Free Essay Example: Passage Analysis of Twelfth Night by Shakespeare.

"Twelfth Night" is a comedy by Shakespeare that explores the themes of identity crisis and belonging. The main character Viola depicts this theme as she undergoes a major transformation in her life. She comes from a high class in society but finds herself in servitude after her brother and father die. She has to hide on several occasions because she does not want people to see her in her current situation. As time progresses, she gets to terms with reality and accepts herself the way she is. The paper will analyze Act two, Scene Two, and focus on the viola.

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In this passage, the viola puts her objective clear. She says, "O that I served that lady,/ And might not be delivered to the world/ Till I had made mine own occasion mellow" .viola adapts to different identity and shed off her former self which makes it hard for her to find happiness in life and love. In the search for identity, Viola finds herself in a complicated situation whereby she falls in love with her master. It gets even more complicated when his master falls in love with her in her disguised identity. It is because of the new identity, which she assumes that she gets wrongfully accused of leaving a ring with Olivia. Because of her new identity, she finds it rather difficult to convince others that she is not what they think. She became so desperate when she could not gain sympathy. Sometimes when a person fakes their identity, they end up leading miserable life since people judge them wrongly. Viola is guilty of her situation, and she can't be happy. By analyzing the passage critically, it is evident that the passage connects to Viola's life throughout the play.

The stage directs that this scene occurs at outside doors. Viola is leaving Olivia's house, where she has gone to deliver a message of love to Olivia from Orsino. It does not add up as to why Malvolio and Olivia use different doors, but it was most probably so that he can get Viola straight away. Malvolio had come to bring back the ring to Viola, indicating that she had forgotten it at Olivia's place. It is at this point that it becomes clear that the viola has been incriminated. Malvolio throws the ring on stage and Olivia has no option but express her anger and blame others for her condition

Viola is left alone on the stage. Alone, she becomes so emotional and blames on others who are not present. She is trying to rediscover who she is in a very hard way. Viola has hidden her true identity from Cesario, and she cannot express her feelings when no one is around. When this woman is alone, she can cry out because she knows her true self. Viola is only capable of shedding tears of pain to the audience as she is alone on stage. It is only the audience that knows who she is. She blames her disguise for her predicaments, and she says it is some wickedness. Ironically, this woman should criticize her new identity while she is the one who chose it. Viola has to play the innocent for her to keep on blaming other characters for her misfortune. In the long last viola has to leave her troubles for fate decide. She laments, "O time, thou must untangle this, not I" (42)

Viola has to stop blaming others for her problems and disclose who she is if she needs peace. Disguised identity can impede someone's happiness and sense of belonging. Viola cannot leave a complete life because she has some life, which makes it hard for her to confess her love for her boss.

Work Cited

Jenkins, Harold. "Shakespeare's" Twelfth Night. " Rice Institute Pamphlet-Rice University Studies 45.4 (1959).