The character of Sebastian in "Twelfth Night" represents the dynamic factor in an otherwise static equation. Illyria is an unchanging place, and the people who live in and visit this land are trapped in stasis. Shakespeare uses the device of twins to resolve static tension in “Twelfth Night.” Separated at sea, the twins end up shipwrecked in Illyria, each believing that the other has perished. The first brother, Viola, falls into the stasis that permeates Illyria. It is only when she reconciles with her brother Sebastian that the stasis dissolves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original Essay As we learn from the character Proteus in Shakespeare's “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” the sea has transformative powers. Another power of Proteus is his ability to change shape. Through the use of the sea In “Twelfth Night,” Shakespeare applies both themes to Viola and Sebastian. As twins, they represent two halves of a whole. Separated, they are both powerless; united, they have the power to control their own destiny and break the static tension of Illyria. The "static tension" in Illyria manifests itself most obviously in the blocked situation of Duke Orsino's unrequited love for Countess Olivia. Orsino pines for the countess, but she is lost in mourning for her brother and has sworn off men for seven years. All the other Illyrian characters in the play serve either Orsino or Olivia, and are thus drawn into the void of their stagnant situation. When Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria and decides to disguise herself as a man, she falls into the trap. Even though she loves Orsino, she cannot reveal herself to him, because he believes she is a man. It is only when his brother, Sebastian, appears in Illyria that things begin to change. The character of Sebastian is surrounded by a pattern of marine imagery. The first mention of Sebastian is in Act I, Scene II, when Viola laments the loss of her brother. The captain, in an attempt to comfort her, alludes to the mythological figure of Arion: in classical mythology, Arion was a famous musician (music is another important theme of "Twelfth Night") who escaped certain death by murder on board a ship by diving overboard. , lyre in hand. Hearing the beautiful melody, the dolphins came to his rescue and carried him to land. In Act II, Scene I, when Sebastian and Antonio are stranded, Sebastian refers to the sea as the power that separated his life from that of his sister: “[we were] both born in one hour. If heaven had been happy, we would have ended up like this. But you, sir, changed that, a few hours before you carried me from the breach of the sea, my sister had drowned" (2.1.17-20). The operational dynamic which first begins to disrupt the incessant stasis of Illyria begins when Antonio and Sebastian are separated in Act III, scene III Sebastian cannot safely accompany him through the streets of Illyria; due to his involvement in a naval combat (3.3.26) Antonio, however, is the only variable that distinguishes Sebastian from Viola, who, disguised as a man, is almost identical to his twin brother in the following scene (Act III, Scene IV), Antonio confuses Viola (in Cesario) with Sebastian, tries to defend her during a fight and is consequently incarcerated. When Viola refuses him the purse he begs for (and which he lent to Sebastian). , he is confused and hurt by her refusal After he leaves, Viola reflects: He named..