Open Prompt #4 (Revision) -Feb. 17-

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 causes certain events to occur in the plot. Since Viola is pretending to be 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, not knowing her true identity. Obviously because Viola is a woman, she is unable to requite Olivia's love and so avoids her constant flirting. This love triangle 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 Viola still hasn't revealed her secret, Sebastian, who is has no idea what's going on, accepts Olivia's marriage proposal. This causes he Duke to believe that Viola/Cesario betrayed him. To clear the confusion, Viola finally reveals her true gender and marries the Duke. 

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, though she is a woman. This also causes for Sebastian to be mistaken as Viola/ Cesario. 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/Cesario, 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, Olivia wouldn't like her anymore knowing that she's a woman, and Viola can try to woo the Duke without worry.

Overall, if Viola had told her secret earlier in the play, none of the events would occur. Olivia would ever have fallen in love with her, Viola wouldn't have ended up working for the Duke, and Sebastian's return wouldn't have been so confusing for the characters. Her secret clearly influences most of the plot and contributes to the themes of the play.