People are not always who they appear to be. Whether it's that fierce, muscular, tattooed man or that charming, smiling old lady a few seats away, what is perceived is not always what is true. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night depicts many characters whose identities do not match their inner character. Olivia's polite and ladylike demeanor, Sir Toby's exterior of nobility, and Feste's fool's work all demonstrate how social identities do not always correspond to inner character. Olivia's public status shows her as a caring and high-class lady, an austere personality. contrasts with her inner self as a bold and tenacious woman. When Olivia yearns for Cesario, she takes action and confesses: "But would you undertake another trial, / I would rather hear you solicit this / Than the music of the spheres" (3.1.108-110). This confession shows Olivia's desire for Cesario to court her, revealing a bold inner character and desire that does not match how others perceive her. Another example is after Cesario denies marrying her and redirects the topic to Duke Orsino, Olivia responds, "If it sounds like the old tune, my lord/It's as big and full to my ear/As a howl after the music” (5.1.104-106). Olivia rejects the Duke's affections and berates him as a man would, claiming that his courtship is crude and disgusting. This shows that she is not the fragile and polite woman she might be perceived to be, but an abrasive woman who can speak her mind. Olivia steps out of her social identity as a fragile, polite, and proper Elizabethan lady and reveals her true inner character as a strong, self-reliant woman. Olivia's own cousin, Sir Toby, also has a secretive side that doesn't match his social profile. identify. Sir Toby is supposed to be a high honorable...... middle of paper ......alvolio by slipping neatly into Sir Toby's scheme. All of this reveals Feste's inner character as wise and witty, as opposed to his social reputation as an uneducated, lower-class fool. Olivia, Sir Toby, and Feste are all very different from how others perceive them. Their social identities give them appearances and impose expectations on them to act in certain ways. This brings us back to real life, where people's social identities can alter the way others perceive and treat them, removing personal latitude for people to express themselves for fear of a negative response from their peers. . This heavily tattooed man could just be a nice aspiring kindergarten teacher, while this charming old lady could be a subway pickpocket. Shakespeare shows in Twelfth Night that social identity does not always correspond to inner character; an underlying theme that shines through in our society today.