AWAY WITH HIM : THE MASCULINE OLIVIA IN SHAKESPEARE S TWELFTH NIGHT

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1 AWAY WITH HIM : THE MASCULINE OLIVIA IN SHAKESPEARE S TWELFTH NIGHT Stephanie Mantey Faculty Sponsor: Maureen Thum Department of English, University of Michigan-Flint Through scrutiny of many of William Shakespeare s literary works, it is difficult to comprehend the oppression and inferiority enforced upon women during the Shakespearian era. The reason for this is that Shakespeare often invented women who deviated from the social norms of his time, that is, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (Thum 113). Women during this period were expected to be quiet and submissive and were thought to be incapable of doing more than keeping house and rearing children. However, Shakespeare consistently dismissed these roles and fabricated feminine characters that both defied the standards of his time and displayed these women in a positive light. One of the most unconventional women in Shakespeare s comedy, Twelfth Night, is Olivia. Although she is obviously feminine in that she harbors pride for her beauty and remains on her estate for the entire story, she is constantly struggling with her masculine temperament and the social expectations of her time. Shakespeare bestows upon Olivia noticeably male-like, qualities. Most evident among these qualities are: the fact that she manages her own estate and all those living in it, the palpable intellect that she displays in her refusal of the Duke s love, and the manner in which she interacts with the males in the play, notably her boldness with Cesario and her authority over Malvolio. The most obvious reason for doubting that Olivia is simply an emotional, and thus, feminine character as critics have assumed, is the fact that she is not only the head of her estate, but also acts the part. Olivia regularly has servants and attendants around her that she gives orders to. Before Viola first comes to her house and Olivia is speaking with Feste, her

2 jester, she orders her attendants, [t]ake the fool away (Twelfth Night ), showing that she has power over him. Maria then comes to Olivia bringing news of Viola s arrival. When Olivia hears that her uncle, Sir Toby, is attending to Viola, she again commands, [f]etch him off, I pray you; he speaks nothing but madman. Fie on him ( )! Her opinion of Sir Toby compels her to order Maria to take him away, illustrating the manner in which Olivia manages the house. Again, in Scene One of Act Four, Olivia takes on a superior role when she chastises Sir Toby Belch for striking Sebastian and sends him away furiously. Rather than continuing his brawl with Sebastian, Sir Toby obediently departs. This confirms Olivia s dominance over those living on her estate. Lastly, when Malvolio is released and everyone is informed of the joke played on him, Olivia declares him the sole judge and jury, as if whatever she says goes. All of these examples help illustrate how controlling Olivia is over the household. It seems that Olivia s domineering personality would attract the attention of more conventional citizens and neighbors. However, Olivia combats the potential disapproval by staying in her home, because, women were respected only when they stayed inside of their domestic sphere (Thum 116). Thus, the news of Olivia s conduct may not have been observed to a large extent by outsiders, and it may have been assumed that Olivia was solely exercising her feminine duties, when in fact she was undertaking both the female and male household responsibilities. Another masculine quality that Olivia portrays is wisdom. Instead of playing dumb in front of others, Olivia converses with them, argues with them, and plays mind games with them. In the beginning of the play, a servant of the Duke s brings a message to Duke Orsino regarding Olivia. She tells the servant that she refuses to court a man or even show her face for seven years. The reason she gives for this is that her brother had recently died, and she is doing so out of mourning. However, we know that Olivia ends up marrying Sebastian very soon after.

3 Because of this, we can logically conclude that Olivia is not nearly as strict as her statement to the Duke allows for her to be. If Olivia did not completely intend to go seven years without courting anyone, then why would she make such a statement to the Duke? We already know that Olivia is not particularly fond of him, as suggested time and again throughout the play. Therefore, she probably just uses her deceased brother as an excuse to ward off the Duke s apparently unrelenting love. She wants to be in control of her own destiny rather than let others rule her love life. It seems that this is a very logical explanation for her behavior. This use of intellect by Olivia illustrates her rationality. This attribute was considered to be one that only men possessed during the era in which Olivia lived, once again demonstrating her unconventional behavior. Olivia s most masculine attribute is the boldness with which she acts toward the men she knows. Olivia lives with Feste, Malvolio, and Sir Toby, so she acts very informal when she is speaking with all of them. When Viola first comes to Olivia s house, Olivia is trying to match wits with Feste. While doing so, she and Malvolio muse on an almost equal playing field. Olivia then proceeds to join in with Feste s jeering at Malvolio. Malvolio angrily tries to object, but Olivia reproves him, saying, O, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio, (1.5.81), meaning he is too full of himself. In Shakespeare s time, a woman speaking like that to a man would not be tolerated, but in this instance, it is applauded. Later, when Sebastian and Sir Toby are beating each other, Olivia stops Sir Toby, declaring he is an [u]ngracious wretch (4.1.41)! By calling her uncle such a name, she shows that she has no regard for propriety. However, despite all of these remarks, Olivia still cannot be considered cruel because she merely speaks her mind. In fact, she also shows that she is very caring by acting as a motherly figure to Malvolio. When Olivia believes that Malvolio is mad only after he tries to impress her with his cross garters and

4 yellow stockings, she shows that she deeply cares about him by declaring, I would not have him (Malvolio) miscarry for the half of my dowry ( ). By matching wits with a fool, criticizing and caring for her faithful servant, and condemning her drunken uncle in public, Olivia is dismissing her role as a quiet and submissive female, and instead is paralleling herself with, and even overpowering, the men of the household. Olivia s audacity is equally apparent in her conversations with Viola, Sebastian and Duke Orsino. She is assertive with Viola when she declares her love for Cesario and accordingly takes the first step in the relationship. In actuality, men were the masters of women, and thus, men were traditionally expected to make the first (or any) steps in a relationship. Olivia again disrupts this custom even more so when she asks Sebastian if he will marry her. Plight me the full assurance of your faith (4.3.28), she invites, after which, Sebastian willingly consents. By doing so, Sebastian allows Olivia to perform the part of a male, while he seems to take on the role of a compliant female a complete reversal of gender roles! Finally, Olivia s brashness is easily perceptible in the manner in which she deals with the Duke. Olivia bluntly declares that she cannot love the Duke, even after naming many of his good qualities, though almost any woman of her time would be content with his many positive qualities and would wholeheartedly submit to his wishes, as she would have been expected to. Again, after marrying Sebastian, when the Duke finally comes in person to preach of his love, Olivia speaks bluntly and almost cruelly to him. If it be aught to the old tune, my lord, [i]t is as fat and fulsome to mine ear, [a]s howling after music ( ). In other words, if the Duke is coming for the same, persistent reason (his love for her), it will be as unpleasant to hear as hearing howling after listening to beautiful music. This negativity and ruthlessness spoken with such ease by Olivia, a woman, would have been totally unacceptable and even deserving of punishment in Shakespeare s time.

5 Olivia s temperament may have been acceptable among men and may even have been commonplace. However, women did not have the authority to speak with such aggressiveness to males as Olivia did constantly during the play. Throughout the play, Twelfth Night, it is obvious that Olivia assumes the typical masculine role of the Shakespearian era. Via her household influence, her rationality in evading Duke Orsino s undying love, and the authoritative manner in which she deals with other men in the play, we can perceive a seemingly unconventional female figure. Many times over, Olivia brings her masculine qualities to attention, alienating her from the typical woman of her time. However, Shakespeare is known for consistently creating women with personalities similar to that of Olivia. Even in Twelfth Night, there are other unconventional characters, including Viola and Maria, who contrasted the traditional roles of women in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Shakespeare seems to be a revolutionary in this aspect, albeit, during his time he may have only been considered a man with a comical view of alternate societal reality. Either way, Olivia may be a perfect example of the rebellious female that has set Shakespeare apart from other contemporaries of his time.

6 Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. Trans. Alan Dutband. 1st ed. Barron_Educational Series, Inc., Thum, Maureen. RE-VISIONS