My Masters Are You Mad? Essay

Interestingly, the concept of madness provoke be interpreted and explored in numerous ways. The earnishness of ones actions the mayhem or pandemonium of a situation or the psychogenic mental unsoundness of an individual. Shakespe ares Twelfth Night mentions madness more very much than any of his other plays, jot that madness plays a central manipulation in the development of some(prenominal) the plot and the characters. The intention of Malvolios question, although potenti tout ensembley 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 go in Olivias house. Through his question Twelfth Night, indirectly, presents many answers that turn over us, the reader, to our own conclusion about the degree of madness within each(prenominal) of the characters and the situations they create or find themselves in.The theme of hunch as a cause of madness is one that presents itself regularly in Twelfth Night. As the play opens, Orsino talks of how too much have it off can defend ones appetite for it sicken and so die. He says how love can oblige you want things one minute, and then, in another, make you sick of them, But falls into abatement and low price scour in a minute. Love should be, in theory, a powerful, all down feeling of euphoria and fulfillment. However, when Orsino describes this violent mix 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 rich golden shaft hath killed the flock of all affections Unrequited love is impure love, as the path of the one who love is al approximately certainly headed for despair. The suggestion that such a beautiful sense 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, wherefore 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 ponder his emotions.The loss of Olivias both brother and father within a short space of snip 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 demolition of her brother thus? intimating his disapproval. He is the first to be bold fair to middling to point out the ridiculousness of her overly-melodramatic grieving, having vowed to hide away for seven old age. It is considered countenance to mourn for the loss of a loved one for a stream of time, solely, in Olivias case, seven years would u sually be considered inordinate. to begin with Olivia even makes her debut appearance in Twelfth Night, precast as a self-indulgent and overemotional character. The theme of madness again presents itself in her self-important view of the humanity.The fact that Olivia is giving 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, comes to Olivia on Orsinos behalf, Olivia plays upon his affections for her, teasing his courier with her disguise, Give me my veil come throw it oer my face. If she unfeignedly 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 expense 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.The role of the fool in Olivias household is to speak their mind, having no fear of the achievable repercussions they may face from their masters for their honesty. Ironically, but perhaps unsurprisingly as this is a work of confusion in Shakespearean 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, request them if they have ever seen the picture of We Three? The picture he is referring to is that of both 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 besides character inferior to both Sir Toby and Sir Andrew to refer to their drunken and banquet lifestyle as laughable, showing not only his boldness, but besides his astute observations and wit. Later on, when speakin g to Viola disguised as Cesario, he comments on her lack of facial hair, Now Jove, in his next goodness of hair, send 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 obviously 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 perceive him.The many ways in which madness can be interpreted in both the characters cognizances of each other and the readers, or audiences, perception opens Twelfth Night up to the questioning of the sanity and the rationale backside 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 eye of the beholder.