Twelfth Night

discuss the role of mistaken identity in twelfth night .who is mistaken for whom,and what do these mix-ups signify?

state characters in the play who were mistaken for people they are not and which characters these were

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Shakespeare's use of disguises leads to a number of cases of mistaken identity. Viola is mistaken for her brother because she disguises herself in men's clothing; Sebastian (Viola's brother) is mistaken for Cesario by Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. Olivia also mistakes Sebastian for Cesario and marries him; all while Antonio is busy mistaking Viola for Sebastian.

Shakepeare often uses mistaken identity to create confusion and tangled, love triangles. This keeps his plays fresh and serves to add humor to the entertainment.

Mistaken identity take the form of three categories:handwriting, voice as well as appearance.

APPEARANCE

1) Viola disguises herself as Cesario and deceives everyone more particularly a) DUKE ORSINO (disguised as a man she falls for a man) b) LADY OLIVIA (a woman falls in love with a woman disguised as a man)

2) Sebastien is mistaken for Cesario (during duel) by a) Feste (the clown) b) Sir. Andrew ad Sir Toby c)Lady Olivia

3) Cesario is mistaken for Sebastien by a) Antonio b)The Priest (Sir Topas) c) Sir. Andrew and Lady Olivia in Act V, who thinks Cesario is the same Cesario in Act IV Scene 1 and 3.

VOICE

1) The clown Sir Feste, is mistaken for the priest Sir Topas by Malvolio.

HANDWRITING

1)Maria's handwriting is mistaken for Olivia's by Malvolio

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