Question — Essay-type
Compare and contrast Viola and Olivia.
Introduction
If Shakespearean tragedy is the world of men, then comedy is the world of women. The force of their personality is much greater than that of men. They do not lead a happy life merely, but impart happiness to others. They bring joy and resolve all dilemmas and complications. In the world of youthful romance, there are also delightful men, like Orlando and Orsino. But their personality is only secondary and their actions are more co-operative by nature. The main comic actions issue from the women, they are firm and realistic.
A noteworthy feature of all the romantic comedies of Shakespeare is that they introduce ‘twine heroines’. Both of them are generally young romantic ladies. They always have several points of similarity and contrast between them. ‘Twelfth Night’ likewise introduces Viola and Olivia as the ‘twine heroines’. They are both young, beautiful, romantic ladies, tender-hearted, fanciful and love-lorn. Yet there is something essentially difference between them.
Their Beauty
The first common feature between them is their exquisite beauty. Each surpasses the other in beauty. If Olivia is the pearl of beauty, Viola is its gem. They are so peculiarly brought together that each praises the beauty of the other. Viola in the person of Cesario thus comments upon the beautiful face of Olivia :
“Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white Nature’s own sweet and cunning hand laid on.”
And Olivia, in her turn, speaks of Viola [in person as Cesario] thus :
“Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions and spirit, Do give thee five-fold blazon:”
Essential Difference In Their Tempers
There is an essential difference between the tempers of Viola and Olivia. Olivia is proud, cold and imperious in her bearing. Viola is essentially modest, submissive and sweet-tempered. Olivia is evidently clever and cultivated, but she lacks Viola’s readiness of fancy and quick resourcefulness. Olivia’s conduct appears somewhat indelicate. Olivia’s ladylike wilfulness is certainly in bold contrast to Viola’s deep, silent and patient love.
Contrast In Love
The contrast between the two is even more marked in their respective love. Viola embodies within herself ‘the depth of love’, whereas Olivia does ‘the tumult’ of it. Viola represents the poet’s ideal of love. She is the image of deep, true and imaginative love.
“Love as a passion not of the senses, but of the intellect and the soul.”
The Aggressive Love Of Olivia
Her love is not only the love of force, but also a love which is blind and sensuous. She is a lady of weak character having a flickering temperament. We are told that she is mourning the loss of her beloved brother and even the sky will not see her face for seven long years. A few days after when she meets Viola, she puts her veil aside. The moment she feels that she is in love with Cesario [Viola], she wants him in her own possession. Her love never needs intellect or soul. It is the result of senses and aims at quick satisfaction.
The Ideal Love Of Viola
Her love is the kind of love which Shakespeare always advocates. Since she is the heroine of the play, this type of love was expected from her only. Her love is silent and idolatry. It is based upon devotion and sacrifice. This ideal type of love always has an unshakable confidence in its success and believes in concealment rather than revelation-
“She never told her love, but let concealment, like a worm ‘i th’ bud, feed on her damask cheek.”
And moreover such love finds satisfaction while it sits :
“And with a green and yellow melancholy
She sat like patience on a monument,
Smiling at grief…”
Conclusion
Olivia and Viola, thus, stand in contrast to each other in several ways. Viola is the true heroine of the play. She is as gay as she is gentle, as guileless simple as she is generous and sincere. Olivia is self-absorbed, ostentatious in her mourning, acquisitive and voracious in her love, self-willed in her conduct, conventional in her character, physically very beautiful, but spiritually insignificant. Olivia’s character throws the immeasurable superiority of Viola into stronger relief.
Similar Question
Compare and contrast the characters of Olivia and Viola.