| Viola | |
|---|---|
| Twelfth Night character | |
 Francis Wheatley painted the character Viola (second left) preparing to duelSir Andrew Aguecheek, circa 1771 | |
| Created by | William Shakespeare |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Viola was disguised as a man, with the name of Cesario |
| Family | Sebastian (twin brother) |
Viola is theprotagonist of the playTwelfth Night, written byWilliam Shakespeare.
As the central character, Viola's actions produce all of the play's momentum. She is a young woman of Messaline. In the beginning, Viola is found shipwrecked on the shores ofIllyria and separated from her twin brother, not knowing whether he is alive or dead. The Sea Captain tells her that this place is ruled by the DukeOrsino, who is in love with CountessOlivia. Viola wants to serve her, but, finding this impossible, she has the Sea Captain dress her up like aeunuch, so that she can serve the Duke instead.
Viola chooses the name Cesario and secures a position as a page working for the Duke. He then entrusts Cesario (Viola) to express his love for Olivia, without knowing that Viola had begun to fall in love with him. When Viola hears this she is heartbroken but listens reluctantly. Cesario continues to pass messages back and forth between the Duke and Olivia, but this eventually places her in somewhat of a quandary: she is forced by duty to do her best to plead Orsino's case to Olivia, but an internal conflict of interest arises when she falls in love with Orsino, and Olivia, believing her to be male, falls in love with her. Upon receiving a ring from Olivia's steward, Viola contemplates the love triangle her disguise has created, admitting only time can solve it.
WhenSebastian, Viola's lost twin, arrives alive and well in Illyria with a pirate named Antonio, the chaos of mistaken identity ensues because of their remarkably similar looks, only made more similar due to Viola dressing up as a male. The absurdity of the identity crisis builds until Sebastian and Viola as Cesario meet for the first time, and eventually recognise one another. Olivia and Sebastian have already been secretly married, as she mistook him for Cesario, and Sebastian, ignorant of the foregoing love triangle, was simply entranced by a beautiful woman. Ultimately then, given what he has witnessed, Orsino admits that he will no longer pursue Olivia, agreeing to love her as his sister, and decides to take Viola as his wife once she quits her disguise.
Although Viola is the play's protagonist, her true name is not spoken by any character—including herself—until the final scene of the play (Act 5, scene 1).
Circa 1771,Francis Wheatley used actressElizabeth Younge as a model to paint Viola in Act III, Scene 4, after she and Sir Andrew have drawn swords (painting top-right).[1]
William Hamilton painted the confrontation between Olivia and Viola, circa 1797: in Act V, Scene 1. Olivia believes Viola (dressed as Cesario) to be Sebastian (Viola's twin brother) who she has just married. After Viola denies any knowledge, incredulous Olivia asks the priest to confirm they were married just two hours prior.[2]
Walter Howell Deverell used modelElizabeth Siddal in his1850 painting, showing Viola as Cesario looking longingly at Duke Orsino.[3]
In the mid-19th century,Frederick Richard Pickersgill painted a few scenes, including: in Act 1, Scene 4, after the character Viola is shipwrecked, when she cross-dresses as Cesario, enters the service of Duke Orsino as his page and falls in love with him; and in Act 3, Scene 1, when Olivia declares her love for Cesario (1859 painting).[4]
In the early 20th century, German actressLucie Höflich played Viola inWas ihr wollt (Twelfth Night in German) at theDeutsches Theater in Berlin.[5]
Tallulah Bankhead played Viola in a 1937 radio broadcast of the play.[6]
Eddie Redmayne made his professional stage debut as Viola forShakespeare's Globe at theMiddle Temple Hall in 2002.[7]
In 2009,Anne Hathaway played Viola in theShakespeare in the Park production ofTwelfth Night inCentral Park, directed by David Sullivan.
Jennifer Paredes portrayed Viola in theOld Globe Theatre's 2017 production ofTwelfth Night.[8]
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