“The Twelfth Night,” by William Shakespeare, shows a problem that is very widespread; people want what they cannot have. Orsino loves the Lady Olivia, but she has no interest in him because she is mourning her brother. She says that she will not let a man see her face for the next seven years, and this increases Orsino’s desire for her. In the second scene, we find out that Viola is going to try to dress up as a man and be a servant in Orsino’s court. Viola has also just lost her brother and she is very upset. Viola pays the captain to help her “pull off “ the disguise.

In the third scene, Olivia is being courted again. This time, the man is her uncle’s friend. Olivia has already made it clear that she wishes to be left alone, but people continually disregard her feelings. On the other hand, I do think that wearing a veil for seven years is ridiculous. The death of a family member is traumatizing, but you have to move forward with your life. Lady Olivia will never be happy is she just sits around and mourns her brother all day.

In the next scene, we find out that Viola has taken the name Cesario. She is pretending to be a teenage boy, and she quickly becomes one of the favorite servants. Then, Viola is ordered to deliver a message of love to Lady Olivia. Viola protests, saying that Lady Olivia has not shown interest in the past, and will not show it now. However, the real reason Viola does not want to deliver Orsino’s message is because she is falling in love with him.

When Viola goes to Lady Olivia’s home to deliver the message, she is not received well at first. After Lady Olivia is told that he is a very delicate looking young man, then she wants to see her for some reason. I have not quite understood the infatuation for a teenage boy with delicate features. I feel that it is unrealistic to think that Lady Olivia would want to hear his message just because the boy looks “girly.” Lady Olivia loves the young “boy” however, and sends a ring to “him” after “he” leaves.

At the beginning of Act two, we find out that Viola’s brother Sebastian is still alive. However, Sebastian thinks that his sister has drowning in the wreck. Sebastian and Antonio decide to go to Orsino’s court, despite the amount of enemies that Antonio has.

In Act II, Scene II, Viola, Orsino, and Olivia find themselves in a love triangle. Each one of them loves someone who does not love them back. It is a very difficult situation for Viola. She feels helpless, and does not know how to fix the situation.

When I went on the quad to look at the CCSJ Service Immersion program, I was stunned with how many programs we had. It was a real motivation to see how hard the students were working to fight for their cause. Project Mexico was especially vocal, and made the experience significantly more exciting. I also signed three random petitions. They were in such a rush to get signatures that I was not even sure what I was signing, but just by the passion that the students were putting into it, I knew that it was a good cause. It was a great experience. I just wish that there were more service trips in America. We do not have to leave the country to find impoverished people in need of shelter (we do not even have to leave Baltimore!). Doing Habitat for Humanity in the United States encourages national pride, and it is a great experience.