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Viola (Twelfth Night character)
Encyclopedia
Viola is a fictional character
from the play Twelfth Night, written by William Shakespeare
around 1599 or 1600.
Viola's actions produce all of the play's momentum. She is a young woman of Messaline, a fictional country invented by Shakespeare, although some believe that this country really did exist. in the begging viola is found shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria
and separated from her twin brother, not knowing whether he is alive or dead. the Sea Captain that tells her that this place is ruled by the Duke Orsino
. He is in love with the Countess Olivia. Viola wants to serve her, but, finding this impossible, she has the Sea Captain dress her up like a boy so she can serve the Duke instead.
Viola chooses the name Cesario, which in Italian means 'little Caesar
', and secures a position as a page working for the Duke. he then entrusts Cesario (Viola) to express his love for Olivia because the count is much too cowardly to express his most profound love to Olivia himself. Cesario continues to pass messages back and forth between the Duke and Olivia, but this eventually places her in somewhat of a quandary: she is forced by duty to do her best to plead Orsino’s case to Olivia, but an internal conflict of interest arises when she falls in love with Orsino, and Olivia, believing her to be a man, falls in love with her. This is very bad, but it is resolved towards the end of the play.
When Sebastian, Viola's lost twin, arrives alive and well in Illyria with a pirate named Antonio, the chaos of mistaken identity ensues. The craziness crescendos until eventually Sebastian and Viola (dresses as a man) end up on stage at the same time, which is a huge shock to everyone. The plays ends in marriage: Olivia and Sebastian have already been secretly married (when she mistook him for Viola, whom she believed to be a man and Sebastian was pleased to be loved by such a beautiful woman), and Orsino gives up on Olivia, calling her his sister and takes Viola as his wife.
used actress Miss Elizabeth Younge as a model to paint Viola in Act III, Scene 4 after she and Sir Andrew have drawn swords (painting top-right).
William Hamilton
painted the confrontation between Olivia and Viola circa 1797: in Act V, Scene 1 Olivia believes Viola (dressed as Cesario) to be Sebastian (Viola's twin brother) who she has just married. After Viola denies any knowledge, incredulous Olivia asks the priest to confirm they were married just two hours prior.
Walter Howell Deverell used model Elizabeth Siddal
in his 1850 painting, showing Viola as Cesario looking longingly at Duke Orsino.
In the mid-19th century Frederick Richard Pickersgill
painted a few scenes, including: in Act 1, Scene 4 after the character Viola is shipwrecked, when she cross-dresses as Cesario, enters the service of Duke Orsino as his page and falls in love with him; and in Act 3, Scene 1 when Olivia declares her love for Cesario (1859 painting).
In the 20th century German actress Lucie Höflich
played Viola in (Twelfth Night in German) at the Deutsches Theater
in Berlin.
In 2009, Anne Hathaway
played Viola in the Shakespeare in the Park's production of "Twelfth Night" in New York's Central Park, directed by David Sullivan.
Olivia (a Countess) mistakenly falls in love with Cesario
Sebastian is the twin brother to Viola
Twelfth Night (1937) – Director N/A – Viola: Dorothy Black
Twelfth Night (1939) – Directed by Michel Saint Denis – Viola: Peggy Ashcroft
Twelfth Night (1957) [TV] – Directed by David Greene – Viola: Rosemary Harris
Twelfth Night (1957) – Directed by Caspar Wrede – Viola: Dilys Hamlett
Twelfth Night (1969) – Directed by John Sichel – Viola: Joan Plowright
Twelfth Night (1974) – Directed by David Giles – Viola: Janet Suzman
Twelfth Night (1980) [TV] – Directed by John Gorrie – Viola: Felicity Kendal
Twelfth Night (1987) – Directed by Neil Armfield – Viola: Gillian Jones
Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1988)– Directed by Paul Kafno – Viola: Frances Barber
Twelfth Night (1992) - [Animated Tales] – Directed by Mariya Muat – Viola: Fiona Shaw
Twelfth Night (1996) - Directed by Trevor Nunn – Viola: Imogen Stubbs
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
(1998) [TV] – Directed by Nicholas Hytner – Viola: Helen Hunt
Twelfth Night, or What You Will (2003) – Directed by Tim Supple – Viola: Parminder Nagra
She's the Man
(2006) – Directed by Andy Fickman – Viola: Amanda Bynes
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the play Twelfth Night, written by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
around 1599 or 1600.
Viola's actions produce all of the play's momentum. She is a young woman of Messaline, a fictional country invented by Shakespeare, although some believe that this country really did exist. in the begging viola is found shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
and separated from her twin brother, not knowing whether he is alive or dead. the Sea Captain that tells her that this place is ruled by the Duke Orsino
Orsino (Twelfth Night)
-Character:Orsino is the ruler of Illyria. In the play, he is sometimes referred to as a duke, and at other times as a count. At the beginning of the play, Orsino is in love with Olivia, but his love is unrequited, and Olivia, mourning for the death of both her father and her brother, refuses to...
. He is in love with the Countess Olivia. Viola wants to serve her, but, finding this impossible, she has the Sea Captain dress her up like a boy so she can serve the Duke instead.
Viola chooses the name Cesario, which in Italian means 'little Caesar
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
', and secures a position as a page working for the Duke. he then entrusts Cesario (Viola) to express his love for Olivia because the count is much too cowardly to express his most profound love to Olivia himself. Cesario continues to pass messages back and forth between the Duke and Olivia, but this eventually places her in somewhat of a quandary: she is forced by duty to do her best to plead Orsino’s case to Olivia, but an internal conflict of interest arises when she falls in love with Orsino, and Olivia, believing her to be a man, falls in love with her. This is very bad, but it is resolved towards the end of the play.
When Sebastian, Viola's lost twin, arrives alive and well in Illyria with a pirate named Antonio, the chaos of mistaken identity ensues. The craziness crescendos until eventually Sebastian and Viola (dresses as a man) end up on stage at the same time, which is a huge shock to everyone. The plays ends in marriage: Olivia and Sebastian have already been secretly married (when she mistook him for Viola, whom she believed to be a man and Sebastian was pleased to be loved by such a beautiful woman), and Orsino gives up on Olivia, calling her his sister and takes Viola as his wife.
Art and stage depictions
Circa 1771 Francis WheatleyFrancis Wheatley (painter)
Francis Wheatley was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Life and work:Wheatley was born at Wild Court, Covent Garden, London, the son of a master tailor. He studied at William Shipley's drawing school and the Royal Academy, and won several prizes from the Society of Arts...
used actress Miss Elizabeth Younge as a model to paint Viola in Act III, Scene 4 after she and Sir Andrew have drawn swords (painting top-right).
William Hamilton
William Hamilton (painter)
William Hamilton was an English painter and illustrator.Hamiliton was born in Chelsea, London, but travelled and worked in Italy with Antonio Zucchi for several years. He trained first as an architectural draftsman, but soon moved to theatrical portraits and scenes from plays...
painted the confrontation between Olivia and Viola circa 1797: in Act V, Scene 1 Olivia believes Viola (dressed as Cesario) to be Sebastian (Viola's twin brother) who she has just married. After Viola denies any knowledge, incredulous Olivia asks the priest to confirm they were married just two hours prior.
Walter Howell Deverell used model Elizabeth Siddal
Elizabeth Siddal
Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal was an English artists' model, poet and artist who was painted and drawn extensively by artists of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, including Walter Deverell, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and most of Dante Gabriel Rossetti's early paintings of women.-Early...
in his 1850 painting, showing Viola as Cesario looking longingly at Duke Orsino.
Frederick Richard Pickersgill
Frederick Richard Pickersgill was an English painter and book illustrator. Born into a family of artists, he was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools in 1840...
painted a few scenes, including: in Act 1, Scene 4 after the character Viola is shipwrecked, when she cross-dresses as Cesario, enters the service of Duke Orsino as his page and falls in love with him; and in Act 3, Scene 1 when Olivia declares her love for Cesario (1859 painting).
Lucie Höflich
Lucie Höflich was a German actor, teacher and head of the Staatliche Schauspielschule in Berlin. She was born Helene Lucie von Holwede on 20 February 1883 in Hannover and died in 9 October 1956 in Berlin...
played Viola in (Twelfth Night in German) at the Deutsches Theater
Deutsches Theater
The Deutsches Theater in Berlin is a well-known German theatre. It was built in 1850 as Friedrich-Wilhelm-Städtisches Theater, after Frederick William IV of Prussia. Located on Schumann Street , the Deutsches Theater consists of two adjoining stages that share a common, classical facade...
in Berlin.
In 2009, Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
played Viola in the Shakespeare in the Park's production of "Twelfth Night" in New York's Central Park, directed by David Sullivan.
Connections with other characters
Orsino (the Duke of Illyria) employs Viola as Cesario and she falls in love with himOlivia (a Countess) mistakenly falls in love with Cesario
Sebastian is the twin brother to Viola
Film Representations
Twelfth Night (1910) – Directed by Eugene Mullin – Viola: Florence TurnerFlorence Turner
Florence Turner was an American actress, who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films.Born in New York City, she was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by her ambitious mother...
Twelfth Night (1937) – Director N/A – Viola: Dorothy Black
Dorothy Black
Dorothy Black was an actress, born in Johannesburg. Educated at St Andrew's School in Johannesburg and also the Central School of Speech and Drama in London....
Twelfth Night (1939) – Directed by Michel Saint Denis – Viola: Peggy Ashcroft
Peggy Ashcroft
Dame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE was an English actress.-Early years:Born as Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, Ashcroft attended the Woodford School, Croydon and the Central School of Speech and Drama...
Twelfth Night (1957) [TV] – Directed by David Greene – Viola: Rosemary Harris
Rosemary Harris
Rosemary Ann Harris is an English actress and a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame. Throughout her career she has been nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and has won a Golden Globe, an Emmy, a Tony Award, an Obie, and five Drama Desk Awards.-Early life:Harris was born in...
Twelfth Night (1957) – Directed by Caspar Wrede – Viola: Dilys Hamlett
Dilys Hamlett
Dilys Hamlett was a British actress.-Early life:Dilys Hamlett was born on 31 March 1928 in Tidworth, Hampshire and developed an early interest in literature and theatre...
Twelfth Night (1969) – Directed by John Sichel – Viola: Joan Plowright
Joan Plowright
Joan Ann Plowright, Baroness Olivier, DBE , better known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English actress, whose career has spanned over sixty years. Throughout her career she has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award and has been nominated for an Academy Award, an Emmy, and two BAFTA Awards...
Twelfth Night (1974) – Directed by David Giles – Viola: Janet Suzman
Janet Suzman
Dame Janet Suzman, DBE is a South African-born-British actress and director.-Early life:Janet Suzman was born in Johannesburg to a Jewish family, the daughter of Betty and Saul Suzman, a wealthy importer of tobacco....
Twelfth Night (1980) [TV] – Directed by John Gorrie – Viola: Felicity Kendal
Felicity Kendal
Felicity Ann Kendal, CBE is an English actor known for her television and stage work.Born in 1946, Kendal spent much of her childhood in India, where her father managed a touring repertory company. First appearing on stage at the age of nine months, Kendal appeared in her first film, Shakespeare...
Twelfth Night (1987) – Directed by Neil Armfield – Viola: Gillian Jones
Gillian Jones
Gillian Jones is an Australian actress from Newcastle, New South Wales who is best known for appearances in Twelfth Night, Oscar and Lucinda, Last Train to Freo and the role of Di Paige in the television series Love My Way...
Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1988)– Directed by Paul Kafno – Viola: Frances Barber
Frances Barber
Frances Barber is an Olivier Award-nominated English actress with a long and distinguished stage career. She has also appeared in numerous television productions...
Twelfth Night (1992) - [Animated Tales] – Directed by Mariya Muat – Viola: Fiona Shaw
Fiona Shaw
Fiona Shaw, CBE is an Irish actress and theatre director. Although to international audiences she is probably most familiar for her minor role as Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films, she is an accomplished classical actress...
Twelfth Night (1996) - Directed by Trevor Nunn – Viola: Imogen Stubbs
Imogen Stubbs
Imogen Stubbs, Lady Nunn is an English actress and playwright.-Early life:Imogen Stubbs was born in Northumberland, lived briefly in Portsmouth, where her father was a naval officer, and then moved with her parents to London, where they lived on an elderly river barge on the Thames...
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
Twelfth Night; or, What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season...
(1998) [TV] – Directed by Nicholas Hytner – Viola: Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...
Twelfth Night, or What You Will (2003) – Directed by Tim Supple – Viola: Parminder Nagra
Parminder Nagra
Parminder Kaur Nagra is an English actress of Indian descent. She came to international prominence in 2002 after starring in Bend It Like Beckham. She starred as Dr. Neela Rasgotra in the Emmy Award-winning American medical drama series ER for six years until the series ended on 2 April 2009...
She's the Man
She's the Man
She's the Man is a 2006 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Fickman, based on Twelfth Night, a play by William Shakespeare. The film stars Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey and Vinnie Jones....
(2006) – Directed by Andy Fickman – Viola: Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Laura Bynes is an American actress, comedian, singer, and fashion designer. Bynes appeared in several successful television series, such as All That and The Amanda Show, on Nickelodeon in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s, and in 2002, she starred in the TV series, What I Like About You...
External links
- Viola(fictional character). Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...