Approaching your Script – Viola (Twelfth Night – Shakespeare)

Fact and Opinion

Fact:

- She is a woman pretending to be a man

- She thinks her brother is dead

- She is a twin

- She is in love with the duke

- She is confused when her brother returns

- She is happy when the duke marries her

- She survived a shipwreck

- She worked for the duke as a boy

- She looks like her brother

- She is ‘desperate’ for her ‘masters love’

- Her father died

- She believes her brother drowned

- She gets what she wants

- She doesn’t give up

- She is loyal to her master

- Her master is the person she loves the most

- She is Orsino’s messenger

Opinion:

- She thinks Olivia is mad for giving her a ring

- She believes Olivia to be silly for not accepting the duke

- She thinks she is bad for wearing a disguise

- She feels sorry for Olivia

- She is scared when she had to fight

- She is very pretty

- She thinks Olivia is deluded

- She believes Olivia loves her

- She believes in true love

- She is not interested in status

- She is a complex character – woos a women for a man who she loves.



Who am I?
I am a young women called Viola and I am not married. I was part of a shipwreck and my brother

drowned. So that I could live well I disguised myself as a boy so that I could work for the duke. I had to try and makes his love Olivia fall in love with him but I slowly started to fall in love with him myself. I believe in true love so it was hard for me when Olivia began to fall in love with me because I loved Orsino and it wasn’t fair to her. When my brother returned I was extremely happy he fell in love with Olivia and I revealed my true self and the duke asked me to be his wife. I know live with duke and everything that happened can now be forgotten.


What is the present situation?

My monologue occurs after Viola has just met Olivia. During this meeting Olivia has started to feel love towards Viola but Viola is not aware of this. The present situation in which the monologue occurs is viola walking back to tell the duke of the bad news that Olivia does not love him. The purpose of the monologue is to realise what a mess she has made of things and to confirm the audiences suspicion that Olivia was falling in love with her. She is quite confused and shocked by receiving the ring and does not know what to do in this situation.

Where am I?

In this scene she is walking back to the duke’s house. I believe she is by the cost on the Clift walking quite slowly. Due to knowledge of a shipwreck having occurring it is quite windy and cold however it is also sunny and bright. This play is probably set in the late 1500 and I believe it to be occurring around Easter time. The air is fresh and it is a nice walk for viola to be doing, she can hear the waves and no one is nearby to be able to hear her thoughts.


Costume

For this costume because she is pretending to be a man I think I should have my hair back in a ponytail and be wearing a kind of officer uniform – trousers and a blazer so that I look like a messenger for Orsino.

Given Circumstances

Before this scene Viola has just been with Olivia confessing Orsino’s love for her. This has not been successful so viola needs to go and tell the duke what has happened. She is walking back to the duke’s house when Malvolio turns up and gives her a ring which she had apparently thrown to Olivia. This is not true viola didn't give Olivia a ring from the duke, this is Olivia’s ring and in this monologue Olivia is trying to figure out the meaning of this.


I watched Twelfth Night on DVD and I believe this has helped me gain a much better understanding of the whole play and I have now seen my character portrayed on screen which will help me when I am becoming the character.

http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/event/twelfth-night-14/ (Source 5)

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/twelfthnight/ (Source 4)