Adriana Vicario
Event Analysis #6
18 April 2013
The theme of mistaken identity can
prove to be very beneficial although deceitful. In the play The Twelfth Night by William
Shakespeare, mistaken identity seems to be a major reason for the commotion
caused throughout the story. Characters are not who they appear to be and lies
continue to fester as the play proceeds. It seems as though there would be a
detrimental end however, it appears to turn out just opposite of that when true
happiness is found. This is relatable to the speaker and author, Leo Bretholz,
who came to Loyola to share his experience as a Holocaust survivor. He explains
that courage and his constant hidden identity is what helped him escape the
concentration camps and free himself of danger. Through Jesuit principles I
value the goal to be true to myself and understand the values behind this
statement. In both examples it is clear that although individuals did not
appear as themselves, they were still very true to their character.
The
Twelfth Night focused primarily on the lives of those living incognito.
This was shown through the character of Viola who came to the town of Illyria to
serve as a servant for the duke named Orsino. Coming to town she identified as
a male by the name of Cesario instead of herself. As the reader, we know that
she is hiding who she really is but other characters in the play are not aware
of the truth. With the time that Viola spends working for Orsino, she begins to
fall madly in love with him. Of course this is not something she could confess
to being that Orsino views Viola as a male. Instead Viola puts her desires for
Orsino aside and focuses on helping Orsino with whatever it was he needed
assistance with. Making matters even more difficult for Viola, one of those
tasks Duke demanded was to help him win the love of mistress Olivia. Out of
high respect for Duke, Viola willingly complied. “I’ll do my best to woo your
lady: (aside) yet, a barful strife! Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife”.
This suggests a lot about Viola’s character and how strong of a love she truly
holds for Orsino. Despite her feelings she is willing to do anything for Orsino
and seems to always put him first. Orsino realizes Viola’s true identity at the
end of the novel and is immediately drawn with love for her. He recognizes that
she was just as much of a caring person even disguised as a man. The
relationship between the two characters changes from friendship to romance
however, the substance of the relationship has always been true throughout. Had
Viola not dressed as a man and become so close to Orsino then there most likely
would not have been any relationship to develop further. The outcome proved to
be beneficial for both characters all due to a mistaken identity.
Leo Bretholz was a strong young man
who used different identities to get himself through one of the most lurid
moments in history. The Holocaust was a brutal time that killed thousands of
individuals of the Jewish population. Not only were these people killed but
they were also tortured, starved, and beaten by the Nazi party. Times were very
rough and it seemed as though it was impossible to escape, claims Mr. Bretholz.
However, the unlikelihood of escaping did not stop Leo from trying. In the
lecture I attended, Leo explained how he would constantly be on the run in
effort to escape the persecution of the camps. A common way to save yourself at
the time was to take on a new identity that did not state you were Jewish. Leo
did this quite often and would take on whatever role he had to so he could get
away clean. He explained how he became very good at French and could fool
anyone with his beret walking around as a “French Man”. He still managed to get
arrested in places as Paris and Belgium but he always managed to use his
courage to get away. It seemed as though he kept restarting his life as a new
character in a new place. Luckily Leo was one of the few people of this time
that came out of the Holocaust with his life. Bretholz was always true to his persevering
attitude and never held back in his fight for his life. Although he was
deceitful to many people, Leo knew he was strong enough to get through his pain
and overcome his obstacles. Had he not been so persistent he would have been at
Loyola speaking to students today. It was a blessing that disguising himself
could bring him the happy life he finally achieved.
Through these two examples of
mistaken identities, I have realized that truth may still be found even under
any disguise. It is surprising to think that something with such a negative
connotation could be the very cause for the happiness that is obtained at the
end. Loyola wishes students to be themselves and express what truth lies within
us. I believe that Viola and Leo both were able to grasp that message even with
an identity that was not theirs.
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