12th Night/ She's the Man Analysis
By Sophia Corsetti
Hallelujah - Kate Voegele Version by itsmestarkie
Viola's identity
Viola identifies herself as a person who was wrong to deceive people using disguises. She views herself as being caught in the middle of all the problems she created because of her idea to wear I disguise like Olivia falling in love with her and her not being able to love Orsino because she is in love with her because she thinks she is a man. Viola also perceives herself as a person with sympathy because she felt sorry for Olivia when she figured out Olivia fell in love with her. This is all proven because in the text is says “I’m the man she wants. If that’s true which it is then she might as well be in love with a dream, the poor lady. I now understand why it’s bad to wear disguises. Disguises help the devil do his work” ( II.ii.23-26). This proves all the things that were stated because Viola explains how she feels sorry for Olivia because she has falling in love with a fake man. And she also explains how she realizes that it’s bad to wear disguises and deceive people using them.
Viola's Gender
Viola experiences her gender by feeling that she will not be able to take care of herself as a women alone because of the time period that she is in. Every women needs a man to look after them in this time period but sense she does not have one she dresses up as a man in order to survive. This is proven because in the text it says " I'' pay you plenty for this. Help me conceal my identity and me the right disguise so I can look the way I want. I want to be this duke's servant" ( I.i.46-49). This proves what has been stated because it states how Viola plans to disguise herself as a man in order to get a job working for Orsino so she can support herself because as a women she would not be able to and she has no man to bring in any income. She Is forced to act like a man because she cannot provide for herself as a women. Some limitations she has as a man is she cannot tell Orsino she has fallen in the with him because she is viewed as a man and she also cannot reveal her identity to Olivia even though Olivia has fallen in love with her because she cannot blow her cover even though she obviously dose not return Olivia's feelings.
Perception of Viola
At the beginning of the story people see viola as a man but most of them see her as a different kind of man depending on the character. Orsino see her as a good friend that can be useful in helping him win Olivia's heart because he sent her to go read his message of love to Olivia thinking that she will pay more attention to him rather then the older people because she is so young and considered good looking. This is proven because in the text it says " That's definitely to old. A women should always pick an older man. That way she'll adjust herself to be what her husband wants and the husband will happy and faithful to her. Because how ever much we like to brag boy the truth is that we men change our minds a lot more than women do and our desires come on go a lot faster than theirs"( II.iv.28-34). This quote proves what has been stated because Orsino is saying that she is to young for a women as old as him. Viola sees herself as a completely different person then how Orsino described him and men in general. She being a women agrees the she does not change her mind as easily as men and her desires do not come and go so quickly for she has only loved Orsino through the whole play. Orsino says that she is to old for that women but she sees herself as a person who is just the right age for Orsino sense she is a younger women.
Similarities and differentces between viola and me
Some things that Viola and I have is that even though we are from completely different time periods we still struggle with being women in a male dominated society. We struggle to except the fact that we are women and women are just not capable of doing some of the things that men are. It is scientifically proven that men are the stronger gender. So there for men and women get separated a lot in sports like the Olympics women are only allowed to compete against other women. It's that same in contact sports too as women we are not allowed to play football with the men usually. One think that's different about us is I would never dress like a man even in if I was in the same situation as she was because I think it's a ridiculous idea and eventually she realized that it was a ridiculous idea too because her disguise caused so many problems for her. So she basically lied herself in a corner.
Viola's Identity in She's the Man
In the movie "She's the Man" Viola sees herself as struggle with her gender because sense she is a girl she is not allowed to play on the boys' soccer team when the girls team got cut. She is also struggling with her gender because her mom does not consider her to be a lady just because she is not all poised and doesn't like to dress up and she is more of a tomboy. Her mother responds to this by telling Viola that she might as well be her brother when she and Viola were talking in their house. But she also thinks of herself as someone who is good enough for the boys team this is proven at the end of the movie when she reveals to everyone that she was pretending to be her brother to prove she was good enough to be on the boys team.
Viola's gender in She's the Man
Viola experiences her gender boy dressing up as man and doing man things that are stereotypical to men she dose this by having her pretty female friends flirt with her and be all over her so show what a man she is because men who can get a lot of women are respected and looked up to. She is forced to act all macho but struggles to hide her feminine side. This is show when she is talking with the guys at lunch time and getting all dreaming about a heartbreak she just went through which scared all the boys away. Some limitations she has is she cannot she her face to her brother's ex girlfriend or else her cover will be blown. And she also cannot tell Orsino she has feelings for him even though she wants to. And she cannot tell the love sick Olivia who has fallen for her that she is a girl to make her not have feeling for her anymore even though she wants to because she clearly dose not have feelings for Olivia.
Viola's perseption in She's the Man
The other boys in the movie perceive Viola as kind of weird at first this is shown when they discover her tampons and she lies and says that they are for nose bleeds. But as the movie goes on they tender to like her more this is shown when all of her pretty friends were all over her and pretending to be in love with her and they boys responded by cheers for him and telling him what a great man she is. This is different then how she sees herself because she obviously dose not see herself as a big macho man but as a girl just trying to prove that she can be just as good as the boy and she cannot wait to prove everyone wrong.
Similarities and differentces between viola and me in She's the Man
One similarity that Viola and I have is that we both would liken to prove that we are just as capable as any man and we often struggle with our gender because sometime men tend to see us as lesser people even though women have all the rights that men have. One difference we have is I would never have the guts to do what she had and stick up do the boys like that. I don't really speak my mind and stand up for myself like she does and tend to just keep my mouth shut.