looking further at viola
by Shannah Triplett
Viola's identity
Viola views herself as a women that is desperate who in need of a plan In order for her to survive. she comes up with a plan where she decides to dress up as a guy because with being a guy there are more opportunities she could explore. After she was shipwrecked she had no one to help or protect her, so by her pretending to be a guy it helped her stable so that she would not have to struggle. With all this going on she knows she can not give up when things get hard. she thinks of herself as someone who is courageous since she is faced with many challenges in her way. some background information which would be useful to understand the quote would be that Viola wants to work for Duke Orsino as his servant as her job of choice. " I prithee - and i'll pay thee bounteously conceal me what I am, and my aid for such disguise ... and speak to him in many sorts of music that will allow me very worth his service"(V.i.50 -55). In this quote Viola talks to the captain and mentions about how she will get a job working for Duke Orsino, plus what she would do if she got the chance to do so depending if her plan works goes as planned.
viola's gender
There are many ways that viola experiences her gender one of which is when she uses her disguise to get a job. If she had of stayed as herself without no disguise without pretending to be a guy she may not gotten that job or any job for that matter. In this era the men worked while the women stayed home and were housewives. Viola is forced to not only dress like a boy for her disguise but act like one as well. She can not dress as a boy and not play the part if she wants her plan to work out effectively. The benefits of her gender that are created from Viola pretending to be a guy are her being able to get a job so that she won't have to be worried, she gets to meet new people while she's working for Duke Orsino, she is able to find out what Duke Orsino likes and dislikes are plus what he likes in a girl. Some limitations which her gender brings is that she cannot confess her love she has for Duke Orsino, she is not able to be herself in order to get where she wants, she cannot find out whether or not Duke Orsino would like her if she were a women and not a guy since it would blow her cover. Some background information which would be useful to understand the quote would be that Viola's job for Duke Orsino is being his servant, one of the things she's doing as his servant is talking to Olivia for Duke Orsino so that Olivia will fall for him. "I'll do my best to woo your lady -(aside) Yet, a barful strife - whoe' er I woo, myself would be his wife"(V.i.40). In this quote Duke Orsino wants Viola to basically be his wingman and talk to Olivia so she can fall in love with him but Viola does not say no and she puts her feelings aside even through her love for he may be growing stronger everyday.
perceptions of viola
The characters in the play view Viola as generous and clever. they view Viola as generous because she offered to help someone when she did know them for very long and when she did not much for herself. she is perceived as clever because when there seems like there is no way for her to survive by herself so she comes up with a plan. This plan she has is to dress as a guy so that she can work for Duke Orsino.
similarities and differences between viola and me
you will type two paragraphs, one for simalirities and one for differences