not then be answered?" (Shakespeare 37). "I am all the daughters of my father's house,/ And all the brothers too" (Shakespeare 38).
As the story goes on, her behavior shifts and she becomes less loyally obedient, and more manipulative. Instead of simply falling Orsino's orders and persuading Olivia to accept his advances, Viola tries to convince Orsino that he should stop pursuing Olivia, and suggests that there may be someone else for him. Viola begins to let slip signs and hints that she may not be who she says she is, and is therefore gradually removing her disguise.
CAUSE
No more than three days after working for him, Viola falls in love with Orsino. She becomes upset by his unrequited and undying love for Olivia, and wishes to pursue him herself. However, she cannot confess her feelings for him since she is disguised as Cesario. This causes changes in her behavior as she tries her best to steer Orsino away from Olivia while not yet giving away her disguise.
Cause