Open Prompt #4 -Dec. 9-

2002, Form B. Often in literature, a character's success in achieving goals depends on keeping a secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at all. Choose a novel or play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for secrecy and how the character's choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may select a work from the list below, or you may choose another work of recognized literary merit suitable to the topic. Do NOT write about a short story, poem, or film.

In Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, Viola, the protagonist of the story, must keep her gender a secret. Shipwrecked in Illyria and thinking that her older brother Sebastian is dead, Viola dresses as a man and works for Duke Orsino under the name of Cesario. Viola's secret of truly being a woman is only know by Viola and the captain of the ship. Viola's choice to keep her gender a secret has a huge impact on the plot and the work as a whole.

Viola's secret is, in fact, what allows the plot to develop. Viola is in love with the Duke, but the Duke is in love with a girl named Olivia, who is  in love with Viola, thinking that she's a man. Since Viola is really a man, she must hide her feelings from the Duke, which causes her a few problems, such as constantly listening to Orsino talking about how lovely Olivia is. Though, the bigger problem is Olivia, who's fallen in love with Viola/ Cesario. Obviously because Viola is a woman, she is unable to requite Olivia's love and so avoids her constant flirting. This also leads to the confusion at the end of the play. Viola's brother, Sebastian, who survived, returns to Illyria. Olivia, then, confuses him with Viola, since she still hasn't revealed her secret. Sebastian, who is completely confused, accepts Olivia's marriage proposal, making the Duke believe that Viola/ Cesario has betrayed him. To clear the confusion, Viola finally reveals her true gender and marries the Duke. The gender confusion is what causes all these events in the play.

The gender swap also contributes to the overall themes of the play. One the most obvious themes is Mistaken Identity. Viola's disguise leads to many believing that she's a man, which clearly isn't her true identity. This also causes for Sebastian to be mistaken as Viola by Olivia and the Duke. Another theme that is affected is love causing pain. The Duke is in love with Olivia, and constantly reminds her and offers her gifts, but Olivia is in love with Viola, which causes the Duke some pain. Viola is in love with the Duke, but the Duke is constantly talking about Olivia's beauty, and so Viola is suffering as well. If Viola had revealed her secret earlier in the play, this wouldn't be a problem, since Olivia wouldn't like her anymore knowing that she's a woman, and Viola can try to woo the Duke without worry.

In the end, if Viola had told her secret earlier in the play, none of the events would occur. Her secret influences most of the plot and contributes to the themes of the play.