My Masters Are You Mad? Essay

Interestingly, the concept of crazyness can be interpreted and explored in many ways. The foolishness of wizards actions the mayhem or pandemonium of a situation or the mental instability of an individual. Shakespeares 12th Night mentions madness more often than any of his other plays, implyion that madness plays a central role in the development of both the plot and the characters. The intention of Malvolios question, although potentially ambiguous, is to suggest to his masters, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, that they are crazy to be up in the early hours of the morning making such a noise in Olivias house. Through his question ordinal Night, indirectly, presents many answers that carry us, the reader, to our own conclusion about the degree of madness within severally of the characters and the situations they create or stimulate themselves in.The theme of do as a cause of madness is unity that presents itself regularly in Twelfth Night. As the play opens, Orsino talks of how t oo much love can make unrivalleds appetite for it sicken and so die. He says how love can make you want things one minute, and then, in another, make you sick of them, But falls into abatement and low price Even in a minute. Love should be, in theory, a powerful, all consuming feeling of euphoria and fulfillment. However, when Orsino describes this violent mix in of desires accompanying love, he seems to be referring to everybodys experience of love. He is generalising and assuming, however disruptive and chaotic love is, everybody experiences it in the same way he describes.As the play progresses, we are shown that his love for Olivia is unrequited, How will she love, when the sizeable golden shaft hath killed the flock of all affections Unrequited love is impure love, as the path of the one who love is almost certainly headed for despair. The suggestion that such a beautiful emotion could result in turbulence and such pain & upset is the suggestion that love, and the journey it takes Orsino on, is mad. The readers are left contemplating that if Orsino knows the path he it taking is unstable, why does he bother continuing when he knows his fate? Love has left him mad & unhinged and, possibly, incapable of making rational and thoughtful decisions. Instead he leaves to sweet beds of flowers to further job his emotions.The red of Olivias both brother and father within a short space of clip has left her grieving excessively and unnecessarily. Sir Toby opens a scene by questioning Olivias behavior, What a plague means my niece to take the death of her brother thus? intimating his disapproval. He is the first to be reckless abundant to point out the ridiculousness of her overly-melodramatic grieving, having vowed to hide away for seven years. It is considered appropriate to mourn for the loss of a loved one for a period of time, that, in Olivias case, seven years would unremarkably be considered inordinate. Before Olivia even makes her debut appearance in Twelfth Night, precast as a self- muffnt and overemotional character. The theme of madness again presents itself in her self-important view of the solid ground.The fact that Olivia is bad up seven years of her own life to grieve, shows her desire to play the victim, hiding away from the world outside her house and the affections of others. When Viola, in disguise, make outs to Olivia on Orsinos behalf, Olivia plays upon his affections for her, teasing his messenger with her disguise, Give me my veil come throw it oer my face. If she truly was wretched from the loss of her brother and father she would not indulge in such frivolous devices to keep others interested. The prolonged grieving she had opened herself up to has been at the outlay of her better-judgment and maturity. She, a master of Malvolio, as his question includes, has slipped into instability and silliness, and, if she keeps it up, is not far from the madness that seems to engulf the characters of Twelfth Night.Th e role of the fool in Olivias household is to speak their mind, having no fear of the possible repercussions they may face from their masters for their honesty. Ironically, but perhaps unsurprisingly as this is a work of confusion in Shakespearian proportions, Feste, the clown is perhaps the most sane and wise of all the characters. Feste makes a comment to Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, intercommunicate them if they have ever seen the picture of We Three? The picture he is referring to is that of two fools, with the idea that the viewed is the third fool. He is suggesting that they either are the fools in the picture, or have both seen it and, therefore, make up the third fool.He is the only character inferior to both Sir Toby and Sir Andrew to refer to their drunken and feasting lifestyle as foolish, showing not only his boldness, but also his astute observations and wit. Later on, when speaking to Viola disguise as Cesario, he comments on her lack of facial hair, Now Jove, in his nex t commodity of hair, place thee a beard. Although he may only be commenting on the fact a post-pubescent boy is without a beard, it is also suggested that he is wise to the fact Cesario is not the eunuch he appears to be but is, in fact, a girl, Viola. Shakespeares introduction of such a minor, and seemingly insignificant, line that holds incredible subtext is enough to suggest that Feste, the fool, is not as foolish or as mad as the other characters compass him.The many ways in which madness can be interpreted in both the characters perceptions of each other and the readers, or audiences, perception opens Twelfth Night up to the questioning of the saneness and the rationale behind the motives of the characters. It has never been more true to say of something than it is of this play that madness is in the shopping center of the beholder.