Kristen Glass
Blog 5: Love and Sin
In Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare uses human behavior and love to depict humanity’s true identities. He achieves this message with witty dialogue which allows the reader to enjoyably analyze their own roles in society. Two weeks ago, I attended a theology lecture held by Professor Benjamin Sommer, who argued that the Bible can be interpreted in different ways depending upon one’s background and beliefs. Both Twelfth Night and the theology lecture analyze the hardships of love and how choices can define character.
Twelfth Night expands upon the idea that love has no boundaries. This shows that having a relationship is a desire of our society, and this desire is apart of its identity. Olivia chases after Cesario, (Viola cross-dressed as a man) a servant of low class. Viola falls in love with Orsino under her disguise and painfully watches him fall for Olivia. Duke Orsino attempts to woo Olivia, though her brother recently died and she was in a time of mourning. Shakespeare writes, “Get you to your lord; I cannot love him: let him send no more; Unless, perchance, you come to me again, To tell me how he takes it” (16). Olivia is tired of Orsino’s advances and sends away Viola, whom she is secretly attracted to. The comical dialogue lightens the mood, but this play portrays the real life difficulties the audience may encounter with love. Love can change how one acts or thinks, which ultimately influences personality.
At the lecture, Dr. Sommer discussed God’s love for humanity. Because of this message proposed at the theology lecture, the audience is influenced to make their relationship with God stronger through prayer and action.Though Adam and Eve disobeyed God (though perhaps they were unaware as Sommer argued), he justly exiled them from the Garden of Eden. God continued to provide for Adam and Eve by blessing them with food to harvest. He also gave them the ability to have children. The snake was cursed, but Adam and Eve were not. Dr. Sommer argued that sending Adam and Eve away was meant to be and that Genesis was not a story of a fall from grace, but a rising to knowledge. Now, they had the knowledge of good and evil and and could lead meaningful lives. This relationship between God and humans seems to be as confusing as the love of the characters in Twelfth Night, but that is not so. The lecture proposed that God loves everyone no matter their fault and sin. God will continue to provide as long as humans believe in him, but humans have a difficult time loving God because they cannot physically see him. A person’s faith identity can be influenced by their strong or weak faith in God.
Twelfth Night expands upon the idea that love has no boundaries. This shows that having a relationship is a desire of our society, and this desire is apart of its identity. Olivia chases after Cesario, (Viola cross-dressed as a man) a servant of low class. Viola falls in love with Orsino under her disguise and painfully watches him fall for Olivia. Duke Orsino attempts to woo Olivia, though her brother recently died and she was in a time of mourning. Shakespeare writes, “Get you to your lord; I cannot love him: let him send no more; Unless, perchance, you come to me again, To tell me how he takes it” (16). Olivia is tired of Orsino’s advances and sends away Viola, whom she is secretly attracted to. The comical dialogue lightens the mood, but this play portrays the real life difficulties the audience may encounter with love. Love can change how one acts or thinks, which ultimately influences personality.
At the lecture, Dr. Sommer discussed God’s love for humanity. Because of this message proposed at the theology lecture, the audience is influenced to make their relationship with God stronger through prayer and action.Though Adam and Eve disobeyed God (though perhaps they were unaware as Sommer argued), he justly exiled them from the Garden of Eden. God continued to provide for Adam and Eve by blessing them with food to harvest. He also gave them the ability to have children. The snake was cursed, but Adam and Eve were not. Dr. Sommer argued that sending Adam and Eve away was meant to be and that Genesis was not a story of a fall from grace, but a rising to knowledge. Now, they had the knowledge of good and evil and and could lead meaningful lives. This relationship between God and humans seems to be as confusing as the love of the characters in Twelfth Night, but that is not so. The lecture proposed that God loves everyone no matter their fault and sin. God will continue to provide as long as humans believe in him, but humans have a difficult time loving God because they cannot physically see him. A person’s faith identity can be influenced by their strong or weak faith in God.
Twelfth Night depicts human behavior that relates with the own actions of the audience. Besides the ample emotion of love throughout the play, many characters face sadness, greed, and mischief. The choices that the characters make in reaction to their feelings defines their true character and is a lesson to the audience about how to behave. For instance, Maria’s decision to dupe Malvolio because of her spite allows the reader to reflect on their own experience with anger and revenge. Shakespeare writes, “...observe him, for the love of mockery; for I know this letter will make a contemplative idiot of him” (29). This scene, though humorous, leads the reader to question their own past actions and morality. The self-righteous behavior of Malvolio throughout the play is also mocked so, the audience can conclude that his actions are wrong and not follow this example.
Harming others can negatively shape a person’s character and their perspective on the world. At the theology lecture, Dr. Sommer argued that Adam and Eve were not the first people to sin; Cain was the first to sin. Dr. Sommer agreed with the perspective of Michael Fishbane, another theologian. He believed that Adam and Eve did not know the difference between good and evil before they ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge. After they ate from the tree, humans gained morality and consciousness of their actions. Cain was the first to truly sin because was able to make choices and decided to kill his brother. This connects with Twelfth Night in that both the characters and Bible characters knowingly made decisions that have consequences. For Adam and Eve, whether or not they knew that eating the fruit was forbidden, paid the price through their exile from Eden. Cain was cursed for killing Abel and had to be a fugitive for the rest his life. Maria and Malvolio have not faced consequences for their deeds however, they will surely be affected. The audience can relate their actions to that of Cain, Maria, and Malvolio alike and ponder whether they have wronged others.
Overall, Twelfth Night and the theology lecture both projected similar messages about choices and love. People make poor decisions, which will have consequences that affect others. Love is hard work, but is worth the sacrifices in the end. Both behavior and love ultimately shape humans’ identity and view of the world. A person who is kind and understands the greatness of love will have a different identity than one who is arrogant and unloving .
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