Audric Wang
Mr. Parker
Honors English 8 – 4th Period
15 December 2015
Two Sides of the Same Coin
People say that opposites attract, but it might not remain that way in stories. If one
carefully analyzes a story, they find sets of characters with many similarities, linking the two.
Any pair of characters that share a vast amount of qualities fall into a group referred to as foil
characters. Aluminum foil consists of two sides, one shiny and one dull. Both sides still share
similarities, as both lie on the same sheet of aluminum foil, but in stories, the reader ends up
liking one person more than the other. The play, Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare is no
exception to containing a multitude of these types of characters.
When two characters share so many parallels, including nearly the exact letters in their
names, the reader links the two characters without any difficulty. Of course, the two characters
call themselves Viola and Olivia. First of all, a link of sorrow and death in the family connects
the two women, as if chains bind them together. Each of them lost their father and brother to
Mother Earth or Neptune, god of the seas, before the play even begins, at least presumably in
Viola’s case. “My father…/ …died that day when Viola from her birth/ Had numbered thirteen
years” (V.i.254-247). In Olivia’s case, she was “…the daughter of a count/ That died some
twelvemonth since, then leaving her/ In the protection of his son, her brother,/ Who shortly also
died” (I.ii.37-40).” Each withstood the passing of their paternal parent before the play and at
least the assumption of the death of their only sibling, their brother. Next, the two represent some
of the most important, and along with that role, educated people in their own respective
countries. When giving Olivia’s ring to Cesario, Malvolio says, “Were not you even now with
the Countess/ Olivia?” (II.ii.1-2). Based on Viola’s education and talent, she appears to originate
from nobility in Messaline, where she and Sebastian hail from. On multiple accounts, a character
refers to Olivia as the Countess, and it states that a deceased count fathered her, meaning she
pertains to higher status in Illyria. Finally, both of these characters possessed or retain a romantic
relationship with Orsino, or the Duke, a title commonly used to refer to him. “O, when mine eyes
did see Olivia first,/ Methought she purged the air of pestilence” (I.i.20-21). Though in Olivia’s
case, only Orsino loved her, Viola created a mutual bond between Orsino and herself. At first,
since Orsino thought they shared a gender, only Viola loved the Duke. Once she reveals her true
identity, Orsino accepts the fact Olivia harbored no feelings for him and allows Viola to become
his queen. Each woman holds much power in the palm of her hand. Each suffered terrible losses
with direct family. Each romantically intertwined not only with Orsino, but with each other,
while Viola disguised as Cesario. The similarities undeniably associate the two characters on a
deeper level than being acquaintances or friends.
People usually identify twins easily through physical appearances, but the pair of siblings
in Twelfth Night share more qualities than most. Sebastian and Viola, or her male counterpart,
the eunuch Cesario, cause confusion about their identities near the end of the story. A good
example of how they appear as seemingly foil characters lies in the most obvious resemblance,
their appearance. “An apple cleft in two is not more twin/ Than these two creatures. Which is
Sebastian?” (V.i.234-235). Antonio, who nursed and cared for Sebastian like a loving mother
with a child for 3 months after the shipwreck takes troubles in differentiating between the
Cesario and Sebastian. A better instance of their sameness dwells in the causation of their
dilemma of being trapped in Illyria. “Assure yourself, after our ship did split,/ When you and
those poor number saved with you/ Hung on our driving boat, I saw your brother…” (I.ii.10-12).
Both arrived on the same boat and landed on different parts of Illyria, as the sea captain confirms
Sebastian also resided on the boat, saying he acted bravely. The best correlation between Cesario
and his brother rests in the same boat as the previous example. Each presumes the other to have
died during the shipwreck. Sebastian remarks when meeting Cesario for the first time, “I had a
sister,/ Whom the blind waves and surges have devoured” (V.i.239-240). In response, Viola says,
“Such a Sebastian was my brother too./ So went he suited to his watery tomb” (V.i.244-245).
Both twins lived in Illyria, with the thought of their equal undoubtedly dead. Confusion ensues
due to this assumption, relationships with the other’s acquaintances altered as a result. Twins
commonly act alike in many cases, but Cesario and Sebastian take this to a whole new level.
Experiences, as well as physical attributes, cause the view that they might as well be the same
person.
Best friends spend a lot of time with each other, consequentially influencing each other in
some way. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew act as very close companions throughout the whole play,
drinking and spending time with each other. It appears as if they rubbed off on each other more
than the average set of comrades. To begin, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew drinking together,
spending boatloads of time and money at the pubs, occasionally with others. “…he’s drunk
nightly in your company,” states Maria while talking to Sir Toby about Sir Andrew (I.iii.36-37).
The pair often returns to Olivia and Sir Toby’s estate after becoming intoxicated, causing more
noise than a storm. Their drunkenness actually causes the next example. Sir Toby and Sir
Andrew both involve themselves in the prank directed towards Malvolio. Once Maria finishes
explaining her plan, Sir Toby says, “Excellent! I smell a device” (II.iii.161). Sir Andrew
immediately replies, “I have ’t in my nose, too” (II.iii.162). When the two come back after a
night of drinking, Malvolio tries to use more power than he possesses, causing Maria and the two
bumbling drunks to grow angry. They retaliate with a trick, causing Malvolio to believe that
Olivia loves him. The final example resides in Sir Toby Belch’s and Sir Andrew Aguecheek’s
surnames, specifically how their names describe them. “…here comes Sir Andrew Agueface”
(I.iii.43). Sir Toby uses Agueface as a replacement for Aguecheek, with the word ague meaning
feverous. This implies the coloration of Sir Andrew’s face appears redder than usual, like
somebody with a fever, possibly acting as a reference to his drunkenness or possibly how he
constantly embarrasses himself directly as a result of his unintelligence. Belch obviously refers
to Sir Toby’s drinking habits. From the hobbies the two partake in together to the mocking
surnames intending to make fun of the rich for the entertainment of the lower class watching the
play, denying the similarities between the pair of close friends seems unlikely.
Foil characters appear everywhere in one of Shakespeare’s most notable and comedic
plays, with many not mentioned or maybe even recognized by most people. The densely packed
play fits a lot of characters into the plot, with many basic ideas between two characters
overlapping with another’s. Olivia and Viola both caught the eye captured the heart of Orsino.
Cesario and Sebastian thought the other to reside at the bottom of the ocean. The close friends of
Sir Andrew and Sir Toby hold more things in common than meets the eye. The last names of
each ridicule the owner of it. These characters live on two sides of the same coin. Readers of this
play think of a close friend they spent a lot of time with, or their sibling. Possibly even their rival
comes to mind. One notes their own similarities with another they know and see if they possibly
are, for lack of a better term, foil people.