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Twelfth Night Identity

Decent Essays

A center motif in Twelfth Night, Is Identity and Mistaken Identity(Deceived identity). Shakespeare relays use of mistaken identities to show people are not always what they are initially perceived to look like (that is if you are an attractive man, it doesn’t mean you are careful or sensitive or helpful in situations, but some people are perceived as being handsome--trustworthy--helpful). Viola shows this point by discussing the fantasy of appearances in the first scene of Twelfth Night, when we first meet her/hear from her/read her first lines. In act i, scene ii, Viola reflects that the character of the sea captain who rescued her is just as a good, as his looks are standard, as apparently he is perceived as a somewhat sexy man. Viola contrasts

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