Olivia pt.2

Olivia’s Super–Objective

To find an honest soul
who challenges my fierce wit
and loves my true self as much as god
-so that I may exist free of deception -
unmasked and divine.

According to Ben Kingsley, “ all the characters in Twelfth Night are trying to avoid truth at every level.” This must be because what they all really want is to live unmasked and divine (divine meaning at holy balance, extremely good, happy, and balanced).
The truth Olivia is trying to escape from the moment the play opens is the truth that love exists and such human divinity is possible (a.k.a. she is trying to avoid what she truly desires).
Instead of seeking divine balance, the facts in Olivia’s life (the death of her father, followed by her brother, and Feste’s abandonment – all major betrayals of her faith in love) have led Olivia to conclude that she is incapable of love and no soul is capable of honestly loving her.
It is with this major obstacle in the way of Olivia’s super-objective that she begins the play, and all her actions throughout are directly related to the struggle between the two.

Olivia’s mourning is the most profound example of this:
a. Olivia says that she will mourn her brothers death for 7 years (and when the play starts she has already been mourning for approx. 11 months)
b. “Her carefully announced, absurdly long period of mourning, with its withdrawal from society, is evidently a pretext, however unconscious, for singling herself out, making herself interesting.” (Goddard).
i. Olivia’s mourning = an attempt to be seen (however twisted) because ultimately she is still driven by her super- objective to live unmasked and divine.



Act 1 Scene 5 (part 1): (Olivia, Feste, Malvolio):
Scene Objective: I need Feste to prove his honesty to me through his wit, so that I can forgive him of his trespasses and begin to smile again and rebuild my faith in love.

Major Obstacle (s): Feste betrayed and wounded me so deeply with his abandonment – that it will take great wit and faith for him to earn back my trust and forgiveness.

-This scene is vital for the rest of Olivia’s action in the play: because it is only through her forgiveness of Feste that she begins to open just enough to be affected by Viola (Cesario): she is still opposed to hearing Orsino – however, the idea of a young feisty boy who does not obey her orders is suddenly intriguing, but only because Feste has rekindled her dying wit!
Thus, she calls the boy in for a little repartee (something she probably did quite often before her brother and fathers death!

Act 1 Scene 5 part 2: (Olivia, Viola, Maria):
Scene Objective: I need this youth to permit me to quit living and continue mourning by proving my suspicion that no good enough suitor exists for me to love.
Really: I need this saucy youth to prove my belief that no man can ever love me honestly nor keep up with my wit false, so that I can continue to live in hope of finding an honest soul to love.

Major Obstacle (s): a.) I am still so doubtful and wounded from the male betrayals I have encountered, that to find a suitor of my liking seems near impossible.
b.) The youth reveals that he is from Orsino, whose motives epitomize my biggest fear (that no man will ever love me for me, but only for my beauty and power).

Main Action/Tactic: I test the youths wit and ability to banter and defend Orsino’s feigned love.
Scene Objective Outcome: Olivia is unaware of her true objective in this scene. She brings in the youth because she wants to test the legitimacy of her suitors claim to love. She wants to prove to herself right in her excessive deliberation to more for seven years.
She loses that objective, because the youth ignites the flame she thought had died with her brother.
She wins her true objective, because she makes headway in her super-objective.