Twelfth Night, As You Like It

It is important to understand that both plays were written in the tradition of pastoral romance. This is to say that nature plays a sort of mystical backdrop. Many similar elements can be traced in both plays. The main plot, in both plays. features a young woman navigating through a man's world. THere are homo erotic themes in both plays but I won't get into that. Both women, Viola and Rosalind, seek the love of young men who are immature in the meaning of love and courtship. Both women take on male disguises to navigate a masculine world. It takes this pastoral environ meant to work a certain quirky magic to help our protagonists along to a state of fulfilment.

Still there are differences. Viola has far less freedom than Rosalind or even Celia. Viola can't engage in humorous games because Cicero , a servant, is acting on inaccurate instructions. Orsino is also quite different than Orlando. Orsino's view of love for its own sake makes Viola's job much harder.