Strength. It's a beautiful word, with many different definitions and people's name attached. Viola, the protagonist of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is one of these people, with her name attached to the word strength. It is undeniable that Viola has many traits of a strong female character, thus making her a strong female character. This will become further indisputable through an exploration of an important trait of a strong female character, the ability to fight against their struggles and towards their dreams, and how she doesn't play the role of a damsel in distress.
First of all, the defeat of Viola's struggles and fulfilment of her wishes make her a strong female character. Viola's biggest struggle was being a woman with no chaperone and surviving. She overcame this struggle and showed her intelligence and quick thinking when she decided to be "[presented] as a eunuch" to disguise herself so she can survive as a man (1.5.56). Viola This proves her to be a strong female character as she defeats her struggles, one of the characteristics of a strong female character. An example of Viola fulfilling her wishes is her marrying Duke Orsino. Viola promised to herself that "Whoe'er [she] woo, [she] would be [Duke Orsino's] wife" (1.5.42). A couple of months later, Duke Orsino proposed to Viola. A strong female character is determined and fights for her wishes and dreams, just as Viola did to get married to Duke Orsino. Since she married him and fulfilled her dreams, Viola, once again, proved to be a worthy, strong and determined female character.
Another trait of strong female characters is having flaws, something of which Viola has quite a few. For starters, Viola has a habit of putting people, especially Duke Orsino, first. This is shown when Viola boldly states, "To do you rest, a thousand deaths would die" (5.1.128). In this phrase, Viola showcases how she would die and kill for Duke Orsino's happiness. This shows one of Viola's greatest flaws: how she puts those she loves above herself. This flaw is major as it could possibly lead in Viola's death as it so closely did in act 5. Thus, this proves that Viola's is a strong female character as she has many flaws. However, the biggest flaw of Viola is her obliviousness - particularly when it comes to her brother. An example of this is when Antonion calls her by Sebastian's name and she doesn't catch on, but instead says "He nam'd Sebastian" (3.4.353). This trait of Viola's is one that frustrates the audience often but makes them see her as a human. The idea of having her flaws not only makes her more appealing and relatable but also differentiates her from a superhero as a strong female character. Therefore, Viola's flaws make her stronger as she works with them to accomplish her wishes and fight her struggles, making her a strong female character.
In conclusion, Viola undeniably is a strong female character due to the many traits she has - namely her ability to fight against her struggles and towards her dreams and her flaws that make her more human and relatable. She showcases all the traits of a strong female character, proving her to be worthy of the word. Proving just how beautiful "strength" really is.
