How Does Shakespeare Use Deception In Twelfth Night

“Confusion and deception are key elements of comedy.” How does Shakespeare present these ideas in Twelfth Night?
Confusion and deception are two key elements that occur often in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and they seem to go hand in hand with one another- where one occurs the other is slowly behind. As in most comedies, Twelfth Night celebrates different forms of confusion and deception in order to make the play more entertaining and comical Shakespeare incorporates the confusion and deception throughout the play.
The overt example of confusion and deception is present through the character of Viola and this is the origin of much of the confusion in the play, in Elizabethan times, it was considered ―wicked‖ for women to appear on stage, so
Toby and Maria set up a ruse for Malvolio in the letter. However, it is Malvolio’s self-deception that allows the small prank to work. In the letter Maria (managing to deceive Malvolio into believing her handwriting is in fact Olivia’s) never outright named Malvolio as the man about whom she is writing. It is Malvolio’s own self pride and overinflated ego that allows him to convince himself that the letter must be about him. The audience is very aware of this, as he reads the letter much of the joke is centred on the fact that he is given a tiny crumb of a clue. Everyone except Malvolio understands that a match with Olivia is impossible, not only because Malvolio is her steward, but also because he is neither "generous, guiltless [nor] of free disposition". Orsino is also another character who is self-deluded. Duke Orsino’s has deceived himself into believing that he is in love with the countess Olivia
This causes confusions and problems for himself and the countess Olivia. Orsino thinks he is genuinely in love with Olivia, and worships her, even though he has never had an actual conversation with her. He sees her from far and announces 'the noblest that I have. O, mine eyes did see Olivia first, Methought she purged the air of pestilence. That instant was I turned into a hart '’. . In this line, which happens in the first act shows us how Orsino is a passionate for love but he does not
Twelfth Night is a reference to the twelfth night after Christmas Day, called the Eve of the Feast of Epiphany. It was originally a Catholic holiday but, prior to Shakespeare 's play, had become a day of revelry. Servants often dressed up as their masters. The masquerading that is a frequent part of an Epiphany celebration is of course captured in Viola 's plan to disguise herself as a man. Almost all the in the play are either taken in by another characters disguise or a deception regarding their own identity. The confusions that unravel in amongst it give the audience an urge to want to read on. I think Shakespeare presented these to show that things really are not always what they seem to be, plus to show the consequences of deception. Hence, nearly every character at some points conceals reality behind some type of deception, leading to various consequences. Furthermore, the deception and confusion presented throughout this story makes each character develop an identity with either showing cleverness or madness, while it also makes each character realize the principles towards obtaining love and